Pool Pregnancy

Sorry about not posting for awhile.  I've been on a little roller coaster ride.  I have a real good day, stay super busy and run out of time to post.  Then I have a day that I am tired and sore and could care less if I post.

I've started a new journey in life.  One that I think will make things worse before they get better.  I have started wearing my orthotics.  The  goal is to  walk with comfort not  pain.  But there is the period of adjustment when my body's posture realigns and returns to normal function.  That causes pain.  I wear my orthotics for a longer period of time each day.  I wore them for 4 hours today.  At times I couldn't hardly walk. The pain in my feet and ankle was intense.  It really seems to be playing havic with my knee.  I was told days 3-5 are the hardest. Today was 4.

Now for the title of this post.............I'm not sure why but the other day this analogy came to mind.  I am experience my own kind of pregnancy.  You anticipate getting pregnant....I anticipated getting my pool (May 2011). A couple of months in you find out your pregnant....My pool gets here (August 2011).  The pains and joys of carrying a child takes  place.....My knee seems to get more stiff.  I have a little help on the pool, getting my hopes up and then nothing happens.  You have a scare and think you are going into early labor.....I thought my pool was going to get finished (Dec. 2011).  The closer the due date comes the longer it seems away.....still waiting for the pool to get finished and thinking it may never happen (Jan. 2012).  I hope this baby (pool) comes early not late!!!!!

Silly I know.  And I'm sure those of you that have had children think I must be crazy to even make the comparison.

Todays Tip

Don't do as I do but follow the tips I post.  Haven't had the best past few days.
I think I really need to work on getting back to Mindful eating.  I have started to just aimlessly eat.  As you sit down to eat, mindfully eat, ask:

Are You. . .

Hungry?

Tuned into your hunger and appetite?

Focused on the food and how you feel as you eat?

Aware of the aroma and appearance of the food?

Eating slowly and savoring each bite?

Chewing thoroughly and concentrating on the taste, texture and temperature?

Checking your level of fullness and degree of satiety?

Relaxed and comfortable as you enjoy the eating experience?

In other words. . . . don't just shovel it it.  Slow down and enjoy.

Answers

I don't have all the answers but I will try.  Question asked about getting mixed foods to fit the plate model. . . . best judgement. I don't think it is about perfection all the time but getting us to think more and more about balance.  Here is the handout on that from GM.

Salad dressings that I like.......I don't use just one.  I think major problems comes without variety.  I like good old Ranch.  Not light or fat free.  I like the theory that if your going to have it. . .have the real thing. Less ingredients that you can't read.  I always have a Raspberry Vinaigrette on hand.  I also like one that Kraft has that is Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. Those 3 I'm probably never with out.  I'll pick up something else once in a while.

I'm thinking another question was asked but I can't think of it right now.  Thanks! Questions get me thinking more in depth.  I think this process is truly about helping and inspiring each other.

No red lights on tracking food this week except on water!
Thanks Sis for talking me through a potential binge tonight!  Love Ya.

I did it!

I came home from school starving. Well.....hungry.  I knew that I needed a snack before I had dinner.  So I chose to have a small salad. :-) Not a normal snack for me.  Later I had a balanced dinner.  It wasn't long after dinner that I wanted to eat again.  I knew that there was no way I could truly be hunger, but I wanted to eat.  I remembered the Green Mountain 5 D's and I DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO EAT!!!!!

5 D's for wanting to give in:

DELAY at least 10 - 15 minutes before you eat so that your action is conscious, not impulsive.

DISTRACT yourself by engaging in an activity that requires concentration.

DISTANCE yourself from the food.

DETERMINE how important it is to eat the food.

DECIDE what amount is reasonable and appropriate to start with.

I think I probably worked through all the D's.  I did have 1 Mint Kiss.  I feel so good that I didn't give in to the crave for eating.  Once I was determined that I wasn't going to eat. . . . amazingly the feel of need to eat disappeared.

