So. Wifey and I went to another concert last night. Matt & Kim, My Chemical Romance, and Blink 182! It was a great concert! We took a half day at work and bought us some more whole wheat bread from Great Harvest and then wandered around the mall until the show.
I've never come so close to breaking this damned thing we're doing. Hell, i've got ice cream and sweets and all sorts of stuff AT THE HOUSE, but i haven't touched them. Last night though was torture walking around smelling the food and realizing that all i was going to have was a PB&Honey sandwich w/ water and maybe some of the whole wheat muffins/banana bread the Wifey made... It was enough to make us both cry.
What the hell have we done? Why would anyone do this?! It's just not natural! I can't wait until i can eat the things i enjoy... This journey most definitely has been full of unexpected twists and turns that's for sure.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
D+14
I'm not dead... yet! It's been a while since i posted, but when I'm not at work I'm trying to forget that I can't go to any fast food joints. They smell so incredibly good though...
I should probably catch you up. I'm an Assistant Scoutmaster for my little brother's Boy Scout Troop and we just went camping this past weekend. Needless to say, aside from the fun and adventure we had with the kids... the food was something else! Normally the adults just show up with $10-15 and a couple of the scoutmasters cook for all of the adults present. Last campout we had Shrimp Jumbalaya over rice with some garlic bread on the side. Awesome food for a campout let me tell you. I still haven't put up all the rules but one of them is no white grains (white flour/rice/etc). So I figured they'd do a repeat or some variation of awesome food that doesn't qualify as eatable with our 'special diet'. Due to that guess at the menu contents i had to prepare my own food for the weekend. Dinner on friday was at a burger joint on the way to camp... one that i enjoy, and would have enjoyed, had i been able to eat. Here i was at the restaurant surrounded by 21 scouts and about 7 adults all eating wonderfully smelling hamburgers and fries while drinking coca cola products... my mouth is watering just thinking about it. So, what did I eat while they were scarfing burgers and fries? Tuna wraps and grapes. Don't get me wrong, the whole wheat tortillas wrapped around tuna/shredded carrot/lettuce/mustard are super tasty. I actually hope we wont ever have to buy tortillas again cause i really like the whole wheat ones my Wifey makes. The problem was that i was eating it surrounded by mouthwatering fried potatoes and grilled burgers! After explaining to the adults (the kids don't care or pay attention to what the adults do) about our 'special diet' i get laughs and funny looks. They commented on it by saying 'wow you really must love her.." i looked at their food, back to my food, back to their food... and responded "Apparently i do."
We made it to camp and set up in the dark around midnight. The kids did alright getting things set up and doing it as 'quietly' as boys 11-17 can manage. No one woke up to complain so we must have been far enough away. By the time we were done setting up it was around 0130 and the adults all crashed because we had to get up around 0700 to be ready for the kids and prep ourselves for our day on the water. I was supposed to eat Oatmeal for breakfast but no one in camp was boiling water so i passed on it in favor of some fruit. It meant that the next morning was going to be my last piece of fruit and oatmeal if people boiled some water. After the kids got themselves going we did a land class for our day's activities. The Troop has canoes and we were aiming to get as much done that day for the Canoeing merit badge as we could. They learned about the paddles and canoes and what their parts are called. and did some land practice of the different strokes we needed to teach them. Then it was time for the water! After getting the boats in the water we took the Lightning Patrol (my brother's patrol) into the water and had them practice what we'd showed them. Dad and I were in some kayaks paddling around the kids and giving them pointers when they got stuck. In the end they had to use teamwork to get where they were going and i think it not only taught them how to paddle a canoe without going in circles, but showed how using teamwork to accomplish a goal (even one as simple as going 'straight') was the best way to get things done. After a lot of chaos and guidance we stopped the paddling and ate lunch. Wifey wanted me to take pictures of the food i ate but i was more concerned with getting my stomach stuffed (after all a fruit breakfast doesn't do much to tide you over for a day on the lake). Lunch was two PB & honey sandwiches with an apple and homemade granola. I actually enjoyed it immensely. Not sure if that was the hunger gnawing at my insides or if it was that i found a nice balance between pb & honey in my sandwich. After lunch we got back in the canoes with the older kids who have a bit more experience at everything and got them through the same exercise in about half the time. Afterwards we had everyone out of the boats and showed them a few things to do if they're paddling and end up swamping their canoe. Once this was completed we took them all out for a trip around the no wake area that we were camped near. It was a good day on the lake. For whatever reason, as soon as we gave them somewhere to go they all paddled like professionals (at least when people were around to observe).
