Mission Statement

Our goal with this blog is to push each other to get healthy, learn how to stay fit and active, to examine our lives and try to find the joy and fun in every day, and to conquer our fears so that we can go out into the world and grasp every bit of happiness we can find. All while being snarky and trying not to kill each other.



Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Raw Food: Day 17, Cappy

Diet went great again today.  I made myself an exceptionally yummy salad for lunch--spring mix greens, red onions, red peppers, avocado, kidney beans, and southwest salsa.  It was a party in my mouth! ;D


For the past couple nights, I've been too exhausted to eat more than my veggie smoothie and an apple for supper.  What's really interesting though, is that I've not gotten hungry afterwards. So I'm trying that again this evening, even though I didn't work out today and am not exceptionally tired.  I'm curious to see if it makes any difference whether or not I'm really tired.


As I said, did not work out today.


Happymaker of the day:  chatting with friends


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 17, Cory

I would call this a "day off" the diet.

Just dealing with some mega stress.  I am eating sensibly . . . no major treats or anything like that, but some temporary craziness going on in my life, and I am just trying to maintain here.  Had a small cookie for breakfast, I ate out for lunch (had feta veggie wrap, and some small pieces of olive-oil with bread appetizer type thing), and had a small baloney sandwich and bunch of almonds for dinner.  I mean - who knows what the calories added up to, but I just need to take a short break from the diet till I get past this coming weekend.

I'll keep posting, and I'll keep eating sensibly so I don't put any weight back on or anything like that, but I have some very stressful, time-consuming things to handle this week, and continue to deal with mega-insomnia.

I have reason to believe things will ease up after the weekend.  Am not giving up or giving in; just need a break of a few days.

Did not do my biking, but walked about 1.5 miles or so.

--Cory

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Raw Food: Day 16, Cappy

Diet went great again today, except I was starving most of the afternoon, for some odd reason.  I ate a bunch of carrots with salsa and then some raw almonds and then an apple, but nothing seemed to fill me up.  I'm wondering if it's because I didn't put any protein on my lunch salad--I had been putting some plain tuna or kidney beans on my salads, but I didn't have time to add it to my lunch before I left for work this morning.  Something for me to keep in mind.


I walked for 1 hour and 50 minutes today! \o/  My goal is to get up to two hours of workout everyday, and close to three on my days off from work.  It's slow going, but I'm getting there.  Man, my feet are sore tonight, though.  Hopefully I'll manage walking 2 hours tomorrow.


Soooo sleepy.  Like Cory, I've had some trouble sleeping the past couple nights.  Hopefully all this walking will let me sleep better tonight.


Happymaker of the day:  The weather!  It's been some gorgeous spring weather here.


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 16, Cory

Super tired from many days of insomnia.

So - I am skipping the bike today - I walked about a mile at lunch though.

Also, I had an extra cheese sandwich today because I just still felt so hungry a little while ago, and I want to go to bed and sleep, which I can't while I'm hungry.

So I over ate a bit, and I did less exercise than usual.  So not my greatest day, but overall calories not so awful and I got in some exercise, all while feeling tired enough to drop . . . not so bad.

Going to bed, now.  Wish me sweet dreams!

--Cory

Monday, March 29, 2010

Raw Food: Day 15, Cappy

Diet and exercise went much better for me today.  No cheats at all, and I came home after a loooong day and walked for almost an hour and a half.  It was a gorgeous evening with a huge moon, so it made for a nice walk.  And now that I've started using my iPod during my walks they don't seem to go on forever like they do without music.


Problem is though, I got home from work so late that I'm just now getting around to eating supper.  I don't like to eat past 8:00pm when I'm dieting, so this kind of sucks.  Ah well, hopefully not every day will be this long.


Happymaker of the day:  That beautiful walk.


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 15, Cory

Same old, same old, on the eating - plenty of raw foods and veggies (including avocado), some cheese, some whole wheat bread, some oatmeal, scattered throughout the day.

A little extra exercise with possibly around a mile of walking along with the 45 minutes on the cycle.

I'm really finding that the oatmeal and berry breakfast leaves me too hungry by midmorning.  But I'm going to keep going with it, but up my mid-morning snack from an orange to a more substantial fruit, like apple or pear.  That should make it easier to get to lunch without feeling too hungry.

Then, once I use up my oatmeal, I'm going to try eggs to see if an egg breakfast works better to keep me from feeling too hungry.  Or I am thinking of switching it up - one day oatmeal, one day eggs - so I can compare more directly and it will be more obvious if there is a pattern.

Anyhow, generally a good day.

--Cory

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Raw Food: Day 14, Cappy

I see that Cory made a Two-Week Rating, but I'm going to have to skip doing that tonight and try to maybe fit it in tomorrow some time, seeing as how it's almost 9:30pm and I still have yet to make my lunch for tomorrow and I need to go to bed. /o\


Umm, I went off the diet tonight.  We had cheeseburgers for supper, and I ate one.  I got nothing to say for it, other than it was a weak moment.  But tomorrow is another day, I suppose.


Did not exercise today, either.  Not happy with myself, to say the least.  But I'll get over it.


Onward and upward!


Cappy

RAW FOODS: Two Week Rating, Day 14, Cory

Did fine on the diet today, and got my 45 min of cycling in.  Though we are going ahead and staying on Raw Foods, I'm gonna go ahead and give a rating, since we've now done it for two weeks.

TWO WEEK RATINGS

--EFFECTIVENESS: B  Did it work for weight loss? I think it helped me loose - as I mentioned before, I'm not getting on the scale, but my clothes are getting even looser.

--EASE OF USE: B-  Was it easy to use?  It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either.  It required lots of thought and planning, because fresh foods go bad, and because you just have to adjust and work on "getting it right" for yourself.  And there's plenty of cutting and slicing and such.  But really, it wasn't bad, and it was worth the effort.

--ENERGY LEVELS: B  Were energy levels high, or did it make us feel weak or tired? No problem in this area. Same as last week: I never felt weak or faint from the diet, or anything like that. On the other hand, I wouldn't say I had "more energy" than usual, either.

