Winter Doldrums in October?

I feel like I'm already having my winter crazies. How could this be? What will I do in January if I've already colored my hair, acted absentmindedly, and wanted to hibernate for the rest of fall and winter. I fear for everyone around me!


Sometimes my first clue that I am stressed is a strong desire to drive away and be alone for a few days. Well, I must be stressed, because all I can think about is spending a week at a cabin, hut, or especially at the foggy Oregon seaside—actually anywhere I am completely alone.

I want to sleep and read as much as possible and not worry about the phone, schedules or my hair!

How about you—where does your mind go when you are stressed, or does your mind just go. . .

A Fond Farewell to Vegan, Hello Ornish "Spectrum"

My Vegan experience is over and I must say I really liked it. I am shocked. I thought it would be really hard and that I would always be craving something, but thanks to Great Harvest Bread and Whole Foods I ate really well and enjoyed myself. In fact I think I could do this one forever. It's the first diet that I'm sorry to see go. Life is just full of surprises.

Final Vegan Stats:

Week 1 = 5 Pounds

Week 2 = 1 Pound

Week 3 = 1 Pound

Week 4 = 1 Pound

Total = 8 Pounds!!!!

I've lost a total of 20 pounds in 2009! Hip Hip Hurray! Only 2 million more to go!

Now onto this month. I liked Vegan so much and because my system gets a little upset with big changes I'm going to go the “The Spectrum” program by Dr. Dean Ornish. This diet is similar and focuses mostly on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It has more options than vegan because the program also allows for non-fat dairy and egg whites.

Dr. Ornish lists foods in 5 groups from most healthful to least healthful. I am going to stick to group 1 mostly, and some group 2 foods. I’ve listed the website in the sidebar if you are interested in what the food groups are. I have missed seafood so I may dip into group 3 foods for a little bit of ocean goodness.

This diet is lower in fat than the vegan, but has more options. Cross your fingers!

Quick Vegan Stats

Week 3 ended Thursday, October 8.

I lost one more pound. 7 pounds so far on Vegan. Yea!

I guess the best thing to say about Vegan is that there is really no possible way of eating fast food. I haven't been to a drive through (okay, I have had Diet Coke at a fast food restaurant) in three weeks. I think it's been years since that is true. The diet should be lauded for that! It's been the hardest by far for eating out. Almost every vegetarian option at restaurants has cheese in it.

I found some great places for vegan sandwiches. I love Great Harvest for their hummus veggie sandwich. Rich's Bagels has a great vegetarian sandwich too. The Dodo's ginger carrot soup is amazing! Whole Foods has some great roasted veggie side dishes boxed up as well as a fantastic couscous salad! So there are great options, but I've had to search high and low to find them and I have to get out of my car to get them!

Be Careful or I’ll Bite Your Head Off Too!

Week 2 of Vegan ended last Thursday (Oct .1) and I lost another pound! So far as a Vegan I’ve lost 6 pounds. I feel fantastic physically. I don’t feel tired or lethargic—in fact I feel wired! Even without excessive caffeine.

Although I am a bit worried that I cannot seem to keep a thought in my head. Honestly I now know the literal meaning of airhead—because that’s all that’s in there.

Proofs of my air problem:

1. The other day I am putting the DMV sticker on my daughter’s car.

It is supposed to look like this example on the left, but instead of the '01 it would be 10 for the year 2010. I placed the sticker on the blank space next to last year's sticker. It now shows that her registration will expire 09, 09, 10. I was supposed to put it over the second 09. I know it’s very complicated. So instead of leaving it I try to tear it off and just manage to rip it in half. I place half the sticker on top of the second 09 and leave the other half where it is. See I can’t even write without being confusing. She will probably get pulled over countless times over the next year and have to explain about her crazy mom.

2. I go through a “I hate my hair color” phase every two years. Ordinarily I keep my urges under control with trips to the hairdresser for professional color enhancements. I had to cancel my appointment and I was stuck with two inches of ugly re-growth. I went and bought not 1, not 2, but three boxes of hair color. Two are blond and one is brown. I decided that I was sick of being blond and having to deal with re-growth so I choose the brown. It looked pretty good, but since I bought ash brown after a couple of days it fades to a nice mossy brown, mossy as in green. I then made an emergency appointment with the hairdresser and had her re-do it and now I have true brown hair.

I don’t know why I bought 2 boxes of different shades of blond.

The second thing I am worried about is that I am extraordinarily irritable.

I am an irritable airhead.

