Feb. 13, 2012: Soothing the Soul,...

“Those who are prone to stuff themselves with food that makes their bodies unsightly are refusing the food that satisfies and soothes the unhappy soul within” (Voices of Recovery: A Daily Reader, Overeaters Anonymous, pg. 44). 

I am not a 12-stepper.  However, some of the OA literature has golden nuggets worth sharing.  Why do we overeat?  Why do we choose the foods that feel good momentarily over foods we know are better for our bodies?  What is missing in our lives that drives us to seek the comfort in food?  And how can we better obtain that in healthier ways?  Some of us may know the answers to these questions.  And for others, it's a lifelong journey of discovery and growth.  So my question for you is, how are you going to find ways to soothe your soul today that don't involve eating or drinking in an unhealthy way?     

On a personal note:  February 13^th marks a special day.  It’s my son’s birthday.  He is 27 years old today.  He has been estranged from me and from my family for several years, and I miss him dearly.  I trust that he is doing what he needs to do to take care of himself.  I pray for a bridge between the love he felt, and the love he should have felt during his lifetime.  Even though a parent believes they are raising a child in the best way they can, sometimes it isn’t perceived that way, or it isn’t enough,… or maybe it’s too much.  I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the pain runs deep.  Estrangement can be confusing and isolating.  There is a gamut of emotions that goes along with it that I think only parents going through a similar situation could understand.  As a parent, I never lose hope that one day he can open his heart and communicate.  As a human being, I have learned that, while my door will be open, I cannot sit idly by and wait for him to walk through.  I have to live my life and not stuff the void.  I have to embrace acceptance.     

Estrangement: For any other parents going through estrangement, this is, sadly, a very common and growing problem.  I wanted to post a few resources:

Estranged Parents (Good article)

Stages Some Parents Go Through

Additional Resources 

Back to the 90-Day Challenge: Today marks the 14^th day of my program and weigh in day!  I will be sure to post again on today’s blog with the results later this evening.

Soothing the Soul:  I am going to soothe my soul today by taking time out for me.  I am going to go to the gym tonight.  I have some collard greens in my fridge from the farmer's market.  Maybe this would be a good night to make a Clean Eating version of soul food.  I am going to read a little something for enjoyment this evening, maybe play a little music, and/or have some quiet peaceful time (that is, as much peace as I can get in a household of 3 rambunctious cats). 

Have a good February 13^th everyone!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weigh In Results:  201.8.  That's 7.2 lbs down in two weeks!!  Yay!  That feels good!  Had a very good workout with my trainer guy.  Next week I start with a new trainer due to schedule conflicts.  I am open to working  out w/someone new.  I'm feeling confident this evening!  :>)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".


Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!


Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE


Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 12, 2012: Switchin' it Up Sunday!

Today I decided to switch up my routine a bit.  Instead of going to the gym, I took a 45 minute hike and tried out my new camera.  I kept a fast pace except when I stopped to take photos.  It was a cloudy day, but just before heading home, the sun peeked through.

  One of the great things about living in the Central Valley portion of California is seeing a variety of vegetation year round.  Citrus fruit are abundant!

There are many variety of oranges but two of the main ones are Navel and Valencia; Navel oranges (great for eating) are ripe in the winter, and Valencia oranges (which are used primarily for juice) are ripe in the spring/summer. 

 As pretty as my walk was today, it is still February.  The snow in the Sierra Nevada's has not yet melted so our river bed is dry.  There are no leaves on the trees.  I'm looking forward to spring.

Switching up the exercise routine from time to time is wise for those who get bored easily.  It keeps things interesting.  Often if you focus on doing activities you enjoy, such as photography, hiking, playing a competitive sport, walking the dog, etc., your attention can be diverted from the fact that you are actually getting in exercise.  It becomes fun and less of a chore or something you have to do.

In the past, I've heard that it is important to change up an exercise routine in order to prevent the body from hitting a plateau.  According to Medicine.Net's "Ask the Experts", there is no evidence to support this claim.  In fact, according to the author, Richard Weil, MEd, CDE,Exercise Physiologist, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Director of the New York Obesity Research Center Weight Loss Program at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, biologically it does not make sense.  "...your body maintains fitness as long as the stimuli remains consistent. If you consistently run three miles every day at the same pace, then oxygen delivery and all the other physiological mechanisms responsible for fitness necessary to run three miles will remain constant. It is true that in the first few weeks or months of a training program there is a learning curve where the body becomes biomechanically more efficient (for example, the more you practice ice skating the better you get), and when you move efficiently, you burn fewer calories than when you move inefficiently, but eventually you reach a consistent level of biomechanical efficiency and then energy expenditure and heart rate remain the same for the same level of exertion."  So when should you change your exercise routine?  Listen to your body.  Weil concludes "change when your strength or performance decreases, when your physique stops changing in the way that you'd like it to or when you're bored" (Q&A by Richard Weil, MEd, CDE).