--HUNGER FULFILLMENT AND CRAVINGS: B-  Were hunger levels and cravings reasonable, or terrible? Cravings and hunger were reasonable.  It might have been worse if I was trying to stick STRICTLY to Raw Foods, I think.

--OVERALL : B  How was it overall? I quickly found myself needing to lower the Raw Food percent from 75 to around 50, for various reasons, mostly:  Cravings for meat, dairy, and grain . . . social and time-related needs to find ways to eat those things without trying to figure out how to do so, raw.

Would I do it again? Yes, in fact, I am doing it again!  Cappy & I are going another 2 wks!  And if it continues going well, I may want to consider making "plenty of raw foods, every day" a permanent change.

--Cory

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Raw Food: Day 13, Cappy

Did fine again today, but did eat tuna fish with crackers for supper instead of a salad.  And I had a bit more to drink this evening, but it was just enough to get me a bit tipsy.  I also ate a couple Girl Scout cookies, but not the whole box, like I was wanting.  I still got in several servings of raw veggies and fruit for the day, as per usual.


I walked for almost an hour and a half this afternoon, so I'm slowly increasing my time with that.


Happymaker of the day:  playing around online with friends.


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 13, Cory

All  day class, and  I do mean ALL day, today (9AM - 8PM), so I played it by ear.  I did have 2 servings of raw veggies, and 5 servings of raw fruit, along with some sensible choices like oatmeal, a low-cal Subway 6" chicken sandwich, and a small, thin crust individual pizza from Donatos with only cheese and anchovies. (And I patted all excess grease off of it - and it was amazing how much grease there was on it!  Anchovies are not greasy, so . . . I guess it came from the cheese?  The sauce?  I don't know, but I'm thinking I patted at least 100 cals of grease off of this very small pizza.). 

My day added up to around 1300 calories total, is my best guess.

And I did about 30 minutes worth of walking and 45 minutes on the stationary bike - with the resistance increased!

So good day.

Another day of classes tomorrow, but only 9 - 4, so I only need to "make do" at lunch.

Then I am going grocery shopping for next week, and trying to figure out what I want to do for next week . . .  I mean, I'm going to stick with the "plenty of raw fruits and veggies" thing, so it's more about what I am going to do for the "non-raw" percent.

--Cory

Friday, March 26, 2010

Raw Food: Day 12, Cappy

Sorry I missed posting yesterday!  I completely forgot due to being slightly inebriated. ;D  And yes, vodka is not a raw food, so I consumed something not on the diet.  But hey, I had fun, so I don't feel bad about it.


Diet went fine yesterday other than that, but I did not work out.  Diet went fine again today, and I did go for an hour long walk.  I've been frustrated the past couple days with my lack of weight loss this week.  I just keep comparing this to when I lost a lot of weight about 7 years ago--it seemed to fall off so easy back then.  And I know it's harder to lose weight the older you get, but knowing that doesn't make it any less frustrating.  Once again, consistency is my biggest problem.  I'm just really moody about it all.  But I'm determined to work through it some way.  I can't go on living my life like this.


Happymaker of the day:  that it's over.


Cappy

RAW FOODS: Day 12, Cory

I did great with exercise today - walked about a mile at lunch, and did about an hr on the bike, instead of 45 minutes.

Did fine with eating . . . usual small breakfast and lunch with plenty of raw foods.  And going out to dinner wasn't a problem.  I had a medium size bowl of seafood soup (thin broth with onions and cabbage and a big piece of crab, shrimp, and scallop) and a small salad.  We were going out to celebrate birthdays, so my sis brought tiny "one bite" type cupcakes, and I had one of those, with about two tablespoons of ice cream and a slice of orange.  So very moderate, no-problem indulgence.

I recommend the "tiny cupcake" method to anyone looking to provide moderate desserts at an event!

Have all day class again tomorrow (9 AM  - 8 PM) - so again will have to figure out how to make do, but it should be all right.

CAPPY!  Where are you?  So you just want to continue with the same for next week?

--Cory

Thursday, March 25, 2010

RAW FOOD: Day 11, Cory

Nothing new on eating or exercise - almost exactly like yesterday - which is good!

I walked a little less, but it did include a set of very steep steps.

Am going out for dinner tomorrow, and I don't really know the restaurant very well, but I know it has Chinese food, so I will probably just get a bowl of soup, and eat some raw fruit and veggies at home.

It's for birthdays so I expect there might be some cake involved, but I think I can easily pass that up.  There were again treats out at work today - banana bread, oatmeal raisin cookies, and chocolate cake, and I had no problem.  

The best part is that it doesn't at all feel like deprivation, or like I'm trying to prove something to myself or anyone else.  It doesn't feel hard.  When someone offers, I just politely say no thank you with nothing further.  I feel no need to explain.

I don't know - it just feels like I am being good to myself . . . taking care of myself, and it is OK for me to do that.  I don't have to explain it to anybody, or justify it to anybody.  

It's OK for me to put my health ahead of someone else's desire for me to "try this," or whatever.  Anyone who gets offended or judges me negatively because I am trying to take care of myself - that's their problem, not mine.

It's OK for me to have faith in my own intuitions and experience and knowledge about what is right for me.  Anyone who gets offended or judges me negatively because I'm taking a different route than he or she would - that's their problem, not mine.

Anyone who thinks my choices here are about anything other than taking care of me, to the best of my ability - again . . . their problem, not mine.

Sounds simple, but it took a long time to get here.  I hope it is all as permanent a change as it feels to me that it is.

--- Cory

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Raw Food: Day 10, Cappy

Diet same as usual, which means it went good.  I was sooooo tempted to eat another piece of chocolate cake today, but I didn't.  I do seem to be hungrier this week than last week.  I don't know what's up with that--is the novelty of the diet just wearing off and I'm noticing hunger more?  Am I experiencing the same levels of hunger as last week but am more emotionally and mentally vulnerable which therefore makes me more aware/sensitive to not being full and satiated?  Is there something physically going on that's making me experience more hunger this week?  Stuff to ponder, but maybe if I keep looking at it "scientifically" I can keep myself from giving in in a weak moment.


I walked an hour and fifteen minutes tonight after I got home.  And I'm not sore at all, so I'm thinking it's time to step it up and increase the time and endurance.


