So begins July (7/30)

Yesterday: Food okay, water I'm not sure, barely any steps.  While this sounds like a disaster, I'm going to fall back on the '7th day of rest' excuse and move forward.  It was another cool cloudy morning, untypical of Summer for us, and I started my morning with hot tea instead of cold water. I did remember and began drinking water after the first cup of tea but have no clear recollection of quantities consumed. Then no usual two  cups of water in my smoothie, instead breakfast was a treat; steel cup oats loaded up with fresh cherries, chopped pecans and diced dates. A tablespoon or so of brown sugar thrown in and YUM. This was a treasure chest in a bowl, each bite a new combination of textures and flavours each as delicious as the last; what a lovely Sunday treat.  But instead of having five cups of water off the bat, maybe it was two or three? By 11 I was starving and the bag of brown sugar was still on the counter. So when I went to grab an apple to much on, instead of the usual au naturel I chopped it up and threw it in the microwave with some ground ginger and some of the brown sugar. In my defense it was still a very cool morning and my warm snack was comforting as well as filling; the warmth left in my mouth afterwards from the ginger was delightful..

Lunch was a hummus sandwich that H picked up from Subway - another treat. Then black bean soup (not homemade, store bought last week and in the fridge) with a couple of crisped corn tortillas for dipping and an avocado for dinner. The avocado wasn't really part of dinner, but rather dessert a bit later. And then the last of the apricots and slivered almonds for a snack.

High in processed grain, fat, salt...not a good eating day for my 30 day plan. Not horrific either, but my hands are swollen this morning and I feel like I wasn't true to my intentions, which is disheartening. The only fresh veggies were in my sandwich, and I imagine there were some cooked ones in the soup. Barely a dent in what we should consume each day. That's the real problem with the grains, they suck up calories and space that should be used for greens. And to top matters off, I weighed in this morning - not down even a tenth of a pound. Which I will blame on the salt!

I will mention here that I did fill up my water bottle a few more times yesterday, so I know for sure I had at least nine cups of water and a cup of tea so I think I got in all the water. But I was frozen to the couch most of the day - what a waste of a beautiful afternoon! I had stressed my arm in the morning, and just wanted to rest it and make sure I was good to go to work this morning. I did make it out to the back yard to lay in the sun for about 15 minutes to get my vitamin D in for the day; there is nothing so comforting as the warmth of the sun soothing my body. Some of my early memories are of laying in the sun at Arrowhead, leaning back against the boat tarp that was heaped up on the corner of the dock. Feeling the cool breeze play across my skin and waiting for the moment when the sun would win over and saturate me in a blanket of warmth. Then for a few moments I would relax and all would be right with the world as I listened to the sighing of the wind gone way up high to the tops of the pines and to the clinking of the dock chains  as the waves of the lake rocked us to and fro. Now the sighing is coming from me, bu it is at times like this that I think of the Dumbledore quote:

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” 

                                                                                                   ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So if only for a moment, I live in the memory, and remember a strong young girl who had the world at her fingertips.

As soon as I put tea on to heat this morning I remembered about the water and filled up my bottle and came to sit down and write. I have already downed the first two cups and will definitely have a smoothie for breakfast. I'm going to replace half a cup of my usual two cups of water in the smoothie with half a cup of chocolate soy milk and mix in some cherries that are ripening way too fast; sounds decadent, no?  I had to seed them and throw them in the fridge last night when I found how quickly they were getting soft. There is left over lentil soup to take for lunch, and on the way home this afternoon I will stop and grab a bag of chopped lettuce and veggies from TJ's since I have run out of salad greens here. They sell a tub of eight chopped veggies that works great for salads and I have chick peas already drained and in the fridge ready to throw on top.

Fitbit charged, plan for the day determined, morning water almost gone and heading for the shower. And Yikes! I almost forgot, yesterday was July 1st, and I can make a Doctor's appointment!

