Treat

Today we were allowed to have a "cheat", a conservative 200 - 400 calorie break from our strict diet. I decided to try a few things just to see if my tastes have changed over the last few weeks.

I started off slow having sweet vanilla whole milk yogurt with my breakfast instead of plain fat free. It tasted so rich and delicious, I'm sure before I started PCP even the sweeter yogurt would have tasted sour, but now this yogurt tasted decadent and creamy.

For lunch I had a spinach salad like I usually do, only instead of avocados and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, I had a salad topped with balsamic caramelized shallots, warm dried figs, and a little good quality crumbled blue cheese.-I've been dreaming about blue cheese since we began, my cravings for "junk food" is almost completely gone, I no longer want Cheetos or chocolate covered pretzels, my cravings have upgraded to better quality, but still PCP off limits food like expensive cheese and complex desserts.

In order to test this theory I tried a potato chip, the first crispy chip was great, the second also good but salty, the third was way too salty and I didn't want anymore after that.

To finish off my spree I had 2 organic ginger cookies. I could have probably eaten a sleeve of these wonderful Paul Newman cookies 6 weeks ago and still wanted more but I gave myself 2 and afterwards I felt like that was sufficient.

Very interesting experiment!

Long thin slimy ones, Short fat juicy ones...

The last 2 days I haven't felt completely like myself, as many women (hopefully some who have gone through the project) might relate to.

I've got the "nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna eat some worms" feeling, and wishing that worms equaled chocolate cake. I let out all of my frustrations on my fellow PCPers and they couldn't have been more supportive, you guys are the greatest, and said exactly what I needed to hear to feel better and back on track. Which is especially helpful when someone is making brownies around you, (you know who you are ::death stare::) I'm so happy we're in this together, you all rock, THANK YOU!!!

This week in exercises we've moved on to pull-ups and other more challenging versions of our routine , I'm not quite there with the pull-ups but I'm happy to say that the sit-ups and squats are really building up my muscles, as is the resistance band training. Sometimes I think I'd like to cut up my jump rope, bury the pieces in my backyard and then dance on it's shallow grave, but other times I thank it for helping me turn my double chin into a single. So all is well.


AVOCADO UPDATE:
Choosing the best avocado: give it a gentle squeeze, it should not be soft enough that a gentle squeeze leaves an impression, if it stands this test give it a harder squeeze, if it still doesn't dent it's not ripe ,which may be ideal if you plan to use it in 3 days, but if you're like me you need your "avo" fix now, choose the one that gives way to medium pressure.

If you feel strange molesting the neighborhood produce another way to select avocados is the stem method, just flick off the nub of the stem at the top, if it's hard to pull off it's not ripe, if you flick it off and the "navel" underneath is brown or black it's too old, and over ripe, it should be easily removed and a green or light color underneath.

Holy guacamole!

Announcement

Patrick made a big announcement recently about The Peak Condition Community (dot blogspot dot com) and I too have something I'd like to put out into the world.

I'm in love with avocado.

I know its a mixed relationship (it's green and I'm human) but I don't care. It was meant to be. I could eat avocado every day for the rest of my life.

There I said it, I'm glad I got it off my chest.

P.s. we're registered at Bed Bath and Beyond

Just say NO!

So , Superbowl has come and gone, I went to a party and hung out by the crudite platter and fresh fruit bowl (because I like eating more then football.) Most of the dishes were meat based the dinner table so it wasn't too tempting, the dessert table was giving me a come hither look while whispering my name into the wind. I mingled around the party, talking to many people who don't know me very well. I started getting strange responses from those I told about PCP.

"You don't need to diet your already so skinny."
"That sounds too extreme."
"You should just have a little, you've got to let loose."
"Just have a brownie, and here, also have vodka and diet, it's diet."
"You only live once just relax and enjoy it."

I decided to tell people about the diet so that I would feel embarrassed if they saw me cheating, but my plan could not have backfired more because then I had about 5 people who every time they saw me were trying to convince me to eat a brownie or drink a margarita(or light beer, c'mon its light). Any attempt to defend the process or my participation was met with blank stares followed by "What about a just a little cheese ball thats ok, right?" ::blerg::

Who are these people, does Patrick plant spies? (that seems a bit elaborate)
What is the goal of these confectionery enablers?

I'll just keep taking cues from Nancy Reagan.

Daily Affirmations

Superbowl is here in Tampa Bay this year, and everywhere is packed with tens of thousands of tourists (on top of the usual flock of "snow birds") Many Superbowl parties are being thrown tomorrow and it is another reminder of committing to PCP. No spinach artichoke dip, or buffalo tofu nuggets for me, just sore muscles and protein powder. I joke, it doesn't bother me at all that I'm not going to eat what everyone else is eating, because I'm not everyone else, I want to be the best version of myself because...

Day 14

In my past life I loved mayonnaise. Homemade olive oil mayo with lime juice, white wine and tarragon could make any sandwich amazing.
I've been eating my fair share of dry egg sandwiches lately and I needed moisture, somehow it came to me that I would spread cold carrot soup on my toasty bread and the rest is history. I never thought I could actually prefer soup to mayonnaise on my sandwich, but I do, it gives me great flavor, less fat, and perfect moisture. The possibilities are endless, so many soups so little time...actually lots of time, time to try delicious soupy sandwiches.

lightbulb

I want to first say that today I feel really good.
Yesterday was another story...

Late afternoon yesterday I found myself with jar full of egg yolks I didn't want to waste, and I thought what anyone would think when they are faced with a stock of undestined yolks...FLAN! I'll make a flan and give it to someone (because flan is not PCP friendly). So that's exactly what happened, I made a flan, and then I had a delicious looking flan chillin' on my microwave. But it was a mean spirited flan, It made fun of me for not eating it and I started to feel frustrated.

Part of my love for food is enjoying the community it brings. I'm used to dates at restaurants, having a couple drinks with my friends, eating with family , and attending dinner parties. For the last week I've been eating alone and I was starting to feel it. Why would I want to do something that separated me from the things I love? I want to eat delicious fat and sugar filled foods, taste rich cheeses and drink salty margaritas like everybody else.

Actually I don't want those things, well, maybe occasionally but not regularly like I have been. What I really want is to be healthy, to consciously challenge myself to do something that I know is best for me. Yesterday 3 months never seemed so far away, but today is just today, not day 13 of 90, just a Tuesday that I am choosing to eat consciously and not impulsively. Today it clicked.

I did eat a bite of that jerk flan, but I'm coming clean about it and moving on, and the silver lining is my favorite new idea.... PCP dinner party!