Happymaker of the day:  being goofy with friends online.


Cappy  

RAW FOOD: Day 10, Cory

Good day, eating-wise and exercise-wise.  Stuck to the plan without problems.  Had plenty of raw foods (3 servings of fruit and 3 of veggies), and the cooked food I ate was a serving of goat cheese, two servings of whole grain bread, a serving of oatmeal, and a serving of smoked salmon.  So all healthy foods.

Exercise was 45 min on the bike, and a walk of about 1 mile.

Really good idea for me not to replace the nuts, I think.  They are the only thing that tempted me to cheat.  I again shake my head at never before trying to identify and cut out trigger foods.

At work today, someone brought cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake, and chocolate chip cookies, all in our breakroom . . . I went in there to rinse my coffee cup and it was no problem passing it all up.  So that really felt good and made me optimistic again, that the days of compulsive/emotional eating were indeed, getting behind me.

I read a little bit about plateaus, and basically found two schools of thought:  Shake it up a bit by changing your diet for a short while (for example, if you're doing low-fat, high-grain . . . change to low-carb, high protein, or vice-versa) OR don't worry about it, just keep going with what you're doing, and eventually you will move off your plateau.

Hmmmm.  Anyone out there had any experience with this?  Any advice?

--Cory

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Raw Food: Day 9, Cappy

Things went pretty much the same today, food-wise.  Except I ended up eating a tiny sliver of my boss's birthday cake.  So tiny it probably could have been eaten in 3 bites or so, but it took me longer because I was savoring it.  I figure, if I'm going to try to make this a lifelong commitment then I need to allow myself a cheat on special occasions.  But, I did not do what I usually do when on a diet, which is thinking, "Hey, I've ruined the diet today by eating this cake, so I might as well eat whatever I want all day."  I just continued right on with the diet as if I never had that piece of cake.


I did not exercise today.  I'll try to make up for it tomorrow.


Happymaker of the day:  laughing with coworkers.  There was a lot of laughing at work today. ;D


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 9, Cory

Nothing much different today, including eating too many nuts.  But the good news there is that I finished them up, and I'm not buying anymore, so yay!

Still, I didn't eat too heavily overall, and I got in my 45 minutes of the exercise bike.  We again had a cold, dreary, and rainy day, so no extra walking. 

Am a little concerned that I've hit a bit of a plateau, but I guess that is to be expected.  Must keep going and not let that get me down.

--Cory

Monday, March 22, 2010

Raw Food: Day 8, Cappy

Diet went great today!  I think I'm really getting the hang of this all raw way of eating.  I did get a little hungry right before lunch, and then again late afternoon--I'm blaming that on my slip-up of eating fattening stuff last night. ;D  The only things I'm eating that aren't raw are my bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and sometimes I have plain tuna on my salad.  Other than that, I'm all raw and having no issues with it.


I got my very favorite and special and expensive olive oil shipped in today, and my oh my, did I have a delicious salad for supper tonight!  YUM.  I need to be careful and not use more than a serving (1 tbsp.), though.  It'd be very easy to go overboard with that.


I walked for an hour this evening, evening the temp was hovering around 40 degrees and it was drizzling rain.  Cold walk, but I feel great afterwards, even though my teeth are still chattering. ;D  I did the hill that I hate so much 3 times--I'm determined to do it as much as I can so that I can build up muscle faster.


Happymaker of the day:  YUMMY OLIVE OIL.


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 8, Cory

I've decided to permanently cut down on the Raw Food percent, while still eating a lot of raw food.  What I mean by this is that I plan to to do this:

--Oatmeal for breakfast, with a handful of raw nuts and berries.
--Small orange for snack
--Avocado & cheese (using half an avocado, and about a 50 cal half-serving of semi-soft goat cheese) on a piece of whole wheat bread for lunch, along with an apple, pear, or peach, and a mixture of raw veggies.
--Same avocado & cheese on whole wheat for dinner, using the other half!  This time with a salad with raw veggies, and a bit of grilled chicken or fish on the salad.
--Berries for dessert

That's what I did today, though I had a 1/4 cup of almonds instead of berries for dessert, which I don't want to do again.  I'm already having a serving of nuts for breakfast, and I want to stick with one serving per day.  So I'll make it berries from here on out.

Basically, I am cutting down a tad on the raw, and adding more grain.

I think my basic philosphy is going to be:
--Eat raw foods at every meal.
--Don't eat it cooked if you can eat it raw
--All snacks should be raw foods
--All cooked/not-raw foods will be healthy foods (moderate to low on fats and sugars and salts)
--Include some whole grain and dairy every day
--Include some fish or chicken every day
--No junk food
--No "diet" food or drinks or substitutes (like sweetner or fat substitutes)
--Keep portion sizes small

Exercise went fine - 45 minutes on the stationary bike, as always.  No walking today - it was cold and gray and rainy!

--Cory

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Raw Food: Day 7, Cappy

Well, I was having a good, typical raw food day until supper.  My nephew and his girlfriend came over for dinner and we had breakfast for supper and I broke down and ate some.  Not a lot, and I didn't go back for seconds, so I'm not stuffed.  And you know what?  I was left wondering what the big deal was.  It wasn't worth it to me.  So, I'm chalking this up to a learning experience instead of beating myself up about it.  This isn't going to throw me off track; if anything, it feels it may keep me truer to my course.


I did not work out today.  It's raining and blustery outside, so I couldn't go for my walk.  And I decided to make this a day of rest for myself (and also a day of cut and prep--I spent almost two hours chopping up veggies and fruit for the week to come; I feel so prepared!).


Happymaker of the day:  sleeping really late.


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 7, Cory

Again, my % raw was down due to my weekend classes, but I had plenty of raw, and ate sensibley overall.

I think I had more raw nuts snacks than I should have - two servings of cashews, and one of almonds.  I really have to either cuts nuts out, or figure out how to keep my servings more limited.  I want to normally have only one serving per day, two at most now and then.  But they are a bit of a trigger food for me. 

Well, I'll keep trying to get it under control for the week ahead, and if I can't seem to manage, I'll just have to cut nuts out except for special occasions.

I did about 1 mile of walking and 45 minutes on the bike.