I’ve had to resort to telling my children—I am in a really bad mood so I am going to take a time-out in my bedroom--FOREVER. You really don’t want to bother me. I find myself snapping at whoever doesn’t understand my vague instructions or explanations. I find Smoky the Hairless Cat incredibly annoying and keep pushing him out of my room. Now that’s just sad.

I’m never hungry but I wonder if my subconscious is yelling for that cushion of over-eating it is so used to.

The Skinny on Vegan

Here's the good and the bad of eating vegan so far! I am very interested in knowing what you give up for a smaller waistline! Let me know that I’m not alone, that other people miss certain foods too!

What I love:

Hummus I love hummus, my husband thinks of it as stinky feet, but he’s WRONG.
Roasted Red Peppers
Veggies, Veggies, Veggies I am a Veggie lover
Fruit, yum!
Whole Wheat Bread—How I missed you on Atkins. You are: crunchy, crispy, soft, seedy, chewy goodness.
Olive Oil
Vanilla Soy Milk—this is my new treat!
Odawala etc.—Thank you for making so many varieties of nectar for the gods!
Veggie Enchiladas at Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill! (Without cheese of course)

I love that I can eat as much of this stuff as I want.

What I don’t miss:

Meat or Dairy—This was a nice surprise. I guess I am just not that into you! (Except bacon, I am into bacon—and don’t let anyone fool you organic soy bacon is not a satisfying substitute—I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true.)When I dream I dream of you. . . Or in other words what I miss:

SUGAR You fickle, fiendish and poisonous love
Unlimited Diet Coke Do you like the qualifier there—unlimited? For the past 3 days I have had 2 diet sodas a day and it has been a glorious and satisfying cheat. To limit myself to only two is very difficult so I’m still looking at it as a victory. (I can and will justify most anything!)
Butter—I like butter. It’s good. It makes everything it touches good (kind of like the King Midas of the food kingdom)
Sweet rolls and other bakery products
Sugar Free products made with artificial sweeteners.
Ice Cream

Even though it looks like I am missing a lot of things, I actually really like the diet. So far what I love outweighs what I dream about!

What Were They Thinking?

It has been an exciting week! This Vegan thing is not easy, but I love being able to eat as much as I want of the foods allowed. Plus I feel fantastic.

I went out with friends on Tuesday to a really nice Japanese restaurant and I was sorely tempted--I LOVE sushi, but the restaurant had a vegan plate and I was the first to order so I held fast to the plan and ordered it. To my surprise all of the other women ordered it too!? It was great and all--but seriously--none of them are Vegans. The menu had incredibly healthy choices and they all ordered the vegan bento box?! I was flummoxed. I like grilled tofu (kind-of) but if I'd had choices it probably wouldn't be the first thing I ate.

Does this mean that people voluntarily eat vegan style?

Anyway it was fine and did I mention that I feel fantastic. Yea I do, but (there is always a but) I am sleepy. I'm falling asleep in bed by 10:30. That is unheard of. I didn't think the caffeine was affecting me so much. I haven't been to sleep before 11:00pm in years. I always told everyone, "Diet Coke doesn't affect me at all I can drink it right up until bedtime." Maybe I was wrong (shocker).

It's still the hardest thing for me to do though. The other day I was recycling one of my husband's Diet Coke can's (yes, he is weak--I'm working on the self-righteous thing--it's the only thing I've got!). When I picked it up it was cold, I had in my hands a half-full, cold can of Diet Coke. I want so much to taste its refreshing goodness--but I abstained, for now!

Week 1 Results: 5 pounds!

The weight loss is very encouraging and being off sugar really does make me feel 100% better (I know, I know, I already said that). I can see my ankle bones again. Woot!

Is Life Worth Living Without Diet Coke?

As a vegan--at least the vegan outlined in the Skinny B. plan (I'm no longer typing the whole name out), I'm not supposed to have soda, artificial sweeteners or caffeine and that makes diet soda a three time loser.

I miss Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Coca-Cola Zero and TAB! Those beautiful elixirs of popping, refreshing bubbles. Those stimulating morning, afternoon and evening friends. The true and faithful loves. Now that the caffeine withdrawal headaches are gone all I have left is gaping emptiness.

I'm trying to look at the bright side though. I think it's a good thing that I am missing diet soda so much because it makes it easier to do the rest.

This reminds me of when I gave birth to my twins. I had Baby A the old fashioned way but then Baby B got all excited with all the room and decided she was comfortable there. After an hour of lovely labor both the baby and I got a bit stressed and I ended up having a c-section. The c-section pain stopped me feeling any other (delicately vague wording here) pain.

Giving up diet soda this month has been so painful I can't really feel the pain of giving up everything else.