Busy busy busy

Breakfast: Grapes, banana
Snack: boiled egg (not raw, but my tummy was upset, and I didn't want fruit or veggies)
Lunch: salad and veggies
Snack: coffee w/ soy milk times two and a date square (doh!)
Dinner: Salad
Snack: Some almonds and dates

Workout: 5Km walk to work
Yoga P90X

So tired now, and haven't eaten dinner yet. Yawn!!

Quick Update On Eats

Meal Log: 
Breakfast: Banana, blueberries, Strawberries
Snack: Date Square (what??!!!)
Lunch: Salad (cucs, pepper, sprouts, spinach, cabbage, carrots, raisins, craisins, seeds)
Snack: grapes and blueberries, apple
Snack: Some dates and almonds (which I shared, so not as many as usual)
Dinner: Salad (same as lunch) plus asparagus maybe....

Workout:
5Km walk to work
1 hour Shoulders, Triceps, Chest P90X - killer workout, so many push-ups!!!

Busy, busy, busy....

I was thinking "Hide the Peanut Butter" or "Don't Offer Me Chocolate" for blog titles, but not sure...still thinking lots...

Mondays are Daunting....

Mondays are always a killer for me, although once they are over, I feel wonderful.
Getting up was difficult, and work was a killer, in terms of all the things I had to get done. Sometimes I forget that I am an adult, and have to deal with responsibility. Or maybe I try to forget. I miss the days of no mortgages, no bills, no deadlines, sleeping in till noon. My job is fairly demanding, in terms of being an adult. I don't have a 'boss' really, but the work still has to get done, or I'll be up S$% creek. That means I have to keep myself in order, and make sure I perform. I love dealing with patients, and analyzing. What I don't like is the arranging appointments and scheduling things in a fashion that makes sense. I've never been good at organizing, and I find it very intimidating. I'm the girl who's house is tidy, but do not dare open that closet. Scariness. Anyhow, Monday is over.

As for changing the name of the blog - it's a go. A few comments that I agree with put into perspective. I don't want to mislead anyone, although I  do hope some dukaners will check out my recipes, and I also hope the dukaners that follow my blog will continue, as I love to check out their blogs as well. I guess if I have 'dukan' in the recipe title, than a google search will still bring them here. And I apologize to anyone who was searching for a blog that is 'currently dukan' - but you can always check out the first few months of 'dukandoittoo' to see how I did on the diet, why it wasn't for me, the pros and the cons. I hope you do that.
In the meantime, please ignore the blog title, while I work on coming up with a new name:) Give me a bit of time, and it will be changed.

Today's Eats:
Breakfast: strawberries, blueberries and one banana (about 1/2 cup of berries total)
Snack: Watermelon
Lunch: Salad (pepper, sprouts, cucumber, cabbage, carrot, spinach, seeds)
Snack: 1/2 cup berries and some almonds
Dinner: Another big salad, and some bbq-ed asparagus.

Exercise: 
5Km walk to work
3Km run around the graveyard at lunch
45 minutes CardioX

Also had a senna tea, a coffee w/ soy, and one green tea plus copious amounts of water.
Altogether, we'll say 90% raw.

Dukandoittoo????

So I suppose I may consider changing the name of my blog....not sure.
Most of my google search audience comes from Dukan related search input....and I know that there are some recipes that are Dukan, and I'm sure there will be more, in that you can always eat veggies on Dukan, and I hope to soon post some dishes. I'm so lazy when it comes to taking pictures of my food (although always happy afterwards, when I do do it). I like to hear about all the dukaners out there, and see how they are doing....I think the diet works...but eating so much meat was just not for me. It really turned me off, eating copious amounts of meat constantly. Mind you, I could eat dukan brownies until I die. Haha.

So, what do you think? Should I change the name?

I don't even know how to go about doing that....

