Decisions on Friday

I should never make decisions on a day when I wasn't able to get any sleep the night before. They tend to be hasty and not well thought out. But here goes...

I think I'm going to switch to the "dark side" for a month using February First as the kickoff date. That it's the shortest month of the year is just good luck. Ha! The darkside in this decision is going without meat. Vegetarian. Eeek. God I need to get more sleep--I'm already regretting this.

And since this has nothing to do with politics or being sensitive to the needs of other animals but rather is a test to see how sensitive my IBS ridden innards are to animal proteins--I'll probably jettison eggs as well and definitely cheese. God I need to sleep more. This is a hasty decision.

The best aspect of this is that maybe I'll lose some weight. I'm 219 as of this morning and that's a good 40 pounds over what I should be. There's no way I'll drop back under 200 but going to 210 would be nice. I figure I'll be eating a lot of rice, pasta, beans, and CANDY!!

Which leads into the second decision. Which is far worse in my mind. I need to try out a month totally without corn in my diet. I've always been sensitive to corn--it's one of the worst triggers for my IBS--so it'd be interesting to see what life would be like without that food sensitivity constantly gnawing at me.

The downside is that while going without meat really won't bother me much--going without corn might kill me. Or at least drive me insane. I could easily live on kids cereal, candy, and soda. All of those use HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) as does almost everything in my life that is worth living for. That means all those lovely sweet things that I endlessly pop into my mouth. I've got about 15 pounds of chocolate covered cherries that I have to go through before I try this diet out tho. Maybe in the Spring. Is there any month with just 15 or 20 days in it?

And that Pollan book I'm reading (Omnivore's Dilemma) kinda infers that the carbon in corn is distinctive--not sweet corn, only the type of corn used for animal feed. So I suspect if I'm eliminating corn from my diet I should also stay away from animals fed with corn. Which is just about all of them here in the US. I think there's some people down the street from me that sell rabbits. I guess I could check and see if they feed them corn...

Are there any foods you should avoid but aren't willing to? I don't know if I can go for a month without candy and soda.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ya - Avocados. That's not such a big deal, as I really don't like them in their natural state, however, I am quite fond of guacamole. Oh the sacrifices I have to make in the name of comfort.

Michele sends her regards,

mike
Anonymous said…
I'm such a dork. My first thought was "how hard can it be to give up corn!?" But yeah, corn syrup is in crackers, yogurt, everything. I can't give up icecream. I can do without Ben & Jerry's but I at least need a Weight Watchers cookies and cream bar. Sub par, yes. But it's sweet, cold, and creamy.
Karen said…
Wow, that is quite a challenge. I can't even imagine how you'll do it, but perhaps feeling better will be the motivation that you need. Good luck with that!

Michele sent me your way today!
Anonymous said…
I'm also allergic to the active ingredient in Tylenol - acetaminophen. It's in virtually every cold medication because virtually no one is allergic to it. For me, if I don't get immediate treatment... anaphylactic shock followed by death. I'll suffer with the cold!

Michele sent me back,

Mike
Gordon said…
Hi Micheal Sent me. I can honestly say, touch wood, that Im lucky not to have any reactions to any food stuff or have IBS, having either must be a challange having both must make life interesting. I do know of a few people that have a gluten allergy, no "wheat flour" for them but there are apperently a load of alternatives to this now and well you couldn't tell they weren't the real thing apperently..
Anonymous said…
there's certainly nothing wrong with corn... what is important is knowing what you're eating and what what you're eating is eating.
Anonymous said…
Good luck! I wish you the best. I have a LOT of bad food habits that I need to change but the top two would be Fast food and frozen food. If it wasn't for those two, I'd be eating toast at 10pm every night for dinner. On second thought, what would be a GREAT diet!!!
Jean-Luc Picard said…
Good luck; I know I couldn't do it.

Michele sent me.
Anonymous said…
Of course this is more about me than you need to know, but, I also was an IBS sufferer...when the ole cholesterol hit a # over 250 with triglycerides in the 600's I went cold turkey and quit bacon, red meat, cheese, eggs, as many fatty foods as I could give up...and ...my IBS has calmed down, I have lost 30+ pounds.. It has been tough and I am constantly looking for protein sources...soy helps, lots of fruit and veggies...and luckily I have no real food allergies. My favorite snak food is sunflower seeds and they are great for protein. Maybe you should read a romance novel...get you mind off food for a bit!
Anonymous said…
I know everyone with IBS is different, but it made a world of difference to me to start eating Quaker Oatmeal Squares (the oatmeal to go kind, not the cereal in a box kind, though another friend started eating the cereal, and it's changed his IBS around, too) every morning... Since I started that 7-8 months ago, the IBS has been well under control.

