Well I decided today that I could not get through my marking, studies and my work with a day like yesterday! ;-)
I was groggy, and foggy and lacking in attention...SOOOOOO I am having one coffee in the am...just to keep me going! Until next week when I am not so tight with work ;-) then I can come off the coffee without too much struggle ;-) I know my self so I best be listening ;-)
So how did my day go? well! I started out with oatmeal this am with Almond Milk...then lunch was vegetarian, a squash soup and a roasted pepper sandwich...yes and with a coffee ;-) then supper was cold veggie chilli on spinach...yummy! Snacks were a banana, a 'life saver muffin' and a pear...and water...
Taxes got done tonight...now if I could get through the marking and the homework! ;-)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
so Easter happened ;-) ....
Ok so I learned one big thing...if you want organic go to the store the leader showed you...I spent most of Thursday evening going to two stores closer to my house and got pretty much nada...ended up having to do a run on Saturday before visits with friends to get the stuff I needed before the cleanse started on Monday...which is today ;-)
I did make it through 3 social events this weekend...two vegetarian...and one Easter dinner which of course had turkey, ham and mashed potato...with cream, butter and chives...so felt pretty proud of myself...
Sunday I made the `life saving muffins` that will keep me on track...and organized my oatmeal...in the slow cooker...that was ready for this am...this morning I put on the vegan chilli,...and tried to get some accounting done for class tomorrow...but that was a no go ;-)
I did not have a headache from no coffee but I did feel like I was so tired and ready to sleep again even after 8 hours last night...that and running to the bathroom which I was warned about...it seems to have eased off...so that is good...
Then off to the cleanse meeting...so I sat through that, talked to a few folk, and then off to the grocery store to get a few items I missed on Saturday...and I was so hungry,...so an organic banana on the way home and Mary`s Organic Crackers and Summer Fresh Hummus Light...now for a snack...
so still tired...so I am off to bed...night all ;-) see you on Day 2 ;-)
I did make it through 3 social events this weekend...two vegetarian...and one Easter dinner which of course had turkey, ham and mashed potato...with cream, butter and chives...so felt pretty proud of myself...
Sunday I made the `life saving muffins` that will keep me on track...and organized my oatmeal...in the slow cooker...that was ready for this am...this morning I put on the vegan chilli,...and tried to get some accounting done for class tomorrow...but that was a no go ;-)
I did not have a headache from no coffee but I did feel like I was so tired and ready to sleep again even after 8 hours last night...that and running to the bathroom which I was warned about...it seems to have eased off...so that is good...
Then off to the cleanse meeting...so I sat through that, talked to a few folk, and then off to the grocery store to get a few items I missed on Saturday...and I was so hungry,...so an organic banana on the way home and Mary`s Organic Crackers and Summer Fresh Hummus Light...now for a snack...
so still tired...so I am off to bed...night all ;-) see you on Day 2 ;-)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
so far so good....
well I made it through the day...it was a whirlwind day and tomorrow is no better...which is typical of my world...so I chose to eat vegetarian today as I had to eat out for all meals...but I ate small and kept to veggies...
I started with a bagel and coffee...then had a late breakfast of a chipolte breakfast sandwich (my favorite) at Flavor...and another coffee...ok had two today...
Late lunch of veggies, and a whole wheat wrap with veggies and feta and fresh pineapple...
Our MBA class had a meeting at a local organization then went to Governors Pub for supper...and it was a great visit with the members of the class who could come with us...
Supper was a NS greens Mandarin orange salad with water and a small slice of baguette....SOOOOOO not bad...I avoided the fish and chips that called my name!!! Although Kevin did let me steal a french fry ;-)
Great conversation and I got to talk to two of my Chinese classmates on the drive home...because we never get to visit during the class ;-)
All in all a good day...proud that I was able to stay veggie! Even though the cleanse is vegan!
Ending the day, vegging, pun intended...with brown rice cakes, almond butter spread and blueberry/cranberry jam (organic)...my favorite treat!!!
I started with a bagel and coffee...then had a late breakfast of a chipolte breakfast sandwich (my favorite) at Flavor...and another coffee...ok had two today...
