Weekly Round Up

I had a bad weigh-in last week, I was up four pounds, which is about all I had lost in the last three weeks. I was frustrated, but determined not to give up, like I had before. I talked to my awesome leader about the filling foods technique. Because really I can eat a lot of bad stuff and still be within my 42 daily points. He thought it was a good idea and suggested that I try it for a week.

So I was still thinking about that. Then yesterday I went to the ob/gyn, new doctor. We are trying to conceive, the previous doctor just wanted to give me prescriptions and sent me away. I am 41, and don't have any time to waste at all. New doctor was good but frank. She advised me that (TMI ALERT!) my cycles are irregular because of my size, and she would not recommend I conceive before getting to a BMI of about 40. But, she also examined me and we talked about a lot of questions I had, so I like her.

Then I got back into the car with hubby and melted down. Just sobbed. Very dramatic.

The upside is that we went home, looked at all my materials, and we are doing the Simply Filling plan together. I am hoping like crazy that I will lose the weight in time to get pregnant, but if I don't, I'll be healthier and will be around longer for my hubby.

And I like the SFT plan a lot so far. It makes me eat lots of fruit and veggies. And I can't spend 25 points on chinese food two days before weigh in.

It is Sunday now, and I've been eating this way since Monday evening. I am really looking forward to my weigh-in tomorrow.

Here are some lunch photos of the turkey taco salad we had for lunch.

Sunday Menu Plannning

I'm going to start blogging my dinner menu plans here. It keeps me organized and inspired.

Sunday Night - Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup (from La Dolce Vegan http://www.amazon.com/Dolce-Vegan-Livin-Made-Easy/dp/1551521873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267998848&sr=8-1 ) Sarah Kramer's cookbooks are my go-to cookbooks, since I have almost NEVER had a bad recipe from her wonderful books!

Monday Night - Sarah's Hot and Sour Ginger Soup (from Garden of Vegan
) Baked Veggie Egg Roll from Trader Joe's

Tuesday Night - Late night, I have Statistics class until 9:30, get home at about 10:30. Leftover Hot and Sour Soup.

Wednesday Night - Taco Night

Thursday Night - Leftover Taco Night! or Tortilla Soup

Friday Night - Hopefully we are going to a board game night, so we might have to grab dinner out!

The Weight Loss Thing

So, Weight Watchers and I have reconciled. I broke up with them last year, because I was going in and weighing, tracking my points in a half-ass way, and not losing.
And being generally pissy about it.

Now I'm back. What's different? It's dovetailing with a twelve-step program. So far so good. I've lost a couple of pounds so far. A couple a week would be fine with me!

This, then, is my before picture, at 381 pounds (plus one chihuahua).

Fertility Talk

Hubby and I have started the process of getting pregnant. I was six weeks late recently, so thought I might be pregnant. But, I was testing negative on the home pregnancy tests. My cycle has always been pretty regular, maybe one week off occasionally. So I thought, am I pregnant? Have I stopped ovulating?

I found a good doctor based on an internet list of "size friendly ob/gyn's", and he wasn't too far away, and my insurance seems to cover him. He did some tests. I am not pregnant, which is not a surprise, as the doctor thought I was not. I have an elevated thyroid, so I'm going back to see the doctor next week so that we can prescribe meds for that. My FSH was normal, so that means I'm not menopausal, I should still be making eggs. FSH is Follicle Stimulating Hormone, and an elevated level can mean that a woman is nearing menopause.

I also started Metformin last night, which is supposed to help reset my cycle. I am taking 250 mg twice a day, while my body gets used to it. It can wreak havoc on your stomach. On monday, if all is well, I will go up to 500 mg twice a day. Three days after my period starts, I begin Clomid and Prevara.

I started going to the gym with hubby last night to make myself stronger, so hopefully I am going down the right paths. I am also focusing on non-junky foods, good percentage of raw, lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains. Cutting down my caffeine, which is a big challenge for me.

I have a headache today and am congested, wonder if it's my body getting used to the Metformin.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Weekly Dinner Plans are Back!

Lots of things going on. Tomorrow is the beginning of the Raw Fu Whole Fu 100 Day Challenge, hooray!



I'm starting tomorrow using a McDougall meal plan (drmcdougall.com if you want to check him out), but focusing on 50% or more Raw Food! I made dinner plans for the week, which I'll post in a minute. We go shopping about two days at a time, since Trader Joes is on the way home from the train station. Here's a picture of today's shopping! (Milk is for my hubby.)



This week's dinners will be:
Monday: Spicy Tomato Couscous with kidney beans, big salad
Tuesday: Leftovers from Monday
Wednesday: Rainbow Skillet Medley
Thursday: Leftovers from Thursday
Friday: Bean and Corn Enchiladas http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/jan/favorites.htm
Saturday: Leftovers from Friday
Sunday: Polenta with Mushrooms

DIY Soda for Summer!

Did you ever wish that you had a cheaper, healthier alternative to coke and Diet Coke? Did you know that Coke is the drink of the Death Squad? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HFZ3cH1UAI

Well you do have an alternative. Yes, of course you could drink water, but sometimes it does not hit the spot for me. So what's a thirsty person to do? Easy peasy.

1. Take a mason jar or other container, and put two tea bags in it. Use any tea of your choice. I like the Tazo Passion Tea for this. Fill it with water, place in the fridge and wait two hours or more.

2. Remove tea bags. Now you have a strong concoction that you can use as a sort of soda concentrate base. I use about 1/4 base to 3/4 seltzer water. Pour over ice. You can mix it with non fizzy water if you prefer. Garnish with a slice of citrus if you're feeling fancy.

3. Drink, repeat, be refreshed.

July Issue Rawks!

First, the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale in San Francisco earned $3000 for animal groups last weekend. I am very happy to have donated some whole wheat chocololate chip cookie squares! Kudos to the awesome people who organized it so that people like me could drop off cookies and feel warm and fuzzy all week!

The July Issue of Rawk You Like a Hurricane is shaping up to be exciting! Articles about prenatal yoga with the awesome yogaformommies.com system, waste-free lunch, adding raw food side dishes to healthy vegan dinners, meal planning, Health at Every Size, my break up with the weight loss industry, reviews of delicious Zukay dressing and more! Will I be pregnant before the July issue is complete? Maybe not, but I'll keep you all posted!