I need to give up fast food burgers...a couple times a week I get this overwhelming urge for a really goof burger (not McDs or Wendys, but this hole in the wall place called Creekside Joe's...) and I totally cave into it. Those are BIG burgers too, and even though I can't finish one, I know I'm taking in way too much fat and calories with them.

Good luck giving up meat...I don't think I could!
srp said…
Here from Michele this time.
I sit shaking my head.... is your IBS going to respond well to those beans, eh?

As for the weight... high glycemic index foods need to be eliminated... corn, white potatoes, rice, peas, bananas, and pineapple are the highest ones I know right off the top of my head. Add celery, lots and lots of celery.... the fiber before a meal helps with the stomach emptying and somehow evens our the blood sugar response to a meal.

I feed mom, who is diabetic, lots of chicken (grilled) and baked catfish, grilled salmon and other seafood.

You can look up glycemic index foods on Google and this is basically the South Beach diet. I have found it much easier to manage her diabetes than the typical exchanges in the classic diabetic diet.
Anonymous said…
I wish you luck, I doubt I could quit meat altogether though I wouldn't mind eating less of it, at least the red meat.
I'm supposed to be skipping sugar (I try to just look at every minute I'm not eating sugar as a good thing & try not to tell myself I can never have it again) Also 2 out of 3 of my kids & I are lactose intolerant, we don't try super hard not to have milk though, it's by degrees, I'm ok if I have a piece of Lasagne but if I have cheesecake for desert afterwards I'll be sick. The kids are the same way luckily because we're all cheese addicts!
kenju said…
I would find it difficult to give up meat, but eggs - NO way could I give up eggs. Good luck with it and please tell us what result you see as time goes on.
carmilevy said…
You have far more courage and will power than I could ever have. I've never had any limitations in my diet beyond the whole kosher thing - kosher meat, no pig, no mixing meat and milk, no shellfish.

But I've always been able to eat as much of whatever I've wanted. I suppose at some point I'll need to start watching my diet a little more closely - I guess as my metabolism slows down. But for now, it's all rocket fuel for my non-stop way of moving through the day. If I don't eat enough, I get tired and start to lose weight.

Thankfully doc says I'm doing OK, and that anyone else would love to have my "problem".

If I had to give up anything, I'd blow off meat first. I've long had nagging issues in my mind about eating too much red meat. I've developed a taste for meatless alternatives, so it's not like I'd be missing much.

Ah, isn't life grand?
rennratt said…
I recommend trying Mega Green powder (any brand) from Wellspring/Whole Foods/Earth Fare.

Just mix it with any kind of juice. This MAY help with your IBS.

It will also give you a little extra boost when you go without meat.

I couldn't live without soda, candy or chocolate either. Good luck!
Michelle said…
Bread & caffine. I eliminated bread 90% from my diet around 2 years ago.....i didn't realise just how much it made a difference until i started eating it again. I had so much more energy when i eliminated it. Time to do it again i feel.
Anonymous said…
OMG! That is going to be so hard. The meat and cheese is bad enough but the corn? I would find that one hard to give up too.

My ex had a dairy intolerance but luckily it wa sonly cow produce so he switched to goats milk adn soya. Not as nice though.
Anonymous said…
Forgot to say - Michele sent me this time although you are on my 'rounds' anyway!
Pat said…
Hi Utenzi! What a pretty site. Good luck with your diet. There are some delicious veggie meals so make sure you eat specially nice ones. I eat masses of fruit - all kinds and possibly should eat less yoghourt but I aint gonna.
Here via Michelle
Catherine said…
I don't think there's anything that's particularly a problem for me. My son gets eczema from corn, oats, rye, eggs etc and I've not found it a particular problem - I get plain white or brown bread made only with wheat. Same for breakfast cereals - plain wheat or rice cereal. Dairy is a lot harder to avoid. I don't know about corn syrup - sugar is sugar whether it comes from corn or fruit, I suspect it's something else in the corn that triggers your IBS. As for animals fed on corn, they don't do that in New Zealand. Animals here graze on grass. "The carbon in corn is distinctive"??? Unless it's radioactive, there's only one kind of carbon. Maybe the book means the carbohydrates in corn are distinctive. That would make more sense. Watch out for pseudo-science.
Here from Michele's
Catherine said…
Oh yes, and I suggest you Americans change to measuring weight in kilograms. It just sounds so much better eg 80 kg is 176 pounds. Look at all that weight you can lose just by changing your measuring system :)
Catherine said…
In fact - why not come and live in New Zealand? :) I'm sure they don't put corn syrup in everything here.
Pat said…
catherine: how about like old-fashioned me who does it in stones and pounds; 14 lbs make one stone - that looks even better:)
Anonymous said…
I'm having to drop candy and soda aswell so I feel your pain!! I'm sure I'll be biting my nails or tearing my hair out to try and get through the withdrawls!!

