Benjamin Franklin
You may delay, but time will not.

David Viscott
You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.

Eleanor Roosevelt
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

After a very rough day yesterday in which I inhaled at least 2 pounds of sugar (okay an exageration, but not by much), I have had a very good day so far.  I did not have my usual breakfast dose of caffiene in the form of a soda.   I drank cold water instead.  I did have a coke at lunch but I am not yet suffering from the sugar cravings I tend to have when I drink a coke first thing in the morning.  

I ate very sensible for breakfast and lunch – having smoked salmon on toast for breakfast and indulging in my favorite, mexican food, for lunch only to have grilled chicken with a low fat Verde sauce made from tomatillos instead of guacamole and sour cream!   I clearly need more fruit and vegetables in my day.    Tonight I am making a chicken vegetable soup.  Should be good.   

Lately I have been experiencing signs of beginning diabetes.  I could be crazy but seeing spots before my eyes and being thirsty make me nervous.  I am hoping that I can reverse any damage I may have inflicted on my body up to this point.  Diabetes is preventable for many of us, just like high blood pressure.  I intend to prevent! 

My exercise success, I did a small 10 minute upper body strength training routine.  I started with resistance and 5 pound weights only and did 1 to 2 sets of 10 reps each.   I plan to increase the time and weight as my strength increases.

I am taking that one quote above – paraphrasing – imagine yourself becoming the person you want to be…I imagine myself with a body like Madonna!  We have a boat and this year, I will look hot.  I imagine myself with self control and stamina.  I imagine myself with will power! 

The Jicama isn’t locally grown but it is native to Mexico and South America.  It is the tuber root of a type of morning glory vine and has been used in Latin America forever.  Its mild flavor allows the Jicama to adapt and compliment other flavors  making it an excellent addition to most any meal. 

I think I will add this humble vegetable to our stash just to mix things up and have something cool, crunchy and refreshing on hand when I am craving tortilla chips! 

My successes – were few and far between.  I did have Jicama as a snack and then a fresh salad with a side of spaghetti with homemade sauce so I know every thing that went into the sauce.  The pasta was whole wheat so not bad and I kept the portion to 1/2 cup of pasta.  I drank a gallon of water throughout the day. 

My failures - almost too many to mention. I had several sodas and THREE donuts today.  Well, tomorrow is a new and better day. 

I did not exercise.   It was rainy and we are putting in new floors. That is no excuse but there it is. 

1. I eat when I am bored.   Generally, if I am looking for something to do, I will first check the pantry.
2. I tend to have a connection between food and television.  If I am watching television, I need to be eating.  Like Pavlov’s dogs salivating at the bell, apparently I have established a mind/body connection between the television and food.  
3. I usually drink a coke in the morning instead of coffee for the caffeine fix.  However, I have noticed that when I do, I tend to crave sweets the rest of the day.  On days I have actively held off drinking a coke until the afternoon, I didn’t have the same problem.  I suspect it has to do with having little food in my system to counteract the blood sugar spike from the coke. 
4. When I don’t take my vitamins (I take a fairly large regimen to offset a chronic autoimmune disorder – and amazingly, it works), I tend to crave processed foods.  I know not everyone is in a place where they understand the full system function of the body since we still believe western medicine knows everything and medical doctors treat our bodies as if it is all disconnected systems, but I have seen that my systems really are connected if my digestive system gets out of wack, the sugar cravings (and processed food cravings) start and the hives and asthma return.  
5. I have a “salt” problem.  I love it.  I consume way too much of it. 

Now, that is the bad….there is also good.

1. When I cook, I tend to cook with little meat and with whole, unprocessed foods.  I use little fat and when I cook meat it is of the leanest farm raised, grass fed variety.  
2. I try to get at least 4-5 servings of a fresh, organic fruit or vegetable a day into my cooking and I minimally cook the vegetables to keep in as much nutrition and flavor as possible.  So cooking, I generally do a good job. 
3. I try to buy my fruits and vegetables from the local organic farmer’s market.  This ensures the ripest foods with the most nutrients. 
4. Generally, I drink a LOT of water throughout the day.  I usually pour through a gallon water pitcher that I keep in the fridge. 

By looking at my spreadsheet I am already a long ways toward conquering my issues with food and regaining control.  Intellectually, I know what needs to be done and how to do it.  I also know what I am doing wrong, it is simply a matter of reviewing it rather than operating on autopilot. 

My three new goals: 

Think about the choices I am making and own them.  I may  not always make the best choice, but I need to think about it and own the choice. 

Find an alternative to food to offset boredom.   If I feel bored and find myself in front of the pantry, I need to keep walking to the book shelf or go pull weeds in my garden, or jump rope, or play with my son, take the dog for a walk.

 The third is to break the connection between food and television.  This will be more difficult so I need to think about alternatives.  

I will report back my successes (and/or failures). 

I am not sure what is surprising about this recent upturn in female related high blood pressure….has anyone looked at our collective waistlines lately?  When relating the causes, they determined that overall women are more often overweight than men so it seems like relatively easy logic to me that if we are fatter, we are going to be sicker.  As well, the rates are higher in D.C. and the southern states, including my own, where deep fat fried food is as common as water. 

Since high blood pressure is, according to the research, the number one easily controlled factor in heart attacks and strokes, we better get busy getting those numbers down.  I know the last few times I have been in to see my doc, my blood pressure has been elevated, totally befuddling the nurse because, after 12 years as a patient, I have elevated blood pressure.  Well, I also have elevated weight but since I am not morbidly obese (yet) they don’t really consider that a factor….I do.  One thing I have learned over the past year is that average numbers mean nothing.  Elevated to me, even if not in “dangerous” territory, is still elevated and something that needs to be fixed.

On a slightly different note, I am celebrating my first success.  I exercised today.  I did a lower body strength training circuit.  I feel it.  My legs are shaky and my muscles feel like they have be used but not over done. 

My failures:  My husband and I ate lunch at Wendy’s.  He isn’t helping   – but I didn’t eat the entire plate.  I opted for a salad, even though a bad one and that is always better than white processed flour in the buns.  I had a coke. 

My goal for this week is to examine my relationship with food and put it in perspective. 

I am 36 years old, 180 pounds, size 16 and heading up.  A dubious family history of morbid obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and cancer loom over my life like a shadow, blotting out the sun and threatening disaster at any time.  I wasn’t always overweight but like most Americans my weight began to slowly and silently creep up after leaving college life but not college style eating behind.  A 10 year diet chok full of coca cola, margaritas and chips and salsa lay on my waistline and thighs like a heavy cotton blanket.   Eating whatever you want generally has a price to be paid and today I begin paying that check.  It won’t be fast, it won’t be fad and it won’t be easy.  I intend to do this the old fashioned way, more calories out than in.  No fancy gyms, no fad diets, no ordering my food on the internet.  I only need a pair of good tennis shoes, some comfortable clothing, good, healthy (hopefully locally, organically and sustainably grown) foods and water.

My goal with this blog is to whittle my waistline back down to a comfortable clothing size, increase my daily exercise and overall decrease my sugar consumption.  I hope I may bring some others with me!  I will post daily with my successes and my failures (I am bound to have some) and any inspiration that will keep me going. 

I hope you enjoy the ride.

Some fast facts:

1 12 oz soft drink (regular, non-diet) contains approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup).

1 12 oz soft drink (regular) a week increases your risk for diabetes.

Today I have consumed approximately 45 ounces of regular coca cola…..that is a lot of sugar and empty calories and a lot of potentially toxic chemicals.   I think I will go grab some water.