The things I USED to do

I got hooked on the show "Ruby" and started to really think about what it takes to be successful. I know what it takes, I think deep down we all do. I really admire her determination and commitment to her program. I have not been committed to a program for a couple of weeks am not really surprised that my weight hasn't changed. I think after having the scale stuck for almost a year I started to lose confidence that I was even capable of losing weight. I don't know how long it takes for my thyroid medication to really start having an effect on my weight, but it's been 2 weeks since I started taking it. During those two weeks I've had major ups and downs with my eating patterns but I think I see the light at the end of that tunnel. (FINALLY!) I think once I go off any type of program it takes me a few weeks to get the courage to start really being accountable for what I'm eating. It's like I fall off the bandwagon and have no interest in getting back on for a couple weeks. After staying home in bed almost all day, I accomplished a lot of homework, took care of lots of odds and ends that have been piling up, and of course, watching several episodes of RUBY!

I started to think about what I USED to do when I was thin. I did all sorts of weird stuff that may or may not have affected my weight but I was kind of obsessed with health. I decided to make a list of everything I could remember doing during this phase of life when I was at my thinnest.

1. I drank a shot of pure cranberry juice-not the sweetened stuff, the stuff that makes you pucker- every morning before I ate.

2. I always carried my nalgene and filled it with lemons and water

3. I exercised a lot- I jogged up trails, biked up trails, walked all over campus, and did quite a bit of yoga

4. I RARELY at fried food...I never ordered fries...I just stole them off other people's plates

5. I didn't eat candy and if I did it was in very small amounts

6. I counted my points

7. I was obsessed with spinach and fiber. I ate bags and bags of spinach

8. I ate oatmeal and blueberries almost every morning

9. I bought Ezekiel bread

10. I lived with skinny, healthy people

11. I didn't eat out very much and if I did it was usually at a Mexican restaurant to order $5 nachos on Wednesday nights...mmm....can I get a shout out for Mama Inez $5 nacho night!!!

12. I didn't bake

13. I ate a lot of grains and "weird" foods like quinoa and pumpkin seeds

14. I ate almonds

15. I didn't own things like shortening, flour, and sugar,

16. I bought strange things like spelt flour and never followed recipes and used banana in place of sugar when attempting to make muffins and cookies (So gross)

17. I ate a lot of salmon and fish

18. I snacked on vegetables and hummus

19. I shopped at Farmer's Markets

20. I would pick at desserts if they were around but I never really ate them in large quantities all at once unless it was a party....and then...woah, watch out I ate A LOT...the point of getting sick

21. I would do "cleanses"

Ok, that's a pretty good list. Man, I almost don't even recognize some of those habits! I really need to figure out what is realistic for who I am now and maybe bring some of those old habits back into my life. Today I started with the obsession with spinach. I ate a huge spinach salad full of vegetables at lunch. I also cookies asparagus stir fry at dinner and it reminded me of cooking with my old roommates.

I finally got around to adding the first homework assignment that I've been getting from Dan's mom. The lady who puts on these classes is LDS so some of the references and scriptures are LDS in nature just so no one is confused about where they came from! I put it in a new link labeled HOMEWORK at the top. I will put a new one up every week and I have started over with week 1 and I encourage anyone interested in investigating their eating habits to look over these assignments. I also added a new recipe that is one of my favorites. It's from one of my favorite cookbooks called "Volumetrics" It's a great book for anyone looking for low glycemic index and diabetic friendly foods that don't skimp on flavor. Thanks for reading!