Behavior Strategies

In my notebook from Green Mountain there are about 7 pages of strategies to think about.  Strategies that, when applied, may help you eat more supportively.  I thought I would try and share them with you.  And in doing so help me put some thought into them.  I know I can't implement them all at once.  But having them more in the forefront of my thinking my help.  So here's one for tonight.

When possible, make eating an isolated activity so you can concentrate on the food.  Limit distractions such as reading, TV, paperwork, driving.  If you do eat while doing something else, make a conscious effort to pay attention to what and how much you are eating.  Prevent mindless overeating when distractions are present by controlling your food selection and portion sizes, e.g., portion out a bowl of pretzels instead of sitting down in front of the TV with the whole bag.

My Goals

I talk about Green Mountain and the plate model.  So I thought I would share. My goal is to try and get my meals inline with what I was taught in Vermont.  I also think that the food pyramid just changed to the plate model. 

Sorry I should have went in and rotated it.

This model fits for lunch and dinner.  Breakfast is a bit different.

Enjoy Eating!

Vegetable Soup

So.......let's say I'm going to make a big pot of Vegetable Soup.  Start with a potato or two, throw in some carrots and onion.  Later add peas, corn, green beans and tomatoes.   When I serve myself up a big bowl, do I count it as a vegetable or a carbohydrate.

Most of what I call veggies are not because high starchy vegetables fall into carbohydrates.

Help me out.  Share your ideas.

Smoking Brain

I hope that I haven't over taxed my brain with the thinking I've been doing! ;-)

All my meals need help so where do I start.  I first thought just to work my way down the day. I'd start with trying to get my breakfast under control.  But getting any of my meals under control will take a lot of time and planning. Breakfast is usually rushed because I can't get my lazy butt out of bed.  So I thought I would tackle dinner.  I get home from school so hungry that I have a hard time either not over munching or diving into dinner without thinking and planning.  So I've been stumped.  In looking through my Green Mountain notebook I saw the Green Mountain Eating Well Pyramid.  It gives the amounts of each group you should strive toward in a day.  I remembered an App I had that tracks they amount of each group you eat.  So I decided instead of stressing over each meal being perfect each day for now I'll work on just trying to get my day to look good.  Green lights.....met your daily goal. Red lights......went over your daily goal (which is O.K. with somethings like water and F & V. . .not carbs). Blue lights. . . . under your daily goal.  Today 4 reds and 4 blues. 2 reds are O.K. . . water and fruit.
My goal for tomorrow: greens or more good reds.

Thanks again for your support.  I've been told that my blog has help motivate others.  I'm glad.  I'm not sure it's done a lot for me.  My BMI today is higher than when I started the blog.  It does make me more aware of what I'm doing.  I guess awareness is a great place to start.

What Happens it Vegas Stays in Vegas. . .Not

I know you have all heard the say that "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas" Then why did the weight gain come home with me.

I keep saying that I will get on track with things when the pool is finished and I can start working out in the pool. Really.......I'm going to let my health go down the tube waiting for who knows how long. I know that I've already lost the advantage I might have had with my knee if I had been able to get in the water months ago. I'm starting to have daily pain. I still hate the thoughts of surgery. I have custom arch supports being made. I should have them in a couple of weeks.

O.K. I think I wondered a bit. So any way.....I've got to get control of my eating. When I lost a lot of weight before I used an online program called Calorie King. It was basically calorie cutting but you just put in your food and they did all the rest. The problem was I found myself eating more prepared foods because they were easier to enter. If I made something from scratch I had to enter every little thing I put in it. I've looked into Weight Watcher's Online but it seems like it would be a lot the same. I think (and it came to me just as I was typing) the best thing to do is pull out my notebook from Fox Run at Green Mountain, Vermont. There was no calorie or point counting. It was all on how your plate looked. 1/2 veggies, 1/4 carbs, and 1/4 protein.

So.....on my last day of Christmas Break........I will pull out my Vermont stuff and study and read.