On another note, tomorrow is weigh in day for me.  I cannot believe that two weeks have flown by already since starting this challenge!  I promised not to hyper focus on the scale, so I put my home scale away for the past two weeks.  I was used to stepping on the scale every day, so this has been a change for me.  I will weigh in at the gym before my evening workout.  I do hope I see improvement in the number.  Regardless, I feel better abiding by many of the clean eating principals and sticking with my 3 goals as much as possible.

I hope your Sunday was relaxing!  Enjoy the rest of the evening.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 11, 2012: Clean-Eating Principles

I luv weekends!  I slept in a little later than I normally do.  My body was exhausted and I think I needed the extra sleep.  My cats, however, didn't appreciate it as much.  They were determined to get me out of bed.  When the crying, licking and biting didn't work, they began bringing me cat toys.  I found about half a dozen strewn across my bedroom floor and a few in my bed.  Gotta love their persistence!  :>)  I finally agreed that they were right and it was time to get up.  My Saturday started with a trip to the farmer's market,...

 
then a good workout at the gym.  It feels great when I have the time and am able to get my workout out of the way, first thing in the morning.  I then dropped of some cans of food for a food drive and came home to make my oatmeal.  It was a cloudy, lazy day, but felt good to just relax at home and get some chores done.

I wanted to revisit the Clean-Eating Principles today.  I don't always follow them religiously, but am trying to incorporate them more and more into my lifestyle.  From Tosca Reno's The Eat Clean Diet (2007, p. 15):

1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals every day.
2. Eat every 2 to 3 hours
3. Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal.
4. Drink at least 2 liters, or 8 cups, of water each day.
5. Never miss a meal, especially breakfast.
6. Carry a cooler loaded with Eat-Clean foods to get through the day.
7. Avoid all over-processed, reined foods, especially white flour and sugar.
8. Avoid saturated and trans fats.
9. Avoid sugar-loaded colas and juices.
10. Consume adequate healthy fats (EFAs) each day.
11. Avoid alcohol - another form of sugar.
12. Avoid all calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value.
13. Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins and enzymes.
14. Stick to proper portion sizes - give up the super-sizing! 

Focusing on changing one or two habits a week can really make a big difference!  Everyone has their own pace.  Maybe for some, it's focusing on several new habits a day, while others may take a month to focus on one.  The important thing is, make a choice to do something worthwhile for you and your body.  You deserve to be healthy!  What small change can you make to help improve your lifestyle?  Make a decision and stick to it.  You only get one chance (one lifetime) with the body you are given.  Make it count!   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 10, 2012: TGIF!

As Valentine's Day is nearing, I thought an article on heart health would be appropriate.  Med Help published this little slide show on 8 Surprisingly Bad Foods for your Heart (and suggested foods to swap them with).  

So I'm wondering how the other people are doing with their 3 goals?  It's never too late to start!  I hope to hear some more updates soon!

Today I ate healthy and feel good.  My back was good for most of the day, which is an improvement.  I now have a heating pad on and that seems to help a little.  Unfortunately I didn't get to the gym as it was a rather busy day.  It is typically my day off of work but I went in to attend a meeting.  Then I had appointments, errands, etc.  Tomorrow I will have to hit the gym for sure!  I miss it when I've been gone for 2 days. 

Well, this will be a short blog as I'm super tired and promised myself I will relax this evening and turn in early. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!


Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE


Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb 9, 2012: Miso Soup

Today is a new day!  I'm feeling refreshed and energized.
This evening I'm going to make a new recipe: Clean Eating style One Pot Miso Soup.


Ingredients:

• Onion (1 diced)
• Carrots (2 diced)
• Celery (1-2 stalks diced)
• Low Sodium Chicken (or Vegetable) broth
• Fermented Organic Miso (4 tbsp; more or less to your taste)

Optional Ingredients:

• Kale and/or Spinach.  (The original recipe called for Wakame Flakes, which is seaweed, but it was not available at the time I went shopping.  If using Wakame flakes, rinse, soak and drain them.) 
• Tofu (1 block medium-firm, diced)  (I used medium-soft & was happy w/the texture.)

