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.
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
Michele sends her regards,
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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!
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.
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!
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?
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!
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.
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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
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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
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).
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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
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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? :-)
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!
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!
But veggies are supposed to be pretty good, and you will lose weight with just that - not much fats in the plants.
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.