Late lunch of veggies, and a whole wheat wrap with veggies and feta and fresh pineapple...
Our MBA class had a meeting at a local organization then went to Governors Pub for supper...and it was a great visit with the members of the class who could come with us...
Supper was a NS greens Mandarin orange salad with water and a small slice of baguette....SOOOOOO not bad...I avoided the fish and chips that called my name!!! Although Kevin did let me steal a french fry ;-)
Great conversation and I got to talk to two of my Chinese classmates on the drive home...because we never get to visit during the class ;-)
All in all a good day...proud that I was able to stay veggie! Even though the cleanse is vegan!
Ending the day, vegging, pun intended...with brown rice cakes, almond butter spread and blueberry/cranberry jam (organic)...my favorite treat!!!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Easing into it...
So I have been easing off coffee for the past 24 hours or so...and so far so good...a bit of a headache and feeling a bit lethargic...but beyond that all is fine...I have been trying to pick healthy alternatives to my current food but almost nothing at the cafeteria at my university has that...I did find some hummus with veggies and fresh fruit which kept me going for the day...not organic but at least vegan for now...
It is clear that I need to slow cook and prepare meals this weekend to get through next week...so that will take some planning in the middle of marking, paper writing and Easter visiting...;-) I have always put my needs and food prep last, behind work and family and friends...so this time to survive I need to be 'on top of this' and not slack off ;-) which will lead to buying 'junk'...
I also need to talk to our leader Coralie to see how to get around my upcoming travels in May...I will be gone close to 2 weeks and although I will have access to a kitchen in week 2, I won't in week one...although the hotels should offer at least vegetarian if not vegan food...so I should be ok...but I am hoping she has 'travel advice'...
The cleanse begins officially on Monday so we meet weekly and that should get my questions answered...;-)
I do have to admit here that I am loving the almond butter and rice cakes...yummy! and I have been trying to source out some of the ingredients to some of the other recipes...
We will see how tomorrow goes...it is a long day of meetings and 'running' from space to space...;-)
It is clear that I need to slow cook and prepare meals this weekend to get through next week...so that will take some planning in the middle of marking, paper writing and Easter visiting...;-) I have always put my needs and food prep last, behind work and family and friends...so this time to survive I need to be 'on top of this' and not slack off ;-) which will lead to buying 'junk'...
I also need to talk to our leader Coralie to see how to get around my upcoming travels in May...I will be gone close to 2 weeks and although I will have access to a kitchen in week 2, I won't in week one...although the hotels should offer at least vegetarian if not vegan food...so I should be ok...but I am hoping she has 'travel advice'...
The cleanse begins officially on Monday so we meet weekly and that should get my questions answered...;-)
I do have to admit here that I am loving the almond butter and rice cakes...yummy! and I have been trying to source out some of the ingredients to some of the other recipes...
We will see how tomorrow goes...it is a long day of meetings and 'running' from space to space...;-)
Monday, April 2, 2012
The grocery store tour...
The first adventure was the grocery store tour...our cleanse leader Coralie was generous with her time by arranging to have a local Superstore open at 8 am on Sunday morning to allow us to explore the vegan, organic and food sections of the store...did I mention this cleanse was Uber vegan?
No?...well no meat or fish, cheese, milk or other dairy, no wine, coffee, tea or pop...no processed food...no breads...I could go on...
But what is left is surprisingly large...organic fruit and veggies, sweet potato, grains (like Quinoa (pronounced „KEEN-WAH”), Spelt, Kamut, Steel-cut and Scottish Oats), Beans (legumes) and Lentils...Nuts and Seeds...Small Amounts of Real Organic Maple Syrup, Agave, Yacon Syrup, Honey...Brown Rice, Brown Rice Pasta and Brown Rice Tortillas...Olive, Flax Seed, Hemp, and Coconut Oil...
We spent 2 hours in the store, and I was amazed at what I did not even know was on offer...AMAZED!!!
Needless to say my cupboard had NOTHING in it that remotely was needed by this cleanse...I take that back, I had one bottle of apple cider vinegar and one bottle of pure organic maple syrup...
So some shopping was and has been in order...and I have been slowly stocking up on some of the items I need...
