LadyM's seduction continues (sur son propre velo)

[LadyM]

Love the new profile pic, Derval! You blondie, you. Looking good!

[Derval]

Thanks getting blonder as I get greyer!

[LadyM]

Day 19

M1 quiche, tomato, handful cherries, 7:30

M2 chicken breast, slaw, peach, noon

Snack handful cherries, kombucha jello, 3

M3 broiled curried whitefish, kale chips, green bean subji, 6:30

Exercise: 90-min yoga class

Good show last night, and I even did some writing in the dressing room after my act was over. Loving my new MacBook Air!

Lovely morning at the market today. Got my first peaches of the season (organic!local!) as well as a few cherries, though I only bought half a pound so as not to go overboard. Lots of other fresh bright things: fennel, green beans, kale, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce. More whitefish, chicken, and eggs, too. Now to turn them all into beautiful things to eat. Thinking another broiled curried whitefish filet like last week and my fave green bean subji for dinner. Living large.

Great yoga class this morning really helped traction my back. Heard lots of opinions from fellow lumbar bulging disc sufferers re: how to manage it. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and reminding myself that the body wants to heal.

Been reading up on my Ayurvedic texts and thinking about the discrepancies between what I've learned there and through w30. I might swing back to Ayurveda a bit more after this 30-day experiment. What that would mean is more careful consideration of food combining, less animal protein, more moderate intake of fats, and the addition of some rice and legumes, with a continuing emphasis on fresh veggies. Just further tweaks, really. But I'm not 100% sure about it or how I'll go about it. Proper reintroductions, especially with split mung beans and basmati rice separately, methinks. I'll wait and see, though. I've got a little more than 10 days to ponder what my next move forward will be.

As for the rest of today, well, the weather is so much nicer than anticipated, so a bike ride might be in order before call tonight.

Hope it's a lovely day wherever you are!

[LadyM]

Day 20

M1 3 eggs scrambled in better butter w green beans and kraut, peach, 7:30

M2 chicken breast, slaw, kombucha, 11:30

Snack raspberries, 2:30

M3 sardines, kombucha, and this spectacular salad from today's nytimes http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1016678/mission-chinese-foods-cabbage-salad-with-sesame-anchovy-dressing.html made compliant minus the kasha, miso, shoyu and tamari, plus coco amigos and crushed kale chips, 5

Exercise: 45-min laps/freestyle, 40-min walk

Another strong performance last night made possible by a terrific audience. Makes it tons of fun.

Overcast and foggy today means another yoga class is likely in my future. As is newspaper reading and kitchen cleaning. Then perhaps I'll get inspired to do some food prep.

Update: so far it's turned out to be hot and gorgeous out, so I spent some time at the pool. Got the kitchen cleaned and am gearing up for food prep. Though I'm thinking it's mostly going to be salads unless I go buy that grill. Not a great day for cranking up the oven!

Also, I've been a bit snacky the past couple days in the afternoon, and I think it's because I've deliberately lowered the fat content of my meals. My sense is this is having a decent effect on my waistline and my problematic dipping blood sugar, though it's likely too soon to tell. I think for my particular body feeling hungry and learning to manage it without weighing myself down with heavy foods is a good thing (this is my Ayurvedic research talking, btw, not w30).

[SaraRuns]

Glad to hear you had two terrific performances!  

 

And it sounds like two days that started out iffy and turned out beautiful.  That's how my weekend was as well.  Yesterday stayed pretty muggy, but the sun was shining so it was all good.

 

I hope your writing continues to go well, such an amazing gift to have.  I've always been a better editor than creative writer, although I love the written word.

 

Interesting thoughts on lighter foods and working though feeling hungry.  The summer seems like a good time for that kind of experimentation, when lighter foods abound, and a heavy stomach can feel oppressive.

[LadyM]

Thank you, Sara! And you're right: summer is a good time for this sort of experimentation. I hadn't thought of it that way! Eating seasonally is a huge part of Ayurveda, too. It makes sense physically and environmentally. It's all connected of course!

[LadyM]

Day 21

M1 quiche, 9

M2 big salad w salmon and vinaigrette, blueberries, 2

M3 chicken breast, fennel salad, grapes, glass booch, 6:30

Exercise: 45 min freestyle laps

Had my first PT appt today and I'm excited and hopeful. She gave me exercises to do every two hours to help get the bulging disc back in place, put me on a machine that bent me this way and that in a wavelike motion, and said we'll eventually work on strengthening my hips and left leg that's been weakened by the sciatica. She also said she'd like to get me back to running eventually and that I should lay off chiropractic for a while to eliminate variables. Swimming and walking get the green light, but no yoga classes for awhile (no forward bending allowed), and biking is ok but best done upright rather than bent over/tipped forward. You know I love a plan. I'll be doing pt twice a week.