Night time hit and the kids cooked their dinners. I helped the Lightning's get their stuff going and basically observed to prevent them from burning down the campsite. They cooked burgers (which apparently turned out awesome, but then again i wouldn't know cause i couldnt eat one), but the problem they had was that they had a bit fattier ground meat than i would have selected. The griddle kept filling up with the grease and i had to make sure that we kept cleaning it so we wouldnt flare up and catch fire and explode. The kids only got scared once when the paper towel i was using to sop up some oil caught fire and i had to throw it to the ground and stomp it out. Needless to say, they liked the burgers, but won't ever cook them again. We're only helping the Lightning Patrol until they become First Class scouts, then they'll be on their own. Not entirely as we'll still be around at the campouts, but we wont be guiding them through things unless they need help learning a new skill or don't know how to do something and want help to learn. After the adventure of cooking their burgers i had myself some of the cheeseburger skillet that i used to cook while i was a scout. Ground meat (i chose turkey), mac and cheese (normally required, but due to the diet it was a cheesy noodle concoction of whole wheat noodles and cheesy-ish goop my wifey made up), and veggies. I sauted onions, broccoli, tomatoes, and carrots for my veggies and precooked my ground turkey in the oils left over on thursday night so all i had to do was heat and eat. I really enjoyed dinner. I made sure i took more than i thought i'd want and it ended up being the perfect amount. After the day on the lake i needed food and oh man was my dinner tasty. Way better than what the adults had... bowls of chili. I didn't even see any bread! how?! why?! bleh. I'm not sure, but i might just bring my own meals from now on so i can make sure i eat how i want to, and so i can hopefully show the kids that you can get creative while they plan foods. OOH! that reminds me, i've got to show my brother the foil pack pizzas mmm... maybe i'll do that next campout.
Anyhow, sidetracked. I found out i'm allergic to grasses in texas, and possibly some trees. Not sure which, but the second night i had to take a benadryl so i could sleep. We woke up early again and got everything packed up and had breakfast. More fruit yay. Then the adults decided on stopping at a Pizza place for lunch. Awesome, more food i CAN NOT have. So for a second time in three days i find myself surrounded by people eating food that smells and looks delicious. I hadn't been told we were going to be eating lunch on the road when we were returning so i didn't have anything to eat. Luckily there was a grocery store across the way and i went in and bought a fruit salad and some Triscuits. Which i ate and drew more laughs and comments from the dad's.
The one thing i know for certain is that this 'special diet' that we're on is expensive. Way more expensive than our normal diet which is essentially the same. The meals we're eating now vs then are exactly the same except you substitute the normal noodles for the whole wheat, and we have ketchup and salad dressings and other sauces that we've had to replace. We generally eat healthy, but when we can use premade things (like ketchup or mayo or whatever) it makes the cooking quicker and easier. Then on the nights when neither of us feels like doing anything we can go out and relax while someone else makes our food.
Yeah, two weeks down, two to go... I can't wait to be done. I'm craving fast foods i never thought i'd crave. Until next time, enjoy life's adventures big or small.
I should probably catch you up. I'm an Assistant Scoutmaster for my little brother's Boy Scout Troop and we just went camping this past weekend. Needless to say, aside from the fun and adventure we had with the kids... the food was something else! Normally the adults just show up with $10-15 and a couple of the scoutmasters cook for all of the adults present. Last campout we had Shrimp Jumbalaya over rice with some garlic bread on the side. Awesome food for a campout let me tell you. I still haven't put up all the rules but one of them is no white grains (white flour/rice/etc). So I figured they'd do a repeat or some variation of awesome food that doesn't qualify as eatable with our 'special diet'. Due to that guess at the menu contents i had to prepare my own food for the weekend. Dinner on friday was at a burger joint on the way to camp... one that i enjoy, and would have enjoyed, had i been able to eat. Here i was at the restaurant surrounded by 21 scouts and about 7 adults all eating wonderfully smelling hamburgers and fries while drinking coca cola products... my mouth is watering just thinking about it. So, what did I eat while they were scarfing burgers and fries? Tuna wraps and grapes. Don't get me wrong, the whole wheat tortillas wrapped around tuna/shredded carrot/lettuce/mustard are super tasty. I actually hope we wont ever have to buy tortillas again cause i really like the whole wheat ones my Wifey makes. The problem was that i was eating it surrounded by mouthwatering fried potatoes and grilled burgers! After explaining to the adults (the kids don't care or pay attention to what the adults do) about our 'special diet' i get laughs and funny looks. They commented on it by saying 'wow you really must love her.." i looked at their food, back to my food, back to their food... and responded "Apparently i do."