Anyhow, I digress. This weekend has been a whirlwind. Yesterday, I went to the farmer's market with a friend. I tried some raw chocolate (which was amazing) and bought some asparagus - which I will not eat raw, but that's quite fine by me. Then we went down to the water and ate at the 'Hart and Thistle' - definitely no raw there. We shared a big salad and a pizza (also not raw) - Mediterranean toppings. Delicious. I also had one of their microbrews, which was delicious. Citrus flavoured. Yum. And then I had some vodka with lemon and water with my hubby when I arrived home. I've been way to indulgent lately, but feel good. I'm not gaining weight, but I'm not losing either.

My inlaws are coming from NZ in two weeks, which puts the pressure on cleaning the house, and also getting myself in order a wee bit! I'd like to be able to prepare yummy dishes for them, and cook to impress. I'll try to get them going on the spinach smoothies! I'm working most of the time they are here, but will take a few days off here and there. Hopefully, it will all work out. I'm really looking forward to seeing them, as it's been about 5  years or so, when we went on vacation to Hong Kong and china with them.

That's all for now folks!

What to Say today?

I'm trying to keep in the habit of blogging, regardless of sometimes having a boring life. Today was completely uneventful. Lots of raw food, and a bit of baklava (what??? that wasn't on plan!!). A good salad with nuts, Some fruit. And more salad later. Getting to be pretty routine. This weekend, I'll make something pretty, and photograph it for you!

Workouts: 5Km walk, Core Synergistics. I'm all done for the day:)

I'm doing a week recovery on P90X, so no weights this week. It is not the actual 'recovery week' we're supposed to have, but I'll get right back on track starting Sunday. I just needed a wee break to get back into it. So lots of cardio and core. And Kenpo tomorrow. I'm didn't go for a run today (which I was supposed to). I will in the next few days. It's been so long, I hope I haven't lost i!!

Can you forget how to run????

Hard to Get Back On Track

Hey little birdies, how's it going?

I've been feeling good, and trying to get back on track. It's a slow process!
I was so sleepy from the weekend, that I didn't workout on Monday, then on Tuesday I did a half a$$ workout - but today I finally hit it correctly. I have walked 5K everyday (actually Monday I walked 10K, but walking doesn't do much for me in terms of keeping me at all in shape). It was good to get back in the game. My joints and muscles are so stiff, I'm walking like I'm 80. Blah. Imagine what I'll feel like then!

As for food, same deal. I haven't been eating unhealthy at all, but I'm not back at the raw thing just yet. A few days of gluttony really throws me for a loop. I'm still really bloated and puffy. Yesterday I had subway (not terrible, but not good either - no matter what that guy from the commercials says). Today, one of the doctors took me out for dinner, and I had an amazing meal of 'Caribou Island Asparagus with beet greens and almonds'. It was soooo good, I wish I had my camera with me to show you how pretty it was. Very healthy (not raw - but really - come on!). Otherwise, breakie was raw (banana and blueberries), and dinner will be salad too. I did have two candy lollipops. And I had some of someone's strawberry rhubarb.

Did you know that there was such a thing as 'strawberry rhubarb'? I always thought that 'strawberry rhubarb pie' was just rhubarb and strawberries!! The things you learn!!!

Anyhow, off for dinner. And maybe a bath. But no epsom salts; all out! Boo.

A Weekend of Gluttony

Woah, what a weekend.

I had a beautiful weekend away, back to my hometown. The weather was amazing - literally it was about 15 degrees warmer, and not a cloud in the sky. Gorgeous. Seriously.
I got to see so many friends, family, loved ones. All of which, of course, required food and drinks. And for all of those who feel that life can be celebrated without the previously mentioned fare - well, I have to applaud you. I honestly think I wouldn't have had the time I had, without the beauty of all that food.

Some of the food was very healthy. I made beautiful salads, and we had barbequed meats and veggies. Asparagus like you wouldn't believe. But, there was also cakes, and dips, and caesars, and ice cream. Spread over 5 days. And I don't feel bad. Mind you, I haven't weighed myself, and do not plan to. Yikes. Tomorrow is another day...