Tailbone up, Shoulders down (6/30)

Yesterday: Water yes, food yes, exercise not so much and I forgot to clip on my Fitbit. I did learn some new stretching exercise from D yesterday but couldn't seem to drag myself out for a short walk. She has been doing Restorative exercises the past couple of years and loves how she is pain free. During this time she has given me CD's and spoken about what she is doing, explaining how she is correcting her posture through exercise. (The link above is to her teacher.) From the CD I did watch I learned a thoracic push up, or maybe it's the rhomboid push up, that helps relieve my back pain. I do it in the evenings when I really need the pain to just go away for a few moments. I can't remember how much complaining here I have done about this, but I have been in different levels of pain or discomfort daily since the Summer of 2004.  Anyway, it felt really good yesterday to do the stretches she showed me and I need to incorporate them into my plan so that I am doing them daily for the remainder of my 30 days. Theoretically it takes 21 days to create a habit - I'm not sure about the who or the when of that discovery but I hope it's true. I need to be more proactive about preventative exercise.


We shared a green smoothie for breakfast, had little guacamole sandwiches at the GD's tea party for an early lunch (avocado was the healthy fat in my chick pea sandwich spread.) There was also a bowl of apricots, a bruschetta rice noodle pasta and a tiny luscious strawberry cupcake. The hibiscus tea was delicious as was the pink french wine, a Rose for which I can't remember the name. Then later we each had a small popcorn at the movies, no added butter or salt, and finally back home we made made veggie soup with lentils for dinner.  (While this was cooking we toasted up a couple of corn tortillas in the broiler and smeared on the remaining avocado for appetizers.) As with all of the soups and casserole type dishes that I modify, the legumes took a back seat to the veggies; bokchoy, celery, onion, orange & yellow peppers & mushrooms seasoned with some mild white Miso, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and some extra oregano and lemon pepper were the main ingredients. Just as we are advised to change the proportions on our plates to include more veggies, I change the proportions of ingredients in my dishes so that the veggies are always center stage. So if I say lentil soup, or bean soup, it's always mostly veggie soup. We had picked up a bag of cherries while shopping in the morning and those were snacked on in moderation through out the day and evening. So while my raw veggie consumption was not what it should have been, everyday should be a little different, no? Change things up and do the best you can with the day as it unfolds.


Today I will do the prep necessary to make throwing together salads for dinner this week easy and quick. I think a pecan, date and vinegar salad dressing sounds good so I will blend up a batch. I have two containers of lentil soup left from last night. We chopped so many vegetables yesterday it made two soup pots - one I used for the lentils and the other I think I will cook down today and add a layer of mashed potatoes on top for a Shepard's pie. That will be dinner tonight plus more lunches to have ready for next week.


So on to day six. I should probably weigh myself tomorrow, but since this is mostly about the water and getting back to eating plants I'm not sure I want to put that pressure on myself. But I also don't want to be living in a fog, pretending I am eating well while ignoring the fact that my weight contributes to my pain. One can eat too many calories even of good things. Hence the mantra that I was using to try and hypnotize myself, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."


Morning water is gone, time to think about breakfast.

Five of Thirty (5/30)

Yesterday: All my water, somewhere around 5,000 steps, good food. Dinner was not the healthiest choice given my goals during this 30 day stretch, a Mediterranean Rustica pizza from Zpizza, but as pizza goes light and fresh and wonderful.  We had wine with dinner, also yummy, and enjoyed the company of our fiesty 3yr old GD.

Today we have a tea party at same GD's house, and I am making guacamole sandwiches to take. Smashed up chick peas with a little garlic, onion and avocado will make the spread for little tea sandwiches. I know my daughter will be baking; at our last tea party I was able to limit my intake of her wonderful fresh baked sour cream and cinnamon bunt cake to one piece. So I have high hopes of not making a pig of myself today.

So off to the store for the bread to make the sandwiches, then home again to mix up the spread. I think sharing a green smoothie with Sis this morning will be a nice light breakfast before the tea at 11am.

Flip Flops here I come.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (4/30)

Last evening while finishing up preparation of the guest room for my Sister's visit I finally finished watching the film from Join the Reboot. This was the initial inspiration for my thirty day Water Cure plan; watching others saturate themselves with micro nutrients and get better made me remember why I originally started leaning towards a plant based diet. I have previously discarded the idea of 'juicing' because my mind rebelled against separating the juice from the fiber in the plants. But as a way to 'reboot' your health and clean up inside maybe I was wrong, as happens way too often.

Now that I have seen the end of the movie, I am more determined than ever to do my own juice fast. I won't be following their plan exactly, I can't really afford to use organic plants, but other than that I do plan on finding someone with a juicer to borrow, or getting one cheap online somewhere. Then to Kaiser for current blood work so I have a starting reference point, and then on to juicing.