I was warned by several folks who had done this, to do some preliminary getting ready this week before the `real cleanse`...as it is a detox, you can get lots of the following:
Headaches
Lethargy
Bloating
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Constipation
Irritability
Not everyone gets all, and some get none...but rather than be surprised, I have been weaning myself of sugar and coffee mostly, today and will do that for the rest of this week...;-) trying to ensure that the move to the real cleanse will be less traumatic to my system ;-)
To help with this...only one cup of coffee today (and I love my COFFEE) and I had a salad (spinach and peppers) with the cleanse basic dressing and it was YUMMY (see if I still say that in 6 weeks) LOL
The dressing was simple: minced garlic, juice of half a lemon, olive oil, pepper to taste, and 1 tbs maple syrup (optional)...I put that in...wisked it and let the flavors sit for a bit...so good!
Well enough for now...Day 2 of the pre-cleanse tomorrow! ;-)
No?...well no meat or fish, cheese, milk or other dairy, no wine, coffee, tea or pop...no processed food...no breads...I could go on...
But what is left is surprisingly large...organic fruit and veggies, sweet potato, grains (like Quinoa (pronounced „KEEN-WAH”), Spelt, Kamut, Steel-cut and Scottish Oats), Beans (legumes) and Lentils...Nuts and Seeds...Small Amounts of Real Organic Maple Syrup, Agave, Yacon Syrup, Honey...Brown Rice, Brown Rice Pasta and Brown Rice Tortillas...Olive, Flax Seed, Hemp, and Coconut Oil...
We spent 2 hours in the store, and I was amazed at what I did not even know was on offer...AMAZED!!!
Needless to say my cupboard had NOTHING in it that remotely was needed by this cleanse...I take that back, I had one bottle of apple cider vinegar and one bottle of pure organic maple syrup...
So some shopping was and has been in order...and I have been slowly stocking up on some of the items I need...
I was warned by several folks who had done this, to do some preliminary getting ready this week before the `real cleanse`...as it is a detox, you can get lots of the following:
Headaches
Lethargy
Bloating
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Constipation
Irritability
Not everyone gets all, and some get none...but rather than be surprised, I have been weaning myself of sugar and coffee mostly, today and will do that for the rest of this week...;-) trying to ensure that the move to the real cleanse will be less traumatic to my system ;-)
To help with this...only one cup of coffee today (and I love my COFFEE) and I had a salad (spinach and peppers) with the cleanse basic dressing and it was YUMMY (see if I still say that in 6 weeks) LOL
The dressing was simple: minced garlic, juice of half a lemon, olive oil, pepper to taste, and 1 tbs maple syrup (optional)...I put that in...wisked it and let the flavors sit for a bit...so good!
Well enough for now...Day 2 of the pre-cleanse tomorrow! ;-)
the beginning
OK, this is a personal blog...I do need to say that up front ;-) It is not associated with my friends, colleagues or work in general...it is my story...the one where I decided to go vegan for 2 months...and the results of that decision...
AND IT BEGINS...
So a few weeks ago I went to a weekend workshop with a friend on how to 'grow your own food' offered by a local greenhouse...it was great...and at the workshop I met several folks, including Pam, and in conversation asked about the unusual 'snacks' for the workshop, which included brown rice crispy cookies and a muti-nut bar that was delicious. I was told about the cleanse, and that these recipes were from that process...
THE MEETING...
So kindly, Pam, sent me the cleanse invitation...well Monday night April 26th I went to the first meeting of the new cleanse group and was amazed by the turnout...Sydney, NS is a small city with fewer than 45,000...(well smaller than I am used to ;-) so when I saw 150+ folk at the meeting it was a surprise...of those, about 75 of us were new...the rest had done the cleanse at least once in the past...some more than once....
Well she warned us ;-) first it would be an intense detox of all the chemicals and such that we have added to our bodies, and second, once we did this we'd never be able to forget the knowledge and that would affect what we did in the future even if we did not remain 'vegan' ;-) She did say she was not trying to make anyone vegan or vegetarian, just aware of the food issues that are making some of us sick, and some of us heavy and for some both...