Yes, tomorrow is back to the raw food. I'm thinking all raw, with some chicken and fish thrown in from time to time, if I am missing the protein. I tell you, after 10 days raw - my tummy was thrown for a loop. And I completely agree with the whole meat digestion theory behind raw. My belly felt awful. I only ate meat twice. In small portions. I did have my spinach smoothies for breakie, and tried to eat more veggies than anything. But tomorrow - I'm back to eating right.

Everyone needs some sanity in their lives. That was my sanity. I feel sane. Give me a few days....

Drinking Water

I'm on nights right now, so time is of the essence. My father is also in town, so it leaves little time for the internet. But things are going well. Still going raw. Nights were not much of a challenge. They are usually my hardest times, regarding eating. I'm bored, and want food. I brought a huge amount of salad, banana, blueberries, apples, some dates and some nuts. I wasn't overly hungry, but still thought a lot about food. So I guess it comes down to being prepared...which I can say is true for any diet. With the Dukan, I feel like I just didn't want more protein in the middle of the night, so I craved. Fruit and veggies seem to be a good filler at night, not to mention, easier to pick at (cut up veggies can last for hours).

The one thing I'm curious about (and open to opinions!) is drinking water. A lot of raw foodies out there contest that you shouldn't drink water during meals, and that you should not drink more than 30 minutes before a meal, and not for a few hours after. This doesn't leave a lot of time to drink water. And I think that with so much roughage, you need the H20 to soften the process. But then it dilutes digestive enzymes, so that could be wrong. I don't know. I just feel  that in the past, the more water I drank, the more I lost weight. Not that this is completely about losing weight, but let's be honest. I'm more about my looks than saving the environment (sin sin!). Right now, I'm trying not to drink water while I'm eating, but am having it otherwise.

It also makes me wonder about eating meat - would it more important to not drink water while eating, or less? Meat would require more work while digesting ( I hate thinking about that process - meat rotting in your gut). I'm just so (gullible isn't the word)..... I read one thing, and think 'well that makes sense' and then I read something else and I think 'well that makes sense too'. There are so many contradicting opinions out there in the internet, that its hard to say with scientific fact what is right. And as far as asking family doctors go, sometimes I'm surprised at how ignorant they can be. Or as subject to opinions as I can be. I mean, for one, half of them don't really validate sleep apnea (the field in which I work), and I just cannot understand that. They are just not educated enough about the co-morbidiities, and all the severe effects sleep apnea can have on your cardiovascular system. For any of you out there with sleep apnea - Get it treated! It makes such a huge difference in you health, energy levels, weight, everything!

So that's all for now. Gotta do my workout before work. It's pouring rain and windy, so no walking for me. It's CardioX time! Bring it!

Not Really Wanting the Birthday Goodies

Yesterday we had the staff retreat (aka food indulgent 8 hour staff meeting), followed by my hubby's birthday evening. I tell you, there was food out the yinyang. Everything from fresh carrot muffins to the chocolateyest chocolate cake you could possibly imagine. With ice cream.

How did I do? I tell, you I gave myself all the freedom in the world. Eat what I want. And you know what? I didn't really want it. I did partake. I had one of our director's best cookies ever. I had two actually. I ate a pile of fruit, with a bit of granola. I did have a small slice of cake. A few little sandwiches corners. For dinner, with my hubby I indulged in a subway sandwich (I know, what a ridiculous birthday dinner) and a small slice of the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake I made him. But I didn't really enjoy any of it. And this was huge for me. I could have completely pigged out/binged (and to some of you, it may seem like I did), but I really just had what I thought I wanted, and then stopped. I had three 'St. Ambroise Apricot beer' (which is too die for by the way - that I could have had more of:). But I never 'stuffed myself' and this morning, I'm completely excited to carry on with the raw food thing. I'm not craving. It did not spike my cravings, or throw me off the wagon. I swear, for the first time in my life - I think I may have found my groove.