One of the trainers brought dougnuts for the class this morning - apple fritters, cream filled and jelly filled donuts, regular glazed and chocolate glazed . . . the whole nine yards.  They were there through the day, by the coffee and the other, usual snacks. Again, not only did I not have any, I didn't even feel tempted.

Going to bed soon!  I am tired.  Hope you had a good day, Cappy!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

RAW FOOD: Day 6, Cory

All went well with the diet again, though again, I had all day classes and my raw food percent was even lower today, because  the classes were from morning to evening, so both lunch and dinner were out, and I felt like a needed a substantial breakfast to get me through.

Anyhow,  I did eat a peach, an small orange, an apple, a serving of raw cashews, and a serving of raw, mixed veggies.  But I also ate oatmeal, a goat cheese sandwich, a grilled chicken sandwich, a grilled chicken snack wrap, and a yogurt.

So, I am definitely continuing to make raw foods a big part of my eating, and I think, actually, that figuring out how to adapt when you are away from home or in unusual situations is good!  I brought the fruit and mixed veggies with me, then ate sensibly when I went out. I am happy with that, and will go back to a higher percentage of raw food when I go back to my usual routine.

Also, even though the classes involve some difficult topics and are quite stressful and challenging emotionally, I don't find myself looking for comfort from the food.  That is why I said before that it feels like something has just changed inside me, when it comes to food.  I don't know how to describe it, but I think it is a positive change, and I hope it is a permanent sort of change.

My exercise was good again, with a couple miles of walking and the 45 min on the bike.

--Cory

Raw Food: Day 6, Cappy

Diet went fine again today.  No problems with it at all.  No hunger or major cravings to speak of.


I only walked for 45 minutes today.  I meant to walk for an hour and a half total, but I just couldn't make myself go back out after I brought the dogs in from their walk.  I really need to focus on increasing my exercise next week, now that I'm getting into the groove of this diet.


Happymaker of the day:  Feeling super efficient at work and making a client smile.


Cappy

Friday, March 19, 2010

RAW FOOD: Day 5, Cory

Diet went fine, as far as eating sensibly went . . . but I'd say the "raw" was only about 50% today, rather than 75%.  As I said, I'm taking some classes this weekend, which means I go out for lunch.  I guess I could bring my food, but we are there all day and I need to get OUT at lunch time. 

So that just makes it harder to eat raw - that will be true this whole weekend.  But nevertheless, I had plenty of raw food today - raw cashews, a peach, an apple, a mixture of carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower as a snack, a salad, and a serving of blackberries.  I also had some cheese on whole wheat, a small grilled chicken wrap, some shrimp with cooked onions and peppers, and a yogurt.  (That onion was going to go bad, and I'm not eating that much onion raw.)

Lots of exercise today:  When I went out to lunch, I decided to walk to a nearby McDonalds - this was about a mile round trip.  Then I took my dog on a similar walk when I got home . . . then I did my 45 minutes on the bike.  I feel good about that!

I did not find that the stress of the challenging classes was tempting me to eat.  I dunno.  I feel so profoundly over emotional eating.  I hope I'm right about that.  There were snacks there - cookies, candies, chips . . . I barely noticed them.

I am much more tempted by the thought of those raw cashews in my cupboard.  They are so good, I could eat them all in one sitting.  But I won't.  I sort of see nuts as a trigger food for me - I mean, I want to eat and eat and eat them, which is not good.  But they are such a great nutritional source, I hate to exclude them from my diet on the basis of "trigger."  I'll have to learn to deal, I guess.  Am doing OK today, as I bought the cashews earlier today, but have eaten only a sensible amount.

By the way, the lunch I had at McDonald's was a grilled chicken snack wrap, and a yogurt parfait!  Cappy is the one who introduced me to the low-cal, yet good for you and delicious, McDonald's yogurt parfait.  Thanks, Cappy!  It was one of those rare times when YOU taught ME something useful, rather than the other way 'round.

--Cory

Raw Food: Day 5, Cappy

Diet went well for me again today, no hunger at all.  I'm going to the grocery store again tomorrow to see if I can find some veggies to add for variety in my salads.  I definitely do not want to get burnt out on them.


Today was a bit more challenging mentally for me.  It's so difficult to rewire my whole way of thinking about food and my relationship with it--I've had a good day: reward myself with something yummy; I've had a bad day: console myself with something yummy; I'm bored: occupy myself with something yummy; I'm busy and working hard: reward myself with something yummy, etc.  And food, for a good bit of my life, is sometimes all I felt I had to look forward to in the day.  Everything just revolves around food, what the next meal will be, and all that.  It's going to take quite a long time to change the way I think about food and how to live each day without that being such a big focus of it.


But, the more I think about it, the more I think I want to try this diet for longer than two weeks.  For one, because I feel better than I've felt in months.  Maybe even years.  And two . . . well, anyone who knows me really well knows that I tend to be an all-or-nothing, intense, moderation-is-for-wusses kind of gal (shut up, Cory ;D ).  And I think this might just be the best diet for me, at this time in my life, because it's not asking me to eat breads or cheeses or pastas or processed foods in moderation.  It's just completely taken those trigger foods out of the equation for me.  For years I've wished I could explain to people who just don't get it how difficult it is to be addicted to food.  With alcohol and drugs and cigarettes, the addict doesn't have to continue consuming the product they're addicted to (well, except for some types of drugs, I guess).  They can give it up and never do another hit again forever.  But you can't give up food forever, ya know?


I quit smoking almost 3 1/2 years ago.  I was smoking anywhere from 1/2 - 2 packs a day, for 12 years.  And that was the first time I had ever tried to quit.  So I know I have the ability and strength to overcome an addiction.  But moderation is definitely not my strong-suit.  So, to make a long story even longer, I've been happy with this diet so far this week, and it's made me really think about the way I approach things.


Happymaker of the day:  Going for a long walk with the doggies after work.  It was a gorgeous evening, and the dogs loved it.


CORY:  I hope your day went well!




Cappy

Thursday, March 18, 2010

RAW FOOD: Day 4, Cory

All went well, though I went out for lunch, and the place didn't have much in the way of appealing raw choices - so I had a small salad and a grilled chicken sandwich.

