Day 20

I wonder if steel cut oatmeal is more filling than regular oatmeal. This morning I took a walk with my daughter, and we ended up stopping for breakfast at a neighborhood restaurant. I bypassed all of the delicious sounding omelets and freshly baked bread options and went with the steel cut oatmeal and fruit. After only a few bites, I was seriously full. I'm not sure why, that usually never happens. Anyhow, I left most of it in the bowl, and was happy with myself throughout the day. It is good to start the day off right. 

Day 19

I made it through another day. Barely. Today I didn't eat breakfast. I left the house after a couple of cups of coffee, and then visited my mom and had more coffee. By the time I returned home, I was really hungry. First, I had a wedge of fresh pineapple. Then, I made myself a salad with Romaine lettuce and avocado. I was too shaky to make a non-oil dressing, so I just bit the bullet  and added olive oil. It was enough nutrients to get my blood sugar leveled and I started feeling better. Tonight, we went to a movie at 6pm, and didn't end up eating until almost 9:00. Again, I was starving, but I managed to order only a chopped salad with a light citrus vinegarette. What I am most proud of is what I didn't eat! I did not eat the meatball appetizer, and I did NOT eat the hamburger and onion rings that my daughter ordered! I feel like I should get extra credit for the food I passed on!

Day 18

I should be eating throughout the day. Instead, I start with a breakfast of fruit and then I often don't eat again until dinner. If I was eating a turkey sandwich for lunch like I used to, I would probably be eating during the day. It's easy to prepare, easily transportable, and one of my favorite comforting things to eat. I often don't have the desire to stop what I'm doing in the middle of the day to wash and cut vegetables, mix a non-oil dressing in the blender, and sit down and chew on a big bowl of greens. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Today I waited until I was just about starving, and then I had a quick cup of soup. Had I fallen asleep after that I would have been fine. However, a friend asked me over for a chat, and a glass of wine. I've only had a couple of alcohol cheat days, and it is Friday night. So, after one glass turned into two, I came home and binged on raw cashews. At least I wasn't eating Oreos. 19 days, and though not perfect, I am still making healthier choices than before.

 

Day 17

I usually write at the end of the night. Today is a little different. It's about 5:30 and I am so looking forward to dinner. I googled a few recipes today and came up with a zucchini soup by Dr. Fuhrman that looked and sounded so good. I'm simmering the onions, zucchini and garlic now and can't wait to add the other ingredients.

Update: not the best thing I've ever eaten, but it was pretty good.
After simmering the vegetables for about 1/2 hour, I added them to the food processor with 1/4 cup of raw cashews to give it a creamy texture. (No oil) Then, I added a few handfuls of spinach and fresh sweet corn. Thyme, basil and oregano were part of the recipe, but I also added some green Tabasco sauce at the end because it still needed a little something. I'd make it again because it was very satisfying, but it's not something I would make for company.

Day 16

Better choices than the past on Patti's Plate today, but not fitting for a Nutritarian. Today was a special day. My husband and I had an appointment in the San Diego area, so we took the opportunity to visit our son in Carlsbad on the way home. He has been living there on a "student budget" for the past year and was excited to be treated to dinner. He suggested a restaurant that he had been wanting to try and after eating there, I know why. The food was really delicious. I perused the menu for quite some time before deciding on an entree. There were really not a lot of choices for a Nutritarian. I didn't want to make the dinner about me and a sudden dietary change so I did the best I could. I decided not to care at all about oil and I also decided as long as I was staying away from meat, I was still better off than before. I ordered salad with a mushroom, onion, olive appetiser as my entree. Had I just had that, I would have been proud of myself. However, we started the meal with mussels and squid. Although, Ted ate most of it, I definitely ate my share.

Day 15

I made a golden split pea soup in the crock pot on Sunday. I cooked it the entire day, and the peas were still hard by dinner time. I puréed them somewhat and refrigerated them. On Monday I put them back in the crockpot for another day. By dinner, though still not perfect, they were edible. Today, I came home from work, tired and hungry.     Being able to warm the soup in the microwave and produce a hot satisfying bowl within 3 minutes made me realize how important it is to have healthy comforting food easily accessible at all times. If I didn't have it already made I may have been tempted to have a piece of cheese. I knew a stick of celery certainly wasn't going to do the trick. And.....the soup finally tasted good.

Day 14

Today is the completion of my second week. Rather than write about the food I have been eating, I prefer to take this day to write about how I am feeling. I'm definitely feeling the change of eating in a healthier way, however the change is not as radical as I hoped it would be after two weeks. I am still aching when I walk. I think that is the main symptom of poor eating that I have been trying to fix. I understand age will cause aches and pains, as well as being overweight. I am hoping to fix the weight issue by eating better, but I guess there isn't much I can do to turn back time without a time travel machine. I haven't dropped a size yet, but since I was trending upward lately I'm satisfied that my "fat" clothes are fitting better. Eating for health rather than for weight loss is definitely a new experience for me. When I started this Nutritarian diet two weeks ago, I didn't think I would last two hours. Eating high nutritional food is oddly sustaining.