• Mushrooms (1/2 cup)
• Potato (1 peeled)
• Snow Peas (1/2 cup)
• Cabbage (1/2 cup shredded)
• Daikon (White Raddish) (1/4 cup thinly sliced in matchsticks)

Preparation: 

1. In a stock pot or dutch oven, saute onion, carrots and celery until they begin to turn translucent, then add any additional prepared vegetables.  Saute until tender.
2. Add broth, wakame (or kale/spinach, etc.) and tofu.  Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. After the heat is turned off, add miso and stir to dissolve.
4. Garnish with thinly sliced green onion, grated carrot or minced fresh ginger.  *I added a bok choy leaf to the bowl. 

Nutritional Info:
Makes approximately 6 cups.
Per serving: Calories: 39; Calories from Fat: 3; Total Fat: 0g; Sat. Fat: 0g; Carbs: 7g; Fiber: 1.5 g; Sugars: 2g; Protein: 1g; Sodium: 280mg; Cholesterol: 0mg.

Original recipe retrieved from http://thejoyofcleaneating.com/recipes/one-pot-miso-soup/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight was card night with friends.  Usually the routine is to have snacks, dips, and all sorts of high calorie items.  My friends were really good sports when I told them I have cleared my cupboards of snacky items and they needed to bring their own (and take the leftovers home).  I did offer the one-pot miso soup.  It seemed to be a pretty good hit amongst the guests who were adventurous enough to try.  I was very happy with the outcome.  If I would have done one thing differently, I would have dissolved the miso in water before adding to the pot.  It seems that it sat at the bottom of the pot in one clump, rather than getting dissolved completely.  Other than that, it turned out well!  I have plenty of low-cal soup leftovers as well.

Have a great night, everyone!    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 8, 2012: De-Stress!

My day started out on the right foot.  But what can I say?  It took a nose dive this afternoon.  Work was stressful.  Realizing there is not enough time in the day, or days in the week, to get everything done that needs to get done, or enough time to put in the quality of work that really should be done is stressful.  I wasn't alone.  Several of my colleagues had a similar experience today.  It seems fuses were short, and admittedly, so was mine.  As we left work discussing the day, several people talked about being "on edge", snapping at colleagues who really didn't deserve to be snapped at, and then having to apologize.  We chuckled about the absurdity of the collective meltdown, and of mental health professionals losing their patience.  We should somehow be above that, right?  

I met with my trainer after work, conscious of the fact that I wanted to take my stress out on the workout, and not the trainer, lol.  My mood lightened up as soon as I entered the gym.  My personal trainer put me through a grueling 30 minutes of cardio.  He pushed me to my limits in that short amount of time.  But I felt good afterwords.  I stopped at the grocery store and headed home.

When I came home, even the cats were hissing at each other and having standoffs!  I guess they had a stressful day, too!

I really wanted a glass of wine to help me unwind.  I mean, let's face it, it would feel nice to kick my feet up, uncork a cabernet, and get caught up in a mindless television show for an hour.  That sounds like a fun stress reliever!  But I know one glass would turn into two. One of my 90-day challenge goals is to allow myself a 2-drink per week maximum, and I planned to have those drinks with friends on Thursday night.  Aside from that, a glass of wine is only a temporary fix.  I opted to write my blog entry instead.  Then I could see where the rest of the night lies.

I read my email and scrolled through the dozens of forwards that I usually never have the time to read.  On one hand, I appreciate people thinking of me and that I might want to read the cute sayings and comical jokes, but if I took the time to read every one that gets forwarded from multiple people, I wouldn't have a life as I would be on the computer all day.  I prefer to read the personal messages, but with the forwards, I do try to pick and choose.  One email jumped out at me tonight, however, and I had to click on it.  The subject line read "STRESS!!!".  I had to repost:  (Sorry that I do not know the original source.)

A young lady confidently walked around the room while explaining stress management to an audience.  She had a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the usual question, 'half empty or half full?' She fooled them all by asking, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.  It depends on how long I hold it.  If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.  If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.  If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.  In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."  

She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress.  If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put down stress for a while and rest before holding it again.  When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden -- holding stress longer and better each time practiced.  So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down.  Don't carry them through the evening and into the night.  Pick them up tomorrow.

Life is short, enjoy it while you can.

I'm going to lay my stress down for the evening.  Time for a little play time,...

  And relaxation!

Take time to unwind and enjoy your stress-free moments today! 