I did well though, on eating lots of raw, and eating healthy and low cal for the day.  And I did my exercise.

I have a very challenging weekend ahead - taking some all day classes Fri, Sat, Sun - very stressful topics and such.  We'll see if it affects my eating.

Cappy - good work on resisting the creamer temptation and recognizing that it's a "slippery slope" food for you!

--Cory

Raw Food: Day 4, Cappy

Diet went great today, the only time I was actually hungry was when I first woke up this morning.  I had the same breakfast, for lunch I had a salad with avocado, I had some sugar snap peas with salsa for a snack, for supper I had a salad with onions and kidney beans along with my veggie smoothie.  And for dessert I had some raspberries and a handful of raw cashews.


I did have problems with craving coffee with my favorite creamer this afternoon.  I'm just really wanting to try staying as raw as I can for the two week period to see if I can do it and also to see what kind of difference it will really make.  And I'm afraid the coffee creamer will start me on a slippery slope to cheating, at least for right now.


I worked out with my Wii for an hour today, but I did not go walking, like I had planned.  I need to get better about that.


Happymaker of the day:  Being off from work.


Cappy

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

RAW FOOD: Day 3, Cory

Diet & exercise went fine.  My only "non-raw" eats were a piece of whole wheat bread, a serving of goat cheese, and a serving of smoked salmon.  Had lots of fruits and veggies.

Cappy, glad to hear you are seeing some results and feeling good about the diet. 

Cravings and hunger seem pretty controlled so far for me.  I think there is more bulk in this diet, so that helps with the full feeling.  I mean . . . along with the non-raw foods mentioned above, today I ate a peach, an orange, and a large serving of strawberries.  And I ate some raw mixed veggies, and I ate a big salad with lots of greens and raw veggies.  It added up to a lot, even though I think the calorie count was low.

This is an interesting diet.  Glad you suggested it, Cappy!

--Cory

Raw Food: Day 3, Cappy

Diet went great again today.  Same thing for breakfast, and for lunch I had a salad with avocado and onions, sprinkled with lemon juice.  I found I was even less hungry throughout the day today--I'm making sure to munch on veggies or fruit or nuts every couple of hours to avoid the stomach rumblings, and it is proving very effective, so far.


I did have a few problems mentally, though.  I took the afternoon off from work, and being home made me crave less healthy foods, and I was also craving coffee with creamer.  That was a little rough, but I got through it without cheating.


I worked out on the Wii for another hour today, choosing yet again to skip my outside walk because it's so chilly and dreary.  Hopefully by this weekend it'll be nice enough outside for me to take up my walking again.


Happymaker of the day:  Being giddy over fandom stuff again.  And stepping on the scale and seeing how much I've lost since starting this diet.  I know this is just an initial drop-off of water weight and stuff (I assume), but still, it is AWESOME to finally be seeing results on the scale.


Cappy

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Raw Food: Day 2, Cappy

Diet went great today.  I had pretty much the same things I had yesterday.  Still have yet to feel really hungry (except for when I first woke up this morning--I was pretty hungry then).  It's just a different kind of feeling.  I'm used to eating until I'm more full than I should be, and feeling like I'm still hungry until I'm too full.  But one thing the book I read stresses is really listening to what your body is telling you--and what I've found so far is that I'm not hungry anymore after eating a lot less than what I'm used to eating.  I know it sounds so simple, and it probably is for a lot of people, but this is something I've not really paid attention to my whole life.  Mainly because I'm used to eating for reasons that have nothing to do with sustenance and survival.  So, this has been a good learning experience for me, so far.  And this is only day two. ;D


I did workout for an hour on my Wii when I got home from work, even though I REALLY wasn't wanting to.  But now that I've finished it I'm glad I did it.


Happymaker of the day:  getting everything done that I had planned this evening after work.


Cappy

RAW FOOD: Day 2, Cory

Diet went well.  All raw except two pieces of wheat bread, a dozen shrimp, and an oz or so of cheese.  Raw things I had were:  a pear, some orange pieces, two large salads with various raw veggies, and a mix of strawberries and blueberries.  Salads were with simple vinegarette dressing.

Did the usual exercise, and got through the whole 45 minutes without stopping.  Not ready yet to increase the resistance again on the exercise bike, but I am making progress.

I think I am going to be OK with the diet, though I'm curious to see if it makes any diff in rate of weight loss or energy levels.

CAPPY:  Doing any better with your blender?  If your smoothie was pulpy, I'm thinking you just need to get better at using the blender.  It takes some practice.  I used to have one, but now I just have one of those wand things, that I use every once in a blue moon.
-- Cory

Monday, March 15, 2010

RAW FOOD: Day 1, Cory

I feel extremely tired, though I don't blame the diet.  I just need some sleep.

I did OK, sticking to my "almost all raw" plan, though I finished off the serving of Ben & Jerry's left in my freezer from my weekend indulgence.  Bye-Bye, Ben.  Bye-Bye, Jerry.  See you in another 6 weeks, maybe.

I need to get a good night's sleep to really judge if the changed eating is making any difference in my energy level, so we'll see as this progresses.

I really like the raw cashews I bought.  I've had most nuts raw before, but I don't think I've ever had raw cashews before.  They are quite yummy.

Did my usual exercise.

Time for beddy-bye!

-- Cory

Raw Food: Day 1, Cappy

So.  For breakfast, I had a bowl of oatmeal (not raw, but I looooove oatmeal, and even though it's cooked I consider oatmeal to be good for me, so I'm allowing myself to have it--it's Quaker Weight Control oatmeal, and it's flavored so I don't add anything to it) and a veggie/fruit smoothie.  Now, believe it or not, this was my first time ever using a blender.  And it took me a good 15 minutes to convince myself that the glass pitcher was on there good enough (it kept feeling like it was about to slide off or something--it just didn't feel steady) before I started it up.  And I wasn't sure which speed to use, so I was just guessing with it.  The smoothie itself was interesting.  It was very pulpy.  VERY pulpy.  So the texture took some getting used to.  