Good luck with the Vegetarian thing! I managed it for 6 years and only quit because I really missed fish! Could live without the meat easily and rarely eat it now. Hope it's not too difficult for you!

Here from Michele's today! But you know I'd have popped by anyway! :D
Jean-Luc Picard said…
Deja vu time....

Michele sent me here.
sage said…
Greenbeans, I avoid greenbeans! Good luck with your diet. There was a time, a long time ago, before marriage, that I was close to being a vegetarian. I never became a strict one because everytime I headed to NC, my mouth started watering for barbecue.
Leanne said…
Hi Utenzi!

I admire you for committing yourself to that goal. I could easily give up red meats and fish, since I don't really eat them anyway - but everything else would be tough - IBS or not.

I'm interested in knowing how you go about this, meal preparations, etc.

I do have a recipe blog attached to pounds2go.com, last year before Running2K's (sorta retired) she contributed a ton of vegan recipes. You may find some very good options there to help you along.

Until then, finish off those sweets! ;P
Anonymous said…
I've gone without proper (milk) chocolate for a month and a half now. It was hell to start off with, but it's OK now.

Have you tried any soya products? I've read that they're particularly good for the bowels. (and they seem to be doing OK with me at the moment).
Anonymous said…
Can't be with you on this one, bro. Too much going on in February. I'm gonna have meat coming at me from every angle. And the corn? That never lets up.~,:^)
Anonymous said…
I'd never be able to give up soda or potato chips. EVER!

Here from Michele's :)
kenju said…
Uh-oh, you're in cyberspace now? Panthergirl made you a cybernaut? I am going to go and see that!

Michele sent me.
Anonymous said…
I've been vegetarian to some degree for years... a lot of good it did me. I know some chubby-ass vegetarians, too.

Nowadays I just have to keep an eye on bloodsugar and whatnot. What a drag.

Elvis had the right idea. If it's not moving, eat it... But, he took IBS to a whole new level.

p


here via michele tonight.
Anonymous said…
Hi Utenzi.

Hard decision. I have to admit, though, that when you wrote you needed to go easy on your IBS-ridden system, the first thing I thought was that going without the candy might give even better results than giving up meat. I don't have IBS, though, so what do I know? I hope you come to a good decision for you. Are there sweets made without HFCS? Homemade fudge comes to mind...

To answer your question, that would be ice cream. Since I had my gastric bypass, I just can't tolerate it anymore. If I have three spoonfuls, I am in horrible pain. I occasionally go for two spoonfuls, though!

You know, I am facing a decision, too. Why not come over and give me your opinion? :-)
Anonymous said…
I've tried going vegan on and off. I don't do a lot of red meat anyway. But without chicken and poultry it is just too hard to cook around here. I do buy only organic chicken that has not been given growth hormones or antibiotics- that was my biggest concern. All these 13 year old girls 6 ft with huge butts and boobs couldn't be a good thing so I don't want those hormones.
I actually cut back my portions by measuring more carefully and keeping a journal of what I eat all day. It sounds like a lot of work but it isn't and many experts recommmend doing it. My weight stays in my low range if I do.
By doing that, nothing fried, having sweets like no sugar added ice cream, lots of veggies and fresh chicken/fish and I have gone down 7 1/2 already.
Good luck with yours....but if you can't do no meat just add back your chicken and turkey....protein is important and the weight will still fall off! And you will feel fuller!
Noi Rocker said…
34 comments? Man you have a lot of visitors!

A no meat diet? Gosh I can never do that. I cannot live without chicken so if chickens become extinct,I will too.

But I think you have a strong willpower than me so I am sure you can do it!
JoeinVegas said…
Corn products and meat all at the same time? Then you'll find out you are allergic to wheat flower.
But veggies are supposed to be pretty good, and you will lose weight with just that - not much fats in the plants.
Anonymous said…
Wow, I thought you might be pulling my leg when you mentioned it.

Avoiding corn syrup will be tricky until you get into the habit. I bet the drop in background discomfort will make it so worthwhile tho.

I wouldn't say candy for diet. Good grade mellow 80% cocoa chocolate, like amphetamines, without (so much of) the addiction.

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