We made it to camp and set up in the dark around midnight. The kids did alright getting things set up and doing it as 'quietly' as boys 11-17 can manage. No one woke up to complain so we must have been far enough away. By the time we were done setting up it was around 0130 and the adults all crashed because we had to get up around 0700 to be ready for the kids and prep ourselves for our day on the water. I was supposed to eat Oatmeal for breakfast but no one in camp was boiling water so i passed on it in favor of some fruit. It meant that the next morning was going to be my last piece of fruit and oatmeal if people boiled some water. After the kids got themselves going we did a land class for our day's activities. The Troop has canoes and we were aiming to get as much done that day for the Canoeing merit badge as we could. They learned about the paddles and canoes and what their parts are called. and did some land practice of the different strokes we needed to teach them. Then it was time for the water! After getting the boats in the water we took the Lightning Patrol (my brother's patrol) into the water and had them practice what we'd showed them. Dad and I were in some kayaks paddling around the kids and giving them pointers when they got stuck. In the end they had to use teamwork to get where they were going and i think it not only taught them how to paddle a canoe without going in circles, but showed how using teamwork to accomplish a goal (even one as simple as going 'straight') was the best way to get things done. After a lot of chaos and guidance we stopped the paddling and ate lunch. Wifey wanted me to take pictures of the food i ate but i was more concerned with getting my stomach stuffed (after all a fruit breakfast doesn't do much to tide you over for a day on the lake). Lunch was two PB & honey sandwiches with an apple and homemade granola. I actually enjoyed it immensely. Not sure if that was the hunger gnawing at my insides or if it was that i found a nice balance between pb & honey in my sandwich. After lunch we got back in the canoes with the older kids who have a bit more experience at everything and got them through the same exercise in about half the time. Afterwards we had everyone out of the boats and showed them a few things to do if they're paddling and end up swamping their canoe. Once this was completed we took them all out for a trip around the no wake area that we were camped near. It was a good day on the lake. For whatever reason, as soon as we gave them somewhere to go they all paddled like professionals (at least when people were around to observe).
Night time hit and the kids cooked their dinners. I helped the Lightning's get their stuff going and basically observed to prevent them from burning down the campsite. They cooked burgers (which apparently turned out awesome, but then again i wouldn't know cause i couldnt eat one), but the problem they had was that they had a bit fattier ground meat than i would have selected. The griddle kept filling up with the grease and i had to make sure that we kept cleaning it so we wouldnt flare up and catch fire and explode. The kids only got scared once when the paper towel i was using to sop up some oil caught fire and i had to throw it to the ground and stomp it out. Needless to say, they liked the burgers, but won't ever cook them again. We're only helping the Lightning Patrol until they become First Class scouts, then they'll be on their own. Not entirely as we'll still be around at the campouts, but we wont be guiding them through things unless they need help learning a new skill or don't know how to do something and want help to learn. After the adventure of cooking their burgers i had myself some of the cheeseburger skillet that i used to cook while i was a scout. Ground meat (i chose turkey), mac and cheese (normally required, but due to the diet it was a cheesy noodle concoction of whole wheat noodles and cheesy-ish goop my wifey made up), and veggies. I sauted onions, broccoli, tomatoes, and carrots for my veggies and precooked my ground turkey in the oils left over on thursday night so all i had to do was heat and eat. I really enjoyed dinner. I made sure i took more than i thought i'd want and it ended up being the perfect amount. After the day on the lake i needed food and oh man was my dinner tasty. Way better than what the adults had... bowls of chili. I didn't even see any bread! how?! why?! bleh. I'm not sure, but i might just bring my own meals from now on so i can make sure i eat how i want to, and so i can hopefully show the kids that you can get creative while they plan foods. OOH! that reminds me, i've got to show my brother the foil pack pizzas mmm... maybe i'll do that next campout.
Anyhow, sidetracked. I found out i'm allergic to grasses in texas, and possibly some trees. Not sure which, but the second night i had to take a benadryl so i could sleep. We woke up early again and got everything packed up and had breakfast. More fruit yay. Then the adults decided on stopping at a Pizza place for lunch. Awesome, more food i CAN NOT have. So for a second time in three days i find myself surrounded by people eating food that smells and looks delicious. I hadn't been told we were going to be eating lunch on the road when we were returning so i didn't have anything to eat. Luckily there was a grocery store across the way and i went in and bought a fruit salad and some Triscuits. Which i ate and drew more laughs and comments from the dad's.
The one thing i know for certain is that this 'special diet' that we're on is expensive. Way more expensive than our normal diet which is essentially the same. The meals we're eating now vs then are exactly the same except you substitute the normal noodles for the whole wheat, and we have ketchup and salad dressings and other sauces that we've had to replace. We generally eat healthy, but when we can use premade things (like ketchup or mayo or whatever) it makes the cooking quicker and easier. Then on the nights when neither of us feels like doing anything we can go out and relax while someone else makes our food.