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

I'm going to lay my stress down for the evening and let it go.    
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feb 7, 2012: Hope

My day was a bit intense: Meetings, followed by court testimony by phone, followed by another meeting, paperwork, seeing individual clients, a suicide assessment, etc.  I worked late and made it to the gym in time to catch the last 10-15 minutes of a Zumba class.  I was sweating after the first 2 minutes.  I don't know how I would last the entire hour if I had made it on time.  One of these days I will get there on time,...  (I have hope!)  After Zumba, I put in 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and that was enough for me to call it a night.  I pulled in my driveway at about 9:30pm, took a shower, and ate leftover soup.  (And of course gave the cats a snack.)  My snack earlier in the day = pear yogurt.  That was a first for me - not bad.  I'm glad I started out my day with a hearty bowl of Old Fashioned Oatmeal.  I was doing some last minute prep for court over the noon hour and didn't even think to eat lunch.  That rarely happens!  I was so busy, I didn't even have time to feel hungry.  All in all, I am pleased with the outcome of the day's events.      

So it's been one week already since starting the new program.  I hope I see results on the scale next week.  I know I said I wouldn't hyper focus on the scale, so that's all I'm saying about that for now. 

I was reading another blog on Stress Management by an MD, and a runner, who posted this question on resiliency: Who goes the distance and why?  While running marathons, Dr. Creagan talks with people who share a lot of similar struggles in life.  But they all handle stress and adversity in a variety of ways.  Some face trouble head on, with dignity, while others melt down and are unable to function.  He asked what the more hardy person has that the more fragile individual lacks (& then posed some possible answers).  Blog readers responses varied:  Some said faith and prayer.  Others said your childhood prepares you.  Your ability to utilize coping skills was important.  One person responded with "practice", and yet another, "a positive outlook on life".  "Hope", above all, seemed to be a crucial component for one reader.  Certainly in the field of crisis/mental health, we learn that hope is probably the most important factor when determining whether or not a person is suicidal.  Hope is big!  I think HOPE is an important determinant in regards to who goes the distance when setting personal goals (such as a 90-day challenge).  As you may think about what factors contribute to resiliency in your life, I also encourage you to think about what fuels hope.  Is it faith?  Determination?  Maybe it's the personal connections we have with others?  Or ??? 

What is it that you hope for in life?  What are the steps you will need to take to keep hope alive and achieve your dreams?  And if you are facing very difficult life challenges, what is it that keeps you hopeful?  How can you focus on that today?  (And if you're not feeling very hopeful, can you talk with a friend, relative, therapist, crisis worker?  It's important to be able to reach out.  It's okay to ask for help.)         

Well, that's about it for one night.  Time for me & Pele to meditate, do a few yoga poses, say bedtime prayers, and turn in.  Good night!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 6, 2012: Mondays Get on my Nerves!

I'm not a fan of Mondays, but, I suppose it really wasn't as bad as today's blog title suggests.  Rather, in a literal sense, I have a pinched nerve in my back & the pain is radiating down my thigh.  The pain is not so intense that it stops me from functioning, but it's annoying.

I worked late today and had to reschedule my appointment with my trainer for Wednesday.  That, coupled with the issue with my back, was almost my excuse for not hitting the gym.  But I did get there after work and put in 30 minutes of cardio.  I kept thinking how grateful I am that I can physically get to the gym and exercise.  I am mobile.  I feel blessed for that.  Many people are not so fortunate.  We really need to count our blessings and appreciate our health.    

I did well with my eating appropriately, for the most part.  Breakfast = Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal, organic raisins, and almond milk.  Snacks throughout the day: Apple & banana.  Lunch was a bit more challenging: My coworkers put together a lunch gathering for a colleague's birthday.  Unfortunately it was at a Chinese buffet.  I LUV Chinese buffets! But I also know I would struggle to find foods that are "clean" or that aren't soaked in sodium-infused sauces.  I was tempted to decline, but I also know I can't stop living or engaging in social functions because I am trying to change my eating habits.  So who knew there were healthy choices at the buffet?!  Salad, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc.  I had a tiny bit of fried rice, chicken, broccoli, a few spoonfuls of egg drop soup, and hot tea.  It was an enjoyable lunch!  For dinner, I had leftover soup (x2 bowls), plus some hummus and naan.  Now I am feeling a bit "snacky", but am going to drink a large glass of ice water instead of rummaging through the cupboards for something  crunchy.         

Morning comes early and I have a big day at work ahead.  Calling it a night!  Sleep well all! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.

Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 5, 2012: Game Plan!