Also on my mind is my online friend Jayne. She started eating vegan last year, and the picture she posted yesterday shows a vibrant happy woman just glowing with health; I want that too.

I am excited for D to get here today, she is all about taking care of herself and I know she will be all for helping make a batch of veggie soup, and at the same time not be adverse to some wine and guacamole while we visit. Also on the agenda is a trip to the movies to see Brave if she hasn't already seen it.

Yesterday was mostly fine until evening. I did get all my water in, but missed my afternoon walk and ate too little too early for dinner and around 8pm I was Starvin Marvin. There was one ripe avocado on the kitchen counter and one flour tortilla left in the fridge; they made a perfect second dinner - perfect in the sense that it was yummy and satisfying anyway.

I have just finished my morning water, have my food planned for the day, and while I dread just a little bit the component of this visit where she feels the need to 'fix' me, I am very much looking forward to seeing my Sister this weekend.
 3367 steps taken

Three's a Charm (3/30)

I was tempted to start over after indulging in a bakery roll with a smear (scant) of butter on it with dinner last night and a few forkfulls of Deli Mac N Cheese, but then I remembered this is about the water and the plants and in those respects I have had a successful two days and I am on to the third. Just that fleeting thought that I haven't been perfect so how can I say it's the third day makes me realize how hard I am on my self. When I decided to do this Water Cure for thirty days I wasn't coming from a standard american diet. Sure, I had a hot dog for lunch one day last week because H had cooked them and I couldn't resist. And yes, I had driven through for a sausage muffin on the way to work more than a couple of times recently, but the rest of the time I was already eating mostly plants. So this plan of mine isn't off my beaten path, it's more of a way to wander back on to it.

My latest internal mantra, 'Eat food, not too much, mostly plants' is from Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food.  Add to that my previous mantra from Dr.Fuhrman, 'eat healthy at home' and there is the foundation of how I would like to eat. but since we no longer eat out as much, instead of getting my roll with butter before dinner at a restaurant, I can pick up a single roll from the market to have at home once in a while. It use to be I did that on grocery shopping day, sometimes using it to make a sandwich, sometimes to dip in soup. Last night I dipped it into my bowl of  S&W's jalapeno & black bean concoction. Delicious! I would have stopped at the first half of the roll, but the beans were so spicy I went back for the 2nd half to cool my mouth off. So a chopped salad, a bowl of beans and a roll for dinner; my kind of meal!

Yesterday went well. Got in all my water, took a short walk at lunch, and ate per plan except for the relatively small indulgences at dinner. But after taking my GD shopping after work I didn't have the energy to make soup. This is also when I picked up the aforesaid treats. Realizing how challenging this week was going to be in terms of getting things done, I realized I probably wouldn't be doing much cooking. So I picked up an Amy's entree for dinner tonight, and some ready-made veggie soups to take for lunches. Not a good long haul decision because of the salt, but better than driving through Carl's junior for a taco salad (no meat) or a bean burrito.  I figure I can wait to make soup this weekend; my Sister is coming to visit and it will be fun to visit while we chop veggies and drink wine.

Speaking of which, now that I have posted and finished my morning water I need to get busy. My home office could be a bit less cluttered; she should at least be able to walk to the bed without a guide and a map!

  4439 steps taken

Dose (2/30)

Yesterday I stuck to plan with the exception of a piece of buttered toast with honey. What can I say, it was the last lonely slice, and it sang my name so sweetly I had to succumb to it's siren call. Toast with a little butter (okay, more than a little) and a drizzle of honey is a wonderful dessert. But the rest of the day went according to plan. I drank all my water, stuck to my eating guide, and took a short walk at lunch. It was a frustrating day at work, colorful details herefrom deleted, but I kept my hand out of the candy dish and drank spicy tea from my thermos. I wasn't all that tempted, it was just a passing thought that I batted away.

Of note was the Cameo apple I ate on the way home from work - it was unexpectedly perfect for this time of year, I would guess it had to be the end of last year's crop. Sweet, crisp, juicy all at once with a hint of  earthly crab apple flavour. Well do I remember from my childhood taking the boat across the lake to the crab apple tree and munching on small green apples on the boat ride back. (They were perfect snacks or projectiles depending on the day.)