Yeah, two weeks down, two to go... I can't wait to be done. I'm craving fast foods i never thought i'd crave. Until next time, enjoy life's adventures big or small.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
D+3
The date is Thursday.. some day in September of the year from hell. The Texas sun beats down heavily and roasts anything too stupid or injured to get under the cover of shade. It's been 4 days since i've tasted the earthy goodness of fried potatoes, or had the sweet embrace of an ice cream sundae or soda... The hunger has been gnawing at my insides while i feel myself slowly start to wither away. In the last two weeks i've lost 6 lbs (last time i weighed myself). If you know me at all you know that i don't have all that much weight to lose in the first place. As the week continues i'm convinced that she's got a hidden stash of goodies somewhere that she won't share with me. She'll sit and eat whatever we're having for dinner and then when i distract myself by killing zombies she goes and eats from her stashes. In the end i think it's all part of her master plan to kill me. The joke is on her though... i don't have any life insurance.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Adventures in Healthy Eating
I'd like to start off saying that my wife and I aren't terrible eaters. We treat ourselves now and again to some frozen yogurt and a meal out, but life would get boring pretty quick if you didn't throw in some variety. The difference between my wife and I is that I'd say about 90% of the time I eat, I eat so I wont starve. I don't really care about what it is I'm eating, except that it not wreck my system. I've got a sensitive stomach. So, when it's time to eat, my first instinct is eating whatever is quickest. The answer generally comes up "Fast Food". I mean, with the word fast in the phrasing it's only natural right? Not 'natural' enough for my wife. She's recently read someone's blog lining out their adventures in eating healthier and greener and local grower supporting like. I can't honestly tell you exactly what this blog has pushed into her mind since I haven't read it myself. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I will soon be able to tell you from first hand experience! Yes, that's right. We're going to be doing our own version. Apparently we're going to stick to as many of the guidelines as we can, but we already eat fairly healthy (if not balanced).
I will have to find the blog and link it here for any readers I might snag. For now though, my Day 1 thoughts are that this is going to be a long month. We're going to try and go for 30 days (or more likely 4 weeks). A couple rules that are going to be tough to avoid are No Sugar (processed, so sugars found in fruits and such are still ok as long as it's natural), No white flour breads or white grains, nothing with more than 5 ingredients on the label, and NO FAST FOOD!!! Fine! I think she's secretly trying to kill me...
== On the Menu ==
Lunch today was tuna wraps and grapes. Wifey made up some whole wheat (only grains we get) tortillas which actually were pretty good. They held up better than the white ones you get at the store normally do too! So the whole wheat tortillas wrapped around tuna mixed with some mustard and herbs, topped with some shredded carrots was our Wrap. I should have added some cheese but I only remembered as i was eating it.
Dinner tonight is going to be a chicken that Wifey cooked up in the slow cooker last night. Not sure about our sides, but i'm sure they'll be tasty as well.
==============
I'm not going to post what we're eating every day, but I figured I'd give you an example of what we're going with. If there are meals that I really enjoyed I'll probably post those for all to see. Today's lunch was light and enjoyable, but it's most definitely NOT what I'm used to. I generally only eat Lunch/Dinner so i rely on a slightly heavier meal to get me through... I might have to start eating breakfast again. It's been 10 years since I've done that! That's as much as I can say about our current healthy eating adventure beginning for now. Until next time.
~The Boy
I will have to find the blog and link it here for any readers I might snag. For now though, my Day 1 thoughts are that this is going to be a long month. We're going to try and go for 30 days (or more likely 4 weeks). A couple rules that are going to be tough to avoid are No Sugar (processed, so sugars found in fruits and such are still ok as long as it's natural), No white flour breads or white grains, nothing with more than 5 ingredients on the label, and NO FAST FOOD!!! Fine! I think she's secretly trying to kill me...
== On the Menu ==
Lunch today was tuna wraps and grapes. Wifey made up some whole wheat (only grains we get) tortillas which actually were pretty good. They held up better than the white ones you get at the store normally do too! So the whole wheat tortillas wrapped around tuna mixed with some mustard and herbs, topped with some shredded carrots was our Wrap. I should have added some cheese but I only remembered as i was eating it.
Dinner tonight is going to be a chicken that Wifey cooked up in the slow cooker last night. Not sure about our sides, but i'm sure they'll be tasty as well.
==============
I'm not going to post what we're eating every day, but I figured I'd give you an example of what we're going with. If there are meals that I really enjoyed I'll probably post those for all to see. Today's lunch was light and enjoyable, but it's most definitely NOT what I'm used to. I generally only eat Lunch/Dinner so i rely on a slightly heavier meal to get me through... I might have to start eating breakfast again. It's been 10 years since I've done that! That's as much as I can say about our current healthy eating adventure beginning for now. Until next time.
~The Boy
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