The way I'm looking at it is this; On a normal day (everyday, day to day) I will eat raw. This will comprise most of my lifestyle. On the random days where I go to someone's house for dinner, or my hubby wants something special together, I will indulge, and eat at least as close to vegetarian/vegan as I can.  I'm not laying down any restrictions, and just going to go with my gut.

The best thing from this week. My digestive system is working. Better than it has in my memory. Especially yesterday and this morning. My body acted like 'Hey! I don't want this food in me at all' and just got rid of it. Sorry for TMI. But I feel so good about it, and am excited to carry on with this way of living.

There's this part of me that thinks I'm completely full of S$#%. I know that I always get super excited about things, and then when things get tough (in life) I bail. But I'm really not worried, and going to go with how good I'm feeling right now. Carry on with my green smoothies, and amazing veggie/sprout salads. As soon as money comes in, I'm going to buy some kind of food processor or juicer, and try to expand my menu some. I don't feel like this is completely necessary at this time, as I'm completely satisfied at the moment.

So there you go. This is me today. This is hopefully me for a long time now!

Sore Hip Flexors

Ouch!! My hip flexors are killing me. I just want to be either constantly moving, or sitting in the splits with my legs elevated. I don't know if it is from walking so much in crappy shoes, or is it from yoga? Not sure. You'd think yoga would help, but Non! It did not. I'm screaming for epsom salts (and I don't have any....boohoo).

But alas, the day is over. My work is done. Tomorrow is 'retreat day' at work (which is really another word for an 8 hour staff meeting, but with food. No raw tomorrow (or rather, some raw, but some treats as well!). And then my baby's (husband I mean) birthday. I'm making a raspberry cheesecake for his dessert. And now he wants subway. I mean, really - who wants Subway on their birthday. This is the guy that eats sandwiches every day. Why on earth would you want subway? Why not a fancy meal? Or if not fancy, something more hearty at least. Jeesh. But it's his day, so he gets what he wants. He is a man of simple tastes (except when it comes to woman I hope!!).

Just to let you know....raw food still going strong. Feel HIGH, HIGH energy. Skin looking good. Thinking even my hair is softer, but that's because I'm crazy. Did my P90X everyday so far this week. I'm being so disciplined with life I can't recognize myself. Woohoo!!!

Oh, and by the way - to all you P90Xers out there, I DO NOT KNOW how you get through the shoulders/chest/tri workout. I'm almost depleted after the first set of push-ups. Scratch the almost!

4 days, Going Strong

Four days into Raw Food, and I feel great. I feel (and maybe this is WAY to early to say this) that I'm craving less sweets. I guess the fruit is enough for my palate. I've been eating lots of veggies, sprouts, fruit (bananas, strawberries, pineapple) and some nuts for protein. Last night, when dinner time came, I can honestly say I wasn't that hungry. This is big for me. Mind you, had there been a huge pizza in front of me, I'm sure the hunger would have kicked in. That hasn't dissipated just yet. Something tells me a raw pizza would be more difficult to make than the dukan pizza. But, I'm doing well. And then maybe it's because i know that I'm only doing it for a week at first that helps me take it day by day. But I do love the green smoothies. The salads I've been making are out of this world (which makes me wonder why I wasn't more inventive with salads on Dukan. I mean, all I would have had to do is throw the meat in! Mind you, I like the added texture of the nuts, and dried cranberries. It's a nice touch. And sunflower seeds! Yummmm!

Working out is good as always. Yesterday, I was crazy busy and didn't fit in my 'core synergistic' workout. So, I set my alarm for 5am and got my lazy a$$ out of bed and did it this morning. THIS IS A HUGE FIRST FOR ME....and sadly a last:). I don't think I can handle working out that early, unless it was a run or yoga. Anything that requires my muscles to act in a co-ordinated manner - just cannot be done at that ungodly hour. But I did it. I skipped the 'dreya roll' as it was WAY too much for my dizzy brain. But that's okay. I do it every other week no problem, just cannot be done at 5am!