Today I have to come up with a game plan.  I thought this an appropriate title for Superbowl Sunday.  My evenings are the worst in regards to temptation.  So tonight, before giving in to any sort of snacking, I will drink hot tea.  In fact, I will have to drink 3 cups of herbal tea (or 2 cups of tea and 1 very tall glass of water) before I can give in to snacking temptations.

I am also going to make one of the recipes I found in the January/February edition of Clean Eating magazine: Chicken Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Kale & Mushrooms.  Let's see if my version turns out as well as the picture in the magazine looks:      

(Photo: Clean Eating Magazine, January/February, p. 45)

I will have to come back here later today and post a picture of my version.  I'm picking up a digital camera today, so that will be my first photographic test.  ;>)

I hope you all come up with a game plan today for the thing that tempts you away from your goals the most.  Happy Superbowl Sunday!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evening:  Well, I had a pretty good day.  Started out with a breakfast of oatmeal with raisins, cranberries, flax seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond milk.  I did manage to get to the gym shortly before the Superbowl started.  It was like a ghost town there!  I'm sure most people were getting ready for the big game.  I put in 30 min on the treadmill and then worked out on the resistance machines.

Lunch consisted of a yogurt smoothie, made with a banana, mixed berries, vanilla yogurt, ice, & Silk almond milk.  

For a snack in the early evening, I had fresh hummus from Whole Foods and a whole wheat naan.
 
I did pick up my new camera, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.  I'm looking forward to playing with my new digital toy.  While out & about at Whole Foods, I picked up my fresh kale, cremini mushrooms, chicken, sweet potatoes, etc. and made the Clean Eating soup recipe:

It's not quite as pretty as the magazine photo, but I've got to say, for a really healthy recipe, this soup was quite tasty.  I've never made a chicken soup with kale & sweet potatoes before.  It's loaded with beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant which gets converted to vitamin A in the body.  "Vitamin A promotes good vision, especially in low light" (Medline Plus).  Vitamin A is good for the bones, teeth, skin, soft tissues, and immune system, and, according to Medline, may even reduce the risk for cancer.  But aside from that, the soup was quite satisfying.

I'm looking forward to the week!  Planning on getting to bed before midnight!  Sleep well all! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.
Click HERE for Hep C resources.

Feb. 4, 2012: To "Air" is Human,...

I had a divine day!  My brother flew in after a business trip in his 2-seater Eurofox plane.  After lunch, he took me flying around the Central Valley area.  It was an absolutely beautiful day to fly.  I felt so privileged to have that opportunity.  And also privileged to have such a great big brother.  (Actually I have three older brothers, so make that privileged x3!)

The view was spectacular!

Due to Tule Fog, the mountains aren't always visible from where I live.  However, today was an exceptionally clear day.  The photo isn't the best quality, although not the worst for an iPhone from the sky.  (I am looking forward to getting a new digital camera in the very near future.)
As for my eating program, I did start out on the right foot today with the best of intentions: I enjoyed Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal with organic raisins and soy milk for breakfast.  I had the right attitude about staying within the Clean Eating guidelines when my brother & I went out to eat.  We hit a really cool Mexican restaurant that some friends introduced me to.  I could have easily opted for healthier choices, but instead I ate the chips & bean dip/salsa (which was excellent, btw), and had a smothered burrito that was to die for.  So, okay, I chose chicken this time instead of beef, which I consider to be a successful decision in making healthier choices.  I am grateful that I worked into my program a 20% leeway from the Clean Eating regimen.  Habits are hard to break, let me tell you.  It's interesting that I rediscovered something about myself: When I go off track a little during the day, I am more likely to give myself permission to continue staying off the path the rest of the day.  I did get a bit "snacky" in the evening, (okay, more than "a bit") but managed to reel it in.  I also stocked up on some healthy foods this afternoon.

       AND I managed to make a really yummy fruit smoothie,...

with yogurt, ice, bananas, pineapple, coconut oil, vanilla, and soy milk. 

I did not meet every expectation I had for myself today, BUT I DID manage to make healthier choices, and I DID enjoy and savor the day.  That is what life is about, right?  

Did I "err", perhaps, as I wasn't perfect in my program.  At the same time, I have little regrets, because I am working on improving, not on being perfect.  And I really enjoyed my day.   Well, I guess it’s time to call it a night.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Good night all!  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to join this site!
Click on the "Join This Site" link on the right hand side, under the heading "Followers".

Read more about the 90-Day Challenge!

Also, don't forget that you can post YOUR GOALS HERE

Click HERE for additional Weight/Nutrition/Health resources.

Click HERE for Hep C resources.