This was a recipe from the raw foods book I've been reading, 12 Steps to Raw Foods:  How to End Your Dependency On Cooked Food, by Victoria Boutenko.  It has romaine lettuce, strawberries, and bananas in it.  I think I'm going to just need to play around with different recipes and experiment to find one that I really like.  But one thing that this book stressed was the importance of including a lot of raw greens in your diet, and she said she's found that the best way for her to include that much greens without getting sick of them was to put them in smoothies.  And she went on to say how energized she felt throughout the day after having a veggie smoothie in the morning.  I did feel a bit more energy this morning than what I would normally expect the first morning back to work after the switch to daylight savings time, but I guess time will tell if that was because of the smoothie or because of some other reason.


For a mid-morning snack, I ate a handful of raw almonds.  YUM.  And I had a cup of black coffee, with one packet of artificial sweetener.  I'm hoping to eventually wean myself off of sweetener, but that's going to take a while.


Lunchtime, I ate a salad with lemon juice drizzled on top, and with 1/3 can of tuna.  Yes, the tuna is cooked, but again, I'm not shooting for 100% raw right now, and I feel the pros of tuna outweigh the cons at the moment.  I needed some protein.  I also ate a small apple with lunch, and then proceeded to have another apple and a banana later in the afternoon.


For supper tonight I had another veggie/fruit smoothie and a salad with spinach, chopped tomatoes, and a teaspoon of olive and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for dressing.  I plan to eat some grapes here in a few minutes for dessert.


So, first day?  Went pretty good.  I didn't eat as much as I should of veggies because I forgot to get snack veggies when I went grocery shopping.  I plan to get those tomorrow.


I took the day off from exercising.


Happymaker of the day:  Finding out how tasty raw almonds are.  Once again:  YUM.


Cappy

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Peanut Butter: Final Rating, Day 14, Cappy

FINAL RATINGS
--EFFECTIVENESS: C
Did it work for weight loss? I only lost a pound, and that was when I weighed today.  Granted, I had a really difficult time emotionally the past couple of weeks, and therefore I didn't follow the diet or exercise as much as I should, so I can't put all the blame on the diet.
--EASE OF USE: A
Was the food easy to obtain and prepare and take to work and adapt to the everyday? Yep, I had no problems in that area at all.
--ENERGY LEVELS: B
Were energy levels high, or did it make us feel weak or tired? I didn't really experience any problems with this.  I didn't feel my energy levels were exceptionally high, but I wasn't feeling exceptionally weak or tired, either.
--HUNGER FULFILLMENT AND CRAVINGS:  D
Were hunger levels and cravings reasonable, or terrible? I don't know if I can really blame the diet itself for this, or just where I was at mentally the past two weeks.  I did experience some hunger and quite a bit of cravings, though.
--OVERALL :  C
How was it overall?  I give it a C because it just didn't do anything for me.
Would I do it again?  Probably not.  I'd rather go with something that gives me faster results.



I'm both excited and nervous to start the raw food diet tomorrow.  Wish us luck and the results I'm hoping for!


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Final Ratings, Day 14, Cory

I did OK.  I decided to have a treat, and had a serving of Ben & Jerry's American Dream ice cream (a cup).  That's something like 550 cals, but I kept the rest of my eating very light all day, and I did my 45 minutes on the bike, so I think I'm fine on keeping overall calories at weight losing levels.

FINAL RATINGS

--EFFECTIVENESS: C

Did it work for weight loss? I think this was pretty slow, but I think that's probably about the fact that I'm getting closer to my goal, and it's a sensible sort of diet.

--EASE OF USE: A

Was the food easy to obtain and prepare and take to work and adapt to the everyday? Nothing exotic, and I don't mind cooking a simple dinner in the evening, so no problem.

--ENERGY LEVELS: C

Were energy levels high, or did it make us feel weak or tired? I had some trouble with feeling a little light-headed yesterday. But it's hard to blame the diet.  I mean, yesterday, I was out and about and didn't eat for hours when I shoulda had a snack.  Also, my sleep has been funky the last few weeks.  However, our first week of SUNSHINE actually had me peppier, for a few days.  Heck, I don't know.  I'm complex, man!  How can I know how much my diet had to do with the ups and downs?

--HUNGER FULFILLMENT AND CRAVINGS:  C

Were hunger levels and cravings reasonable, or terrible? I think my craving for a treat today was more about the fact that it's been six weeks since I had any kind of treat, than it was about this specific diet.  But I got sooooo tired of the Peanut Butter, that I only stuck to that part for one week instead of two. 

--OVERALL :  C

How was it overall?  I give it a C because of BORING.

Would I do it again?  NO.   I didn't realize how horribly bored I would get with it, and how fast.

NEXT UP!

We've decided on the Raw Foods Diet!

--Cory

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 13, Cappy

Had a relaxing but productive day at home.  It rained all day, so I wasn't able to go for my walk, and decided to just make this a day of rest to help my sore muscles out a bit.  But I did do a lot of chores and cleaning, gave my two little doggies a bath, and read up on the raw foods diet, so I wasn't a total bum today.


The diet went well.  I fixed the best chicken veggie stir fry that I've ever made tonight for supper.  HOMG, just when I'm ready to give up cooking for the raw foods diet, I cook the most amazing dish I've made in forever.  Just my luck. ;D


Happymaker of the day:  sleeping late and relaxing all day.  Much needed me-time.


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 13, Cory

I ate a little more than usual today (I had a small sandwich in-between meals), but I feel sure I still kept my intake at weight-loss level.

I went out with my sisters to Farmer's Market and to see a movie, and did a lot of walking around, and then came home and did my 45 minutes.  I think the extra walking made me hungrier than usual, hence the extra sandwich.

I'm trying to learn to pay attention to my body, and when I feel that hungry, it means I should eat!  Instead of something fattening, I had a simple sandwich on whole wheat.  So all is OK there.  I didn't have any snacks at the Market (which is filled with snacking opportunities) or the movie, and again, I just didn't even feel very tempted. 

I want to take care of me, and I'm gonna take care of me.  This is really feeling more like a sea change, than a diet.

We saw She's Out of My League, which was a cute movie.  Lots of laughs not just at the movie, but with silly comments with my sisters.