I also bought a long overdue new mattress. Decided it is more important than a grill even. Like my old grill, the mattress I've been sleeping on for nearly 12 years was inherited, and I'm certain it's not helping my back at this point. So here's to the best possible sleep hygiene getting ramped up even more. I get the new mattress set delivered tomorrow.

Found all kinds of adorable other furniture that seriously tempted me, but instead of impulse shopping, I took photos and will think it over. And think about whether or not a grill is more important at this point. So much to consider.

[Physibeth]

Buying a new mattress was revolutionary to my health! We had been sleeping on a 1 foot thick memory foam mattress very close to the floor that was a hand me down for the first 4 years of our marriage. The one we bought was super expensive but worth every single penny. Sleep so much better and have so much less back pain.

 

Glad you have a good plan with your PT and hope you get back to feeling fully functional again soon!

[LadyM]

Thanks, Bethany! I really appreciate the support and affirmation of my new purchase. I am so excited to sleep even better!

[SaraRuns]

I hope the new mattress brings you wonderful sleep!  I think it is a sensible purchase, especially with all your back troubles.

 

I also want to think more seasonably.  Right now we're getting lots of cucumbers from our garden, need to find a great recipe, as cucumbers aren't my favorite.  But we've been having zucchini out of the garden on the grill every night.  Store bought zucchini is never buttery like the stuff from my garden.

[missmary]

YES! the mattress is a very sensible adult purchase  . I also hope for good sleep for you, and less back pain, chronic pain does a number on a person, it really does, and I'm impressed with your methodical approach to addressing it. Hope this PT combined with the mattress does the trick!

[LadyM]

Thank you, Mary and Sara! It's true that chronic pain colors everything in an unflattering light. Feeling hopeful again about moving in the right direction makes everything a little prettier and easier to bear.

Sara, here's one of my all-time fave cuke recipes. I always double the dressing recipe because it's so good: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/07/16/cold-sesame-cucumber-noodles/

Enjoy those garden fresh veggies!

[LadyM]

Day 22

M1 quiche, 9

M2 sardines, Asian slaw, peach, glass booch, 1:15

M3 broiled whitefish w hm tartar, steamed jap yam and wax beans tossed with ghee, blueberries, glass booch, 5:15 (Super simple dinner and so satisfying!)

Exercise: swimming at dawn! 90-min walk, PT+50 rep 3x two core exercises

It just dawned on me that it turns out I'm doing my third w30. Isn't that funny? I think I do better when I don't set myself up for great expectations. You know, it ain't no thang at this point. For all my health and pain and weight loss struggles, I really have a pretty easy time with compliance and zero cravings (except for approximately once a month, dang it), and I want to pause for a moment and respect what a tremendous ordeal that is. For most of my life I have suffered inordinately from my relationship with food. Wanting it, not wanting it, craving, denying, bingeing, guilt, feeling sick, self-hatred, and on and on. All that is gone. GONE.

Not to mention that the longer I eat this way the healthier I get. I absolutely believe this, in conjunction with FMD and lifestyle changes, are healing me in beautiful ways. Therefore, I declare here and now that I'm going to stay the course deliberately for a year. That's not to say I won't off road once in a while (I'm already planning my sundae at Hershey's old fashioned ice cream shop in Rehoboth next month, for example), but I'm not going to go veering off into rice and bean land Ayurveda style.

I think I can effectively use my Ayurvedic knowledge to successfully tweak my w9 life. For example, because of my Kappha derangement (I love that this is the word they use), excess fats weigh me down. I still need adequate fat, but more along the lines of chicken breast over greens with a luscious vinaigrette, or broiled whitefish with curry mayo rather than pork butt with avocado for days at a time and multiple mugs of bulletproof coffee or tea with coconut milk or handfuls of nuts and toasted coconut flakes just because they're delicious and compliant. I also need to work in appropriate sweet tastes that aren't too dense to appease my fundamental Pitta nature and keep it balanced. Some fruit, but not too much, is good. Same goes for starchy veg. Now that my sugar dragon is blissfully asleep, less isn't necessarily more when it comes to these things.

I've made most of these tweaks over the past few weeks, and my sense is that they're the right path. My digestion is good, my skin is clear, I'm feeling good in my body and in my clothes. I am never going to drop loads of weight in a short period of time this way, but honestly that has to be a good thing. And yet another reason I aim to stick with it long term to better discern its effects.

