Saturday, December 6, 2008

:: MJ Meal Plan 12/6 - 12/13 ::

This week I go back to Heidi's Super Natural Cooking Cookbook for inspiration.

12/6
Braised Tofu and Peas in Curried Coconut Milk (Mark Bittman)
Chunky Lentil Soup

12/7
Seed-crusted Anaranth Biscuits
GrX Holiday Dinner

12/8
Barley Mushroom Soup
Wheat Berry Salad

12/9 - MSG Dinner at our place
Green Onion Whole Wheat Biscuits (Bon Appetit)
Black Tea Spring Rolls
Laura's Ragu Spaghetti (Laura Fu)

12/10
Sweet Ginger Tofu with Soba (Peter Berley)
Savory Adzuki Beans

12/11
Barley Risotto
Raspberry Curd Cake

12/12
Chap Chye with Brown Rice (Laura Fu)
Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans
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Friday, December 5, 2008

:: the root ::

I recently reconnected with an old friend, B, over facebook. As we were sharing with each other about the going-ons of our lives, I had to spill about the journey I've been on. It seems like we've had similar struggles with regard to weight and health. She brought up something for me to think about - what is the ROOT of the problem? Why am/was I overweight? The answer seemed clear as day to me - gluttony. I enjoy food way too much - especially sugar. And over the past years, I've hardly controlled what I take in. Why do I suffer from gluttony and others not? She then suggested that it could be due to family of origin. I'm not entirely sure what that means yet but I do know that my dad was severely overweight and was definitely a glutton himself. Did I somehow inherit gluttony from him? It's possible... sin can be inherited, no? Or was it just a matter of years of imprinting as I watched him gorge himself? My dad himself has overcome his gluttony issues and I wonder if I could also "inherit" his resolve. Or maybe I already did as I watched him suffer through the stroke early this year?

Losing control over my appetite is the same as losing control over anything. I should have been likened to an alcoholic. But somehow society gives the alcoholic the bad rep while the obese gets sympathy. Whether or not this problem is a product of my family of origin, more importantly, I have faced this head on and I know I can overcome this. I want to say I already have (90% of the time). I've come a long way but I'm not a perfect person. I on occasion still succumb to the devastating effects of refined sugars (like yesterday). I'd call them mini-relapses but they don't push me down a path of no return and I don't beat myself up over it. I think the reason is that after experiencing what I've experienced, there's just no way I would ever get back to where I was - having utter disrespect for the condition of my body.

Where does my faith fit in? Everywhere.

When I think about previous attempts to lose weight, it was always been motivated by the media, societal pressure or my mum/grandma telling me I am too fat. I would post up pictures of myself in the skinny days as a reminder of how great I used to look. Time and time again, I would fail and yo-yo in my weight. I suffered from serious self-image issues. By the time I started on this journey in 2008 however, I had completely changed - inside. I was utterly in love with myself, even at 200lbs. I honestly didn't hate the way I was - I felt loved and accepted the way I was. By God, by my husband by my family (slight exception about mum's nagging) and my friends. What I hated however, was the possibility of leaving my dear husband and kids (to be) behind, like my dad nearly did. And that, I couldn't live with. It is no longer about me, it's about the people I love.

As I went through the journey of self-discovery, God started to speak to me through various people/books and I began to see my body very differently. I saw it as a perfect creation of God that has been made toxic by the poor decisions I have made. I saw that God created wonderful foods in natural form for my body's nourishment and protection against sickness, which was undeniably the best defense. I saw that while God loved me unconditionally and irrevocably (familiar line? :P), my body isn't how He intended it to be. I saw that He knew I had control issues with my appetite but still loved me.

This is why I can still do what I am doing now - Love. Love for others and God's love for me.
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:: where should I take this? ::

This initially started out as an accountability blog and a way to keep my friends posted of my progress in the competition. It also seemed a worthy enough cause to be blogging about. These days, readership has dwindled significantly, not a big surprise - but I am left wondering - why am i blogging?

Some big questions...
1. Food journaling is one of the best ways to stay on track to a goal. But... do I really need this to stay on track? Haven't I made permanent nutrition changes that should stick regardless of the journaling? I feel like I need to experiment with not journaling to see how things go. Can I still pull it off and stay true to myself? And isnt the most boring part of my blog the "what did i eat" part of it. Do people even care?

2. There used to be a fair bit of discussion around the KB training I was doing but that also has kinda died down. I doubt anyone is even reading my blog for KB advice so is there a point?

3. And in all honesty... after 172 days, it is getting tiring. Day in day out, what did I eat?

4. Can there be something else that I write about? That might be interesting to readers? I'll have to think about that one.

I wont be journaling about what i eat/do for the next week but will spend time in reflection about what the next steps are. Comments are welcome. :)
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Monday, December 1, 2008

:: Day 169 - Summary ::

Activities: 6pm KB with Mikee. The problem with combined workouts is that we have to alternate weights!
1 min double-handed swings, normal pace, 12 kg, 40 swings
1 min double-handed swings, hard pace, 12 lb, 48 swings
1 min double-handed swings, normal pace, 8 kg, 40 swings
1 min double handed swings, hard pace, 8kg, 48 swings
1 min rest
6 sets x 5 minutes = 30 mins, 1056 swings

8am: 1 persimmon (oh poor vitamix is not getting any play!)

11am: 1 apple

1pm: Cup of Dyl's spicy lentil stew


Main meal @ home
Leftovers
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:: MJ Mealplan 11/30-12/5 ::

Saturday:
Sweet Ginger Tofu
Garlic Broccoli
Chawan Mushi

Sunday:
Friendsgiving Dinner Menu

Monday:
Leftovers

Tuesday:
Mushroom Barley Casserole (Heidi Swanson)

Wednesday:
Soba Miso Soup (Peter Berley)

Thursday:
Mikee's Holiday Party at work

Friday:
Chap Chye with Brown Rice (Laura Fu)
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:: Day 168 - Friendsgiving Dinner ::

Every thanksgiving, I bring together some old friends for a "friendsgiving" dinner. Last year I followed Rachel Ray's Thanksgiving in 60 recipes. This year, I pay homage to Heidi Swanson and Peter Berley and whipped up a 9-course (almost) vegetarian feast. Dyl contributed dish #10 which was a hearty spicy lentil stew!
Persimmon Salad with Pine Nuts

Baked Beans Tomato Soup
Green Onion Whole Wheat Biscuits
Firecracker Corn Bread
Golden-crusted Brussels Sprouts with Carrots
Vibrant Tasty Green Beans
Potato Leek Cabbage Gratin
Lasagna with Fall Vegetables with Gruyere and Sage Bechamel
Spaghetti with Turkey Specialty Sausage, in crème fraiche and Fresh Herbs
Fresh Baked Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies served with Vanilla Ice-Cream


Lasagne with fall vegetables in a sage bechamel sauce

My fave Heidi Swanson dish ever - Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts

Green beans, turkey meatball pasta, tomato soup, persimmon salad with sesame seeds

homemade pomegranate tea (6 teabags, 1 pom, 1 lime, 1 orange)

Heidi Swanson's firecracker cornbread

Dyl's spicy lentil stew

Nikki's healthy bake cookies

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