Eat like a New Orleanian

I cannot say that I've been an enlightened individual for the last week...I've only worked out once for maybe 15 min. I did a couple of short swims...and I walked all over New Orleans every day.
So i can say that i've worked a bit.

In working on a "Samkalpa" or a goal for the next 6-18 months i had to have specific statements that describe how I will feel once i reach my goal. Any time i catch myself going to bite my nails, I try to feel content, then repeat my "Samkalpa"

It sounds like this...

"I'm so relieved"
Once i reach this 20 year goal to lose enough weight to be under 172 lbs, my major feeling will be relief. I've been carrying this with me since i was 12, for whatever reason.

"I've lost 20 lbs".
When I say this to myself, i feel the excitement...and try to feel light...and imagine what my body might look like 20 lbs lighter.

"My joints are healthy and strong.".
One of the biggest problems i have is that I often have achey joints. they get overstretched and sometimes just underworked so they start to ache. weird, huh?

"I'm able to eat what I want and be satisfied."
This brings me to my trip. Lawdy. Did I eat good down in New Orleans, LA (NOLA). I had doube chocolate bread pudding. I had red beans and rice....Blackened ANYTHING Shrimp, alligator, Red Fish. Fried Oysters...Fried Oysters stuffed into crunchy, flaky bread.
Oh and the Beignets @ Cafe Du Monde are seriously something that I will ALWAYS remember. And when you order milk there it's either White or Chocolate...NO skim. :-) (Indian Ayurvedics believe that Milk fat is essential to good health.

How does this help me lose weight? Hmmm...well i have several things I could rant about...but very little time.

Food is one of the most delicious and fantastic parts of life. Eating the right food can actually conjure feelings.
It can also dampen them when you feel unwell...like a crack addict we turn to it again and again to avoid feelings. Alcholics have the same problem, as do smokers.

So I guess my upshot is...Eat like a New Orleanian when you can. Walk lots, and eat what you WANT!
The problem is when you're not eating because you want something, but are eating to feed some other part of you.

Figuring that out is taking me a lifetime.

Ode to Pizza

Dear Pizza,

I'm sorry it's been awhile. I don't think we've ever been apart for this long, but you know what they say...Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I know you're not aware of this, but our relationship was very destructive...what with your gooey cheese, and tangy tomato sauce...I couldn't resist you...EVER! I would take advantage of you, hoarding you all to myself.
And then i would ignore you. Oh, sure, we'd share a meal, but my eyes would be focused on the TV during the whole thing.

So it was time for us to take a break...I hope the break is treating you well...I often think of you, whenever I have a tomato, or a small mozzarella cheese stick... i wonder what you're doing, and if you think of me whenever you put on your mushrooms and pepperonis...you always knew my favorite.

Fear not, I know that we will meet again...and when we do, I'll be a stronger, better person for taking the time to really know myself, and to establish the strong boundaries I need to be in a relationship with you, Pizza..

Love,
Kristy

Day 1, we had lots of fun

Well, not really. I spent a large part of the day hungry, got up too late to swim in the morning before work, and felt kind of crappy all day with a vague sinus headache. Then when I went to swim in the evening, they had 6 of us crammed into a lane. SIX People?

But I made it through, managing to swim for about 15 min and I just finished a dinner of a half a sweet potato, 2 scrambled eggs, and a glass of skim milk. Now I'm officially full and sleepy and it's only 7:10!

Food for me is a huge issue, and one that I've refused to be regimented about in my health overhauls over the years. My biggest downfall with food is that I love it in most of it's forms, especially those that you can consume in mass quantities.

"Emotional Eating" describes eating habits that connect to emotions. The feeling of fullness prevents emotions from surfacing, acting as a kind of legal drug. It's not awesome...but cheaper than alcohol.

After weeks of eating anything and everything, the restrictions feel close to my attempts to quit smoking. Anger flares up more quickly, feelings that have been buried come to the surface, sharp answers to everything are on the tip of my tongue.

This sounds terrible, but it's good and necessary...or so they say.

Oh ya, on my detox diet, it's basically eating a ton of veggies and fruits and limiting the rest of your food to a couple of servings a day.

I'm off to make Kale and Bean soup! Yum!