[Physibeth]

Question - I know you have experimented with different variations on the Meat Quiche recipe. Any with Zucchini? I've got 3 lbs of breakfast sausage from that meat order I got last week and meat quiche sounds perfect, but I want to use the veggies I have and spinach isn't one of them. I have zucchini coming out of my ears though and haven't really been in the mood for zoodles. So ideas? I'm not super skilled at recipe tweeking on my own. I've made the swirly crustless quiche from Practical Paleo a bunch but it doesn't really do it for me but can I use the same idea for the filling in the meat quiche recipe?

[LadyM]

Yep, I think zucchini would work great in the meat quiche. I'd grate it and sauté it first, though, and squeeze out excess liquid before adding the eggs. I'd probably add mushrooms, onions, and carrots if not sweet potatoes to that sauté, too--grating the swpot/carrot (either on a box grater or in the cuisinart). Make sure to pat out that sausage and well up if not above the sides of the pie plate. There will be shrinkage!

Also, the swirly crustless quiche is infinitely improved by adding 1 to 1 1/2 c of salsa OR adding about a T of Italian seasoning and a cup of fresh basil--as well as mushrooms and onions. The mushrooms just add a wonderful texture to these egg bake recipes, IMHO.

[SaraRuns]

That recipe looks awesome, it is printed and the necessary ingredients are added to my shopping list.  Thanks!

 

It seems like you have arrived at a wonderful decision point on how to carry forward.  Slightly tweaking, some off-roading, but overall staying the course that is making you feel well physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I hope this is all feeling as amazing as it is sounding.

[Derval]

I've made this kind of thing with zuch
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=81021065&postcount=33

but as lady m says , I'd give the grated zuch a good ol squeeze dry first.

[LadyM]

Mmmmm, parsnips are good in there too, yes. I've used all variation of root veg in these sorts of things, though Japanese yams are still my fave. Celeriac was too strong and rutabaga was too blah. And always a big bag of thawed frozen spinach. Love my greens! Only 9 eggs in your recipe, Derval? I use 18(!) for 6 servings (3-eggs per, and all).

Thank you, Sara! Funny thing about feeling amazing, I've decided, is that the better we feel the greater our expectations for feeling good. So often we don't realize how good we're feeling until we hit a bump in the road and get to feeling like crap for one reason or another. This is one of the things having a log on this forum is great for: you all remind me when things are good or how good things were in a particular moment. Thank you! I definitely need the outside perspective. It can get awfully tunnel-visioned inside this little old head.

[Derval]

Yeah maybe a bit stingy with the eggs but budget conscious, I think with the ground pork it makes up a protein portion.

[Beets]

Making that cuke recipe STAT. I seriously love peanut sauce (or whatever stand-in) on cucumbers. I can taste it. 

 

Need to catch up later. Been thinking of you guys. Glad you are still here.  And not only still here but offhandedly doing a whole 30? Bravo. 

[Beets]

Yay for Greece. I went ten years ago. My friend and I called it the Say Goodbye to our 20s Tour. 

 

She is an archeologist and spent a lot of time in Greece, speaks Greek, said Lesbos was one of the most beautiful islands. We went to the major ones but also a little tiny quiet one and it was my fave. It's so wonderful--the food, yay, perfect, you will love it. 

[Physibeth]

Yep, I think zucchini would work great in the meat quiche. I'd grate it and sauté it first, though, and squeeze out excess liquid before adding the eggs. I'd probably add mushrooms, onions, and carrots if not sweet potatoes to that sauté, too--grating the swpot/carrot (either on a box grater or in the cuisinart). Make sure to pat out that sausage and well up if not above the sides of the pie plate. There will be shrinkage!

Also, the swirly crustless quiche is infinitely improved by adding 1 to 1 1/2 c of salsa OR adding about a T of Italian seasoning and a cup of fresh basil--as well as mushrooms and onions. The mushrooms just add a wonderful texture to these egg bake recipes, IMHO.

 

Do you grate, saute, and then squeeze...or grate, squeeze, and saute? I am trying not to buy any more vegetables until I work through my CSA craziness. I have a ton of carrots, still need to use the kholrabi and turnips, lots of zucchini, another crookneck squash (small), and some golden beets. All the greens I have are napa cabbage, lettuce, and I think I have some bok choy if it hasn't gone bad. I think I'll do the zucchnini and carrots and maybe the crookneck and see how it goes. 

[Derval]

Grate, squeeze, saute.

[LadyM]

I grate, sauté, drain the pan, then squeeze through a fine mesh sieve with the back of a spoon. I guess either way works!

You could throw some kohlrabi and turnip in there too if you wanted. I pretty much throw in whatever veg I have on hand. I especially liked broccoli stems grated into the mix, and that's a kissing cousin to kohlrabi.

[LadyM]

My new bed has arrived! I prepared diligently for it by washing every possible piece of linen--and it is oh so heavenly. I am in love. And feel like a kid on Christmas morning. This thrill for sleep must surely be the sign of middle age, no?