This morning I have just finished my 3 cups of water; it really is a wonderful way to break my fast, the cool water coursing through me in a very refreshing way. Sort of satisfying to feel my body respond in such an immediate and pleasant way.  Today's plan is much the same as yesterday. I have one more container of homemade veggie 'baked' beans to take for lunch, another apple to pack for the ride home, and enough chopped lettuce to throw together a quick salad for dinner.   I will have to do something this evening to prepare for tomorrow - maybe throw together a veggie soup. My granddaughter will be here for a bit and loves to help in the kitchen; I can find something for her to do to 'help', it will be fun.

Thinking back to yesterday, I think I forgot to mention that my plan includes 2 doses of healthy fat each day; 1T of ground flax meal in the morning smoothie and another small serving of nuts or seeds in the evening. Last night it was a small handful of sunflower seeds in my salad, I'm thinking pecans tonight. But the serving of flax meal in the morning is really one of the cornerstones of this plan. Without it I sink into depression so quickly, never noticing until about the third morning sans smoothie that I am having dark thoughts and feeling cranky. I expect by tomorrow after my third morning back on track that I will notice an improvement, and I don't care if it happens because of the omega 3's I'm feeding my brain and heart or because I make it happen by expecting it to happen, the fact that it will happen is enough for me.

My FITBIT is charged and clipped on, my plan in place for the day, and my mood already slightly elevated just because I am taking the time to care for myself. Later Gator.

Water Water Everywhere (1/30)

Yesterday I was up at 4:20am pulling on my  jeans and getting ready to drive my partner in to the emergency room; he had been having pains in his arm and needed to be checked out. Watching him go through all the testing at the hospital is my impetus for today's action. Just having lived through one of the most depressing periods of my life so far is probably the backbone of this decision; I am tired of being in pain and being depressed about it.

Having just watched most of the film 'Fat, Sick and nearly Dead' (damn internet) I had already been encouraged to go back to eating healthy. While I may not be able to stick to a juice fast for 60 days like he did, I am going to take encouragement from his swift return to health and implement a plan of my own, tailored to my needs, and beginning with a month of going back to the basics. I think starting my day with water first (see Water Cure) and then blending up a green smoothie  for breakfast will be my absolute morning ritual.  Something homemade and\or vegetarian for lunch at work and an apple to eat on the way home from work will take care of the afternoon. Then either a chopped salad or another green smoothie for dinner. This is the plan, one versatile enough to stick to, and strict enough to get fast results.

Drinking 3 cups of water each morning, 6 cups at work, and another 3 after work will bet me close to the 100oz that the water cure recommends for my weight. I know I have been running a little dehydrated lately anyway and need to get back into the habit of drinking more. I will count herbal tea towards my total; I often make a thermos of tea to drink at work, this morning I will measure how much I am actually taking so I can count it.

Green smoothies are easy, I've been drinking them for years and always feel better after just a couple of days. I attribute this to not just the greens but to the tablespoon of flax meal I add; I'm already looking forward to the emotional lift.

Cooking on weekends to have a batch of something health to take for lunches is easy and I will stick to that for the next month. No throwing up my hands and giving in to fast food temptation because I am frustrated at work. If the girls want to go out, there is always a healthy choice within walking distance. Saying no to grilled cheese will be easy, it's only recently I have been indulging more than is prudent and I think it's one of the main reasons I feel so crappy. Deadly Dairy!

Chopping on weekends will be a standard too; having a tub of chopped veggies to throw a salad together for dinner makes it a much easier choice. I do have to be careful with dressings and go back to making my own. There are so many wonderful flavours, I don't know why I stopped other than laziness. Well, the craving for fats plays some part here. I'm not sure why this is happening, a reaction to stress I think. I brought home a pound of butter last week (impulse buy) and it is already gone; toast and potatoes baby!

So there it is, a plan for the next four weeks, after which I hope to feel well enough to do a week of just green smoothies so I can really make a dent in how I feel.  What is driving this? Pain. Plain and simple. I am tired of being in pain every day and for my sanity's sake need to put a stop to it.

This morning's water is gone, and I am off to take charge of the rest of my day.

Status:  shoulder hurting, arm tingling.