Wish you coulda been there, Cappy!  Hope you had a good day.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 12, Cappy

Same ol' same ol' today with the diet.  Did good, only ate two Girl Scout cookies.


I went for a 40 minute walk on my lunch break today, and I was going to walk again tonight after work but I decided to give my legs a break.  They were aching and sore today, and it got chilly outside tonight and I had an exhausting day at work, so I chose not to workout this evening.  


I see where Cory said she's both excited and nervous about starting the new diet next week.  I suppose I'm feeling a bit of both too, but I'm definitely more excited.  I need something to really make me feel a difference.  And I'm eager to find out if it really gives me as much energy and makes me feel as good as everything I've read has stated.


I also have had several people tell me in the past that apple cider vinegar is supposed to help boost your metabolism and make you feel better.  So, I bought some and finally started giving it a try today.  You're supposed to mix a teaspoon with a glass of water, or mix it in with a smoothie or something like that, or maybe mix it in with your salad dressing, etc.  But ingesting 1 tsp three times a day.  Well, I had no way of transporting it to work with me (I didn't want to be carrying this big glass bottle of it to work), so I only got in the one dose this morning and one when I got home tonight.  And this may be a completely psychological effect, but I did feel a noticeable increase in my energy level today, and I was in a pretty good and relaxed mood all day (and considering how hectic and insane my work day was, that was a definite accomplishment), so, I dunno?  Even if it's not really helping, I don't see how it could hurt.


Happymaker of the day:  Knowing all day that it was Friday and that I'm off work tomorrow.


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 12, Cory

Nothing new.  All went well.

Oh!  There is one thing:  I made it through the whole 45 minutes on the bike, with the increased resistance, without stopping!  Yay, me!

We've had a beautiful sunny week, but are expecting rain all weekend.  Disappointing, as I find I am less given to being tempted by unhealthy snacks when the weather is good.  I suppose that's just because I'm less likely to be bored and near the fridge at the same time.

I am both looking forward to and dreading the next two weeks on the raw food diet.  I mean, it's kinda exciting to try eating so differently than I'm use to eating, and to see if it makes a difference in my energy level and how I feel.  On the other hand, I'm not really very attracted to the food because the choices feel so very limited.  I mean, I'm sure that people who are really into this know how to add a lot of variety, but I'm a newbie, so it's gonna be mostly fruit and veggies, and veggies and fruit, with some nuts thrown in.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 11, Cappy

Did great on the diet today.  Except I'm really running out of veggies and fruit, so I'm having to make do and improvise even more.  Still have peanut butter, though, so not all is lost.


And I ate no Girl Scout cookies today! \o/  Of course, I was only at work for half a day, and I left the cookies in my office, but hey, that's progress.


I ended up walking for over an hour and a half this afternoon, and then doing my Wii workout for half an hour.  My body's really feeling it tonight.  I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be extra sore, but I keep telling myself to soldier through the next few weeks and maybe if I'm actually consistent with the walking it'll all start paying off.  Consistency is my biggest problem, and I plan on solving it this time around.


Happymaker of the day:  Working out the amount of time I had actually planned to workout today.


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 11, Cory

Had lunch out, and I chose a grilled chicken sandwich with just light BBQ sauce and a piece of lettuce as condiments . . . and a salad with a small amount of Italian dressing.  So no problem there.

Was proud of myself for resisting chocolate that was offered at work, and pleased to find I wasn't even all that tempted.

Did my 45 of exercise, and will soon have my piece of fruit evening snack.

All good!!

I am really curious about how I will do on the "mostly" raw foods diet next week.  Must start thinking about that grocery list. 

--Cory

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 10, Cappy

Diet went great again today.  I ate a foot long veggie delight sub for lunch, instead of just a six inch.  I was really hungry, so I opted to get the foot long and not get cheese--that way I'm not overdoing it on the calories and fat.  I'm running low on grocery items for this diet, so I'm having to improvise some until I go shopping for our next diet.


I was able to make it through today only eating two Girl Scout cookies.  I call that a huge win, considering how hungry I was right before lunch, and how bored I was this afternoon.


And I finally walked for a whole hour today!  My feet are now a bit sore, and that last lap around the block was slow-going, but I did it.  Go me!


Happymaker of the day:  A coworker passed her big exam and is now a licensed tech.  She worked her ass off for this and was so worried about it.  I'm proud of the little whippersnapper.


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 10, Cory

Same old, same old!  Did fine on diet and exercise.  I have added, the last few nights, a piece of whole wheat bread with dinner.  I was getting too hungry in the evening without a bit of carb at dinner.

I have a lunch appt tomorrow, so I've got to have a strategy for that . . . I'll order sensibly and then adjust my dinner to take into account what I had for lunch, I guess.  Not sure where we're going for lunch, so I'll have to trust myself to make good choices.

Good practice for when Cappy and I get to our goals, and we take off the training wheels.

Cappy:  I responded to your Raw Foods question in the comment to your last post.  I am curious to try it, though I don't think I want to go 100% raw right off the bat.  See what you think - would love your thoughts on how you plan to approach it and such.

--Cory

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 9, Cappy

Diet went great today!  Except we got our Girl Scout cookies in and I ate four.  But, I left the cookies at work, and I'm considering either giving them to my nephew when next I see him or just letting the vultures at work devour them.  I WILL NOT EAT ALL THREE BOXES, I REFUSE.


I was not able to go for my walk since it was raining at lunch and then when I got home from work.  So, I did my 30 minute Wii workout, and then I played tennis on my Wii for 30 minutes.  So, I'm fairly pleased with that.


Cory!  What do you think of doing the raw foods diet next?  I'm wanting something to kick start my weight loss, and I'm extremely curious to try that diet.  


Happymaker of the day:  Not eating all three boxes of Girl Scout cookies.


Cappy


PEANUT BUTTER: Day 9, Cory

Exercise, diet, same-old, same-old - except, since we had a really beautiful day, I did some walking at lunch time . . . probably about 25 minutes total, along with the usual exercise bike.

There are crocuses in my yard! Crocuses!

There may be life in me yet.

Cappy - greetings!  Glad to hear it is going better for you.  Let's just keep on truckin'.

