Going Slow

My baby steps granted me a 2.5 pound loss this week.

I’ve been tracking my calories with CalorieKing and notice that I’m light on my fiber intake. I hope everyone understands the importance of fiber for our bodies. Fiber appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation. It’s important, people!

Anywho, there’s a fiber calculator that lets your know how much you should have each day. I’m supposed to be eating 22g of fiber each day, so that’s my new goal this week.

B: Cottage Cheese & strawberries with tea
S: Boiled egg
L: Calamari Hibachi w/ 1/2 c rice
S: Pear cup
D: Wendy’s chili & side salad
S: Apple w/ natural almond butter

My Fridge

I know I’m always curious about what others are eating on their diets (or lifestyle changes) so I figured I share my fridge with you.

From the top: FlaxMeal, Laughing Cow Cheese,  Swiss Chard, leftover soup, celery sticks, cooked turkey bacon(in container), spaghetti sauce, Fat Free Milk

Middle Row: Eggs(some hardboiled, some not), Reduced Fat Feta Cheese, Broccoflower, Brown Rice Bread, Reduced Fat Cheese Shreds, Lunch Meat Box contains Boars Head Ham, Cheese Sticks, and a bag of fresh basil.

Bottom Row: Hummus, Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, Mushrooms are hidden behind them, a SB crab dip I made for the celery, Gluten Free Hamburger Buns, Veggie Skewers, Deer Sausage (made from deer my dad caught), Carrots, and Salad Mix

This begs the question, what do you have in your fridge??

B: Yogurt & banana
S: Ham, Cheese, Pickle Rollup
L: Swiss Chard & Steamed Chicken Breast on GF Bun
S: Hummus & Carrots
D: Veggie Skewer with Hamburger steak
S: Apple w/ almond butter

Hmmm…..

Yesterday’s interview went extremely well. They say that they plan on calling me back for the second round of interviews, so that looks promising! Also, as I was leaving, there was a farmer’s market getting started! Apparently it happens every Tuesday & Thursday in a Rice University(not where I interviewed) parking lot! I got some broccoflower, some swiss chard, a flyer for local grass fed beef(I was scared to buy any,cause I had a 2 hour drive ahead of me) and treated myself to a small pistachio gelato (dude selling it had an italian accent, how awesome!). Anywho, it normally lasts from 3:30-7pm, so I literally was there right as they were setting up. It was so awesome…hopefully I get the job and can go to that on a weekly basis.

On the diet front, pardoning the gelato, I’ve been good. This morning I even managed to walk for about 30 minutes around the neighborhood. I miss outdoor activities, today is good, but this afternoon and for the next few days it’s supposed to be raining. Grr.

B: 2 - RF Cheese & ham wrap-ups
S: Yogurt
L: Grilled Chicken Salad
S: Pistachios
D: Chicken & Broccoflower

The history of my fat

Been blogging since 2004, when an ephiphany hit my 22-year old, 192+ pound, 5-feet tall body. I felt like crap and for the first time ever, thought I looked like crap too.

Saw a review on the Food Network (of all places!) for the South Beach Diet, thought it seemed like foods I liked and could eat, and started the journey.

In 2006, nearly 50 pounds lighter, I developed health issues that doctor’s could not identify, other than labeling IBS. Was told to go off the diet, did so and maintained the loss, but couldn’t lose additional weight. Continued to have ‘phantom’ stomach issues.

In 2007, it was finally discovered that I had gallstones. After surgery, the surgeon mentioned that my stones were so large, they had to have been in there for years. I was deemed to be healed and told to go along my merry way. I tried doing South Beach again, but still had a lingering stomach problem, though not nearly as bad as before.

In 2008, I FINALLY found an answer. A wheat allergy. Explains why eating South Beach was somewhat harmful, when it should have been a normal healthy diet.

So, here I am, a month or so after diagnosis, finding that the South Beach Diet really is the best program for a wheat free person, since it concentrates on lean meats, dairy & fresh fruits & veggies. It encourages 3 servings of grain….which for most people is whole wheat products. For me, those will be items like quinoa, brown rice, or sweet potatoes with the occasional corn product.

Feel free to follow along in my final journey. I was near 200 pounds, I’m currently at 160, I want to be 125.

Not bad

Last night the girls from work had a get-together (Kirk is south of Houston, helping take care of my parents house while my mom is visiting my dad). Anywho, it was very 1970’s as it was a FONDUE PARTY! LOL.

Only 1 person at the party knew I’m gf and she kept asking if I was sure I could have foods. It quickly became obvious to everyone that something was up, so I was forced to tell. It’s not that I mind telling people, it’s just I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, you know? Plus, I ate before I went, so I was happy sticking to tortilla chips with cheese and eating strawberries & dark chocolate, lol. Anywho, I know R. thought she was just being helpful, but it really turned into something else.

But then night was fun, we watched ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”, grumbled about work stuff, and just had a nice night.

Today is a little insane because our Board of Trustees are down, but I can manager

B: Yogurt & banana
S: Celery & cream cheese
L: catered for trustee luncheon, hopefully they remember I asked for a veggie plate.
S: Pistachios
D: CHicken soup (in crockpot as we speak)

My dad is cool

This was delivered this morning for me. Made me feel better

Mood: Conflicted

Had bad dreams last night that I was in a tornado, trying to save my dogs. Woke up exhausted.

B: 1 slice Brown Rice Bread, 1 tbs Almond Butter, 4 prunes
S: Celery & Whipped cream cheese
L: Amy’s Gluten-free cheese enchilada with corn & black beans, yogurt
S: Milk & Raisins
D: Tricky, having a ‘girls night in’ with coworkers…..

For now….

I’m not going to say anything at work. I also work in the public sector, so it is awfully hard to fire me, but I’ll be cautious for a while longer.

I’m sort of struggling with eating gluten-free this week. It’s hard to do when you are constantly on the road. That means living off of french fries, which is obviously just plain bad. Have to figure out better ‘on-the-go’ options

Because I’m so limited on options, I’m trying to follow a plan that mirrors my mom’s diabetic diet

1,600 Calories per day
Breakfast: 2 starches, 1 Milk/Yogurt, 1 Fruit Serving, 1 fat serving
Snack: 1 starch, 1 protein, 1 fat
Lunch: 1 starch, 1 Milk/Yogurt, 1 fruit, 1 veggie, 2 protein, 1 fat
Snack: 1 milk/yogurt, 1 fruit
Dinner: 2 starches, 1+ veggie serving, 3 protein, 1 fat

Question

Would you be honest with current employer about looking for work in another location? That has been my dilemna. I have an interview with ANOTHER college next week (who knew web content folks were so sought after). Well, this means I’m basically taking a day off each week for almost a month. That has to look fishy, don’t ya think?I don’t know.

Part of me was thinking of going up to my boss and saying “I love my job. But being stuck up here, with my nearest family over an hour away isn’t working for me” I’d hope that they’d respect me for that. I’m not planning on leaving right away, plus I’m looking for jobs in a very specific field. I only want to work with universities.There are only so many universities in the Houston area, and only a handful are looking for web content folks. I have very strict requirements on salary, I am on the high end, but with the years of experience I have in the field, I know I’m worth it. Plus I know what it costs to live in H-town.

It’s entirely possible that I won’t find a job given my strict criteria, in which case I would want to stay at current job.

Any advice appreciated.

Long weekend

I got a call from potential employer, going to speak with them tomorrow. Monday Kirk has an interview in Houston, so I’ll play chauffeur that day. Will report back later!