Tonight I have my CardioX, and then a whole lot of work to do. Wish me luck!!

In the Raw

A friend of mine at work has been doing the raw thing for a while now. She is 75% raw, and still eats dinner of cooked veggies with fish or chicken some nights. Honestly, she is positively glowing. While I don't notice that she is much smaller, she is definitely less puffy, and her skin looks radiant. Really radiant.

My diet has lately been consisting of mostly veggies and fruit, along with lots of eggs, egg whites, chicken, and fish (and of  course all those bad little goodies....) - I thought, why not give it a shot for a brief little interval? I really don't think it will do me any harm, and I could consider it a little detox (and in reality, it will just keep me from not derailing completely on baked goods). So, I'm going raw until this upcoming Friday. I'm curious to see if it will make any difference in my skin over short term (which is not really all that bad), and maybe see if it will give me the extra energy she's been raving about. She said she felt better after four/five days - so this is okay. So we shall see. I'm still having 'almond milk' and I'm allowing myself olive oil/balsamic vinegar.  Oh yeah, and coffee. In moderation. And I WILL NOT starve myself, because I already (very well) know the repercussions of doing that! Shut down metabolism, and gain a million pounds!

So today, I had a GREEN SMOOTHIE

Yummy Green Smoothie

I actually had a few of these (or half a blender full - my hubby had the rest). 

Ingredients; 1 banana, 1/2 peach, a few strawberries, 3 cups spinach, almond milk, water

It really is delicious. If you haven't tried spinach in a smoothie, give it a shot! It's such a great way to get your veggies, and it is very filling (with all that added goodness). 

I also had an apple, a cup of 100% blueberry juice (not sure if I like it), 10 almonds, and for dinner I'm having a big salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, red peppers, sunflower seeds, and a few almonds. We'll see how I'm feeling after that, I may have another apple, or berries. I'd like to keep the fruit to the morning. 

I'm also going to start each morning with hot water and some lemon juice. Helps with digestion (and keeps me from gorging on multiple cups of java). 

As for my workouts, they are going splendidly. Still doing P90X everyday - today was Legs and Back. I'm getting stronger, although some days I still feel like I'm going to die. I would like to buy some bands sooner or later, as I think they would be more practical than buying weights.

Oh yes, and one final picture of the CAKE POPS I made for the bake sale (which all sold by the way, minus the ones co-workers ate)....all 88 of them!!!!

Yummy Cake Pops!

A Wasted Hour, I'll Never Get Back

So the psychologist meeting did not go well. It didn't go poorly, it just seemed pointless. The woman was very nice, but I could tell that she was just there to listen, whereas I feel like I need ideas. Her ideas were ideas that I would have thought of in year one of being overweight. Like when I was twelve. I don't think she really understood the fact that I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THINGS, and I'm not completely new to this whole 'self-awareness' business. I don't want to put her techniques down, but I just found it demeaning. Not to mention, you could tell that she would never disagree with anything I said, or challenge it. That just wasn't in her protocol. And in reality, I have friends that I can vent to. And they don't charge $140/ hour. So there you have it.

I'm crazy busy tonight....so I won't delve deeper into that just yet. My eating has been pretty good. I had some chocolate tonight while making cake pops again (just a wee bite). My food was healthy otherwise, and limited to a certain extent. Eggs, banana, tuna, salad, chicken salad, soup..etc.

Today I ran about 4Km and did the CardioX on P90X. I feel good. My tummy is bloated, but otherwise, I'm good to go. Hopefully this weekend, I'll have some downtime, and I will be able to catch up on everyone's blogs, and write some good sh#$t.

Love to all!
H