--Cory

Monday, March 8, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 8, Cappy

Things went much better for me today.  Did not have a problem with the diet at all.  I did startv to feel a little weak/low-blood-sugar-y this afternoon around 4:30, so I ate an apple, which seemed to help a lot.  I've adjusted the diet around a bit to suit me more, eating a little more here, a little less there, substituting other kinds of lean protein for the peanut butter sometimes.  But I do try to make sure I get a bit of protein at each meal--I've found I feel worse if I don't get at least a little portion of protein throughout the day.  I much prefer the slow, steady kind of energy boost I seem to get from it, as opposed to the quick boost I get from carbs that I end up crashing from later on.  


And I went for a 45 minute walk when I got home from work.  I was wanting to go for an hour, but my feet started hurting and I was worried about getting a blister, so I held back a bit.


Happymaker of the day:  Getting back into the diet and workout groove.


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 8, Cory

No problema with the diet, or the exercise.  I did my 45 minutes on the increased resistance, this time in 2 sections instead of 4, so - progress!  I did 20 min, then 25 min.

I had some temptation from girl scout cookies - I bought some to help a friend's daughter, and I got them at work today.  So I decided to open them and put them out on a tray in our breakroom (a long way from my office), knowing they would be gone in no time.  That way, I didn't have to bring them home where they might have called my name.

Glad to have my Cappy back! 

Start thinking about next week, Cappy.  You are having more trouble with this than I am right now, so really think about what would work best for you.  I can adapt - or let you know if I am having trouble.

--Cory

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 7, Cappy

I AM SO SORRY I'VE BEEN MIA!


It's been a bad few days for me, and I've not been on the computer much at all.  I was needing a break from everything, including being on the computer all the time.  I haven't been following the diet like I should, and I haven't been exercising.  There's been some emotional stuff happening, and then my niece and nephew spent the weekend here, so I just haven't been able to stay focused on the diet plan.


But, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things tomorrow, to move on and forward.  Hopefully, the emotional time bombs will stay far away from me for awhile, and I'll be able to focus more on what needs to have focus, ie, the betterment of my health and well-being.


I'm sorry for being such a poor partner-in-crime lately, Cory.  I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me, and also to realize that you better feel special that I'm apologizing to you for something since that most likely will never happen again.


Cappy

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 7, Cory

Well, it's kinda early to post (about 7PM here), but I finished my dinner and my exercise, so here goes:

Good day!  Like I said, "Peanut Butter" is a misnomer for what I'm doing right now, as I ran out of PB yesterday and didn't replace it.  I followed the diet I outlined in my last post.  Oatmeal, small sandwich with yogurt, piece of fruit, stir-fry for dinner.  I didn't do the baby carrots today, because I'm not sure there are enough to last the week, and I need them more when I'm at work.

Lots o' exercise today, and I feel good!  Took a walk with the dog, something over a mile, I'd say, in the sunshine!  And then I did my 45 min, only I really increased the resistance on the bike.  Wow, did I feel it.  I had to stop and rest, and did 15 min, 10 min, 10 min, 10 min, to get to 45 . . . with a few minutes rest between each.  I hope to get to where I can get to 45 without stopping, but that will take awhile, for sure.

The skirt is now wearable - the one I've been using to judge weight loss, instead of a scale.  But still snugger than I like to wear one.  So  - not yet, but something to look forward to.

I like to have a goal.

I ask again today:  Where in the world is Cappy Capistrano?  (I hope you don't mind that I gave you a last name, Cap. :)  --Cory

Saturday, March 6, 2010

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 6, Cory

Ate low cal, but ate off the diet today, since I was out of PB.  Had oatmeal for breakfast, some beef & veggie stirfry and yogurt for lunch, a pear for a snack, and some veggie stir fry with a big handful of almonds for protien, at dinner.

However, when I went to the store, I just stared at the PB, and knew I couldn't do another week of PB.  I mean, I really wanted some, but now, I've had some . . . so I bought lunch meat, and I have oatmeal to finish off, so I'm gonna do: Oatmeal for breakfast, small sandwich on whole wheat English muffin and yogurt for lunch, baby carrots for snack, veggies and protein for dinner, piece of fruit for dessert.

So anyhow, I am being frivolous and fickle, I know, and my evaluation of the PB diet won't be much of an evaluation, but I just am peanut buttered out for awhile.

Exercise:  No problem.  It was BEAUTIFUL today!  Up in the 40s, and super-sunny.  Took the dog for a walk of about a 1.5 miles, I'd say . . . and I did my 45 minutes on the exercise bike.  So anyhow, a good day over all.

But I have one question:  Where in the world is Cappy?  Did she get out and about this weekend as she planned to?  The suspense is killing me! :)

--Cory

Friday, March 5, 2010

PEANUT BUTTER: Day 5, Cory

Another sunny day - hooray!

Weird day, eating wise - had the usual breakfast, but I had lunch appt, where I had a grilled salmon salad with a light vinegarette dressing, and very lightly buttered piece of bread.  So I considered that my "dinner."

So I ate my lunch (tuna and yogurt) for dinner, which had no PB - so I had the PB also, on half a muffin, and then I splurged with a bit of low cal hot chocolate and finished off the little bit left in the PB jar.

Anyhow, I don't feel like I ate too much - but I had a couple extra tbs of PB than allotted and the cup of low cal hot chocolate (25 cals/cup).  On the other hand, the grilled salmon salad was lighter than my usual dinner.  I guess it balances out OK.

Did my exercise.  Need sleep! 

(Remember, Cappy:  Get out in the sunshine, tomorrow!  I wonder if you will regret asking me to nag you?  Nah, never happen. :) )

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Peanut Butter: Day 4, Cappy

Eeeeep!  Almost forgot to post again!  Okay, this will be quick and dirty.


Diet went fine, except I drank some sweet tea this afternoon.  I'm a southern gal, it's pretty damn hard to resist the sweet tea sometimes.  But I only drank one glass, so it's all good.


I didn't exercise today.  I got so caught up in vid-making, and then my sister-in-law came over and we hung out for quite a while (and we haven't done that in probably almost a year, so it was pretty special circumstances), and before I knew it, it was 11:00pm and I hadn't even posted on the blog yet.  My days off are just way too short.


Cappy