What I liked most was she was a product of the cleanse (her own weight loss of 65 lbs was mentioned) and it was free and without commitment...no fees, no `special elixirs` ;-) just change the food you eat...for 2 months...cook not order in...organic not sprayed or GM foods...think about what you were doing not mindlessly eating without thought...
Hummmmmmmm...what an idea...and one I was ready for!!!
ME...
I am a 52 year old women who has always battled some weight issues...and by some I mean a lot...I have been `normal` weight (that is about 140lbs only once in my life and that was in my 20s after losing the 60lbs I had put on over my four years at university)....yes I am a stress eater...not to mention my love of working online (which I have done for 22+ years)....so sitting on my ``assets`` comes naturally!!!
In the early 2000s...I did lose 125 lbs and it has remained off (with an odd slip here and there)...but I have never been able to lose the rest...;-) Trust me, I love my body so I am not looking to be a skinny woman...I love my curves...but I do want to stop carrying around my extra weight...so another 100lbs would not be missed ;-) I am actually very proud of that loss, as it was the first time in my life where the weight did not go back on!!! and more!!! And it happened mostly as I was in a very hard place in my life...finishing my PhD, moving to another Province, new job AND a divorce! Never do things easily, I always say!!! ;-)
And I am lucky...outside of sleep apnea which went from severe to moderate with the last weight loss, I have and maintain normal BP, sugars, cholesterol and such...I have never let my weight stop me from having friends, lovers, work or life!!!
But I was ready for something...and this came along at just the right moment....
AND IT BEGINS...
So a few weeks ago I went to a weekend workshop with a friend on how to 'grow your own food' offered by a local greenhouse...it was great...and at the workshop I met several folks, including Pam, and in conversation asked about the unusual 'snacks' for the workshop, which included brown rice crispy cookies and a muti-nut bar that was delicious. I was told about the cleanse, and that these recipes were from that process...
THE MEETING...
So kindly, Pam, sent me the cleanse invitation...well Monday night April 26th I went to the first meeting of the new cleanse group and was amazed by the turnout...Sydney, NS is a small city with fewer than 45,000...(well smaller than I am used to ;-) so when I saw 150+ folk at the meeting it was a surprise...of those, about 75 of us were new...the rest had done the cleanse at least once in the past...some more than once....
Well she warned us ;-) first it would be an intense detox of all the chemicals and such that we have added to our bodies, and second, once we did this we'd never be able to forget the knowledge and that would affect what we did in the future even if we did not remain 'vegan' ;-) She did say she was not trying to make anyone vegan or vegetarian, just aware of the food issues that are making some of us sick, and some of us heavy and for some both...
What I liked most was she was a product of the cleanse (her own weight loss of 65 lbs was mentioned) and it was free and without commitment...no fees, no `special elixirs` ;-) just change the food you eat...for 2 months...cook not order in...organic not sprayed or GM foods...think about what you were doing not mindlessly eating without thought...
Hummmmmmmm...what an idea...and one I was ready for!!!
ME...
I am a 52 year old women who has always battled some weight issues...and by some I mean a lot...I have been `normal` weight (that is about 140lbs only once in my life and that was in my 20s after losing the 60lbs I had put on over my four years at university)....yes I am a stress eater...not to mention my love of working online (which I have done for 22+ years)....so sitting on my ``assets`` comes naturally!!!
In the early 2000s...I did lose 125 lbs and it has remained off (with an odd slip here and there)...but I have never been able to lose the rest...;-) Trust me, I love my body so I am not looking to be a skinny woman...I love my curves...but I do want to stop carrying around my extra weight...so another 100lbs would not be missed ;-) I am actually very proud of that loss, as it was the first time in my life where the weight did not go back on!!! and more!!! And it happened mostly as I was in a very hard place in my life...finishing my PhD, moving to another Province, new job AND a divorce! Never do things easily, I always say!!! ;-)
And I am lucky...outside of sleep apnea which went from severe to moderate with the last weight loss, I have and maintain normal BP, sugars, cholesterol and such...I have never let my weight stop me from having friends, lovers, work or life!!!
But I was ready for something...and this came along at just the right moment....
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