Day Eighteen: 10 days left and 1/3 of the way to my goal!

I knew that today was going to be a good day when I woke up and beat that stupid chocolate level on Candy Crush. My craving for grilled cheese and tomato soup had subsided; however, now I wanted eggs. I settled for oatmeal. I've never gone through a canister of oatmeal so quickly.

Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal (not to be confused with pumpkin pie oatmeal, although they're not that different)

I adapted this recipe from Marshmallows & Margaritas (I love both of those things!) because the picture looked to die for. 

I mixed together a cup of water, a cup of original unsweetened almond milk, and a cup of canned pure pumpkin. This boiling on the stove might smell even better than bananas baking. I imagine that vanilla almond milk or almond-coconut milk would smell even better.

Once this boiled, I added about a cup and a half of old-fashioned oats - maybe more. The recipe called for 1 1/4 cups, but it looked more pudding-y than oatmeal-y. I ended up finishing the canister. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I turned the heat down to low and cooked this for about 7 minutes (since I added more oats while it was cooking). I stirred almost constantly because this is the kind of thing that likes to bubble up and spit at you while it cooks.

Right when the oatmeal was done, I stirred in 3 tablespoons of Cary's Sugar Free Syrup. After portioning this out (it makes 3 servings), I added about a tablespoon of reduced sugar Craisins. After tasting it (very heavy on the pumpkin and nutmeg), I added about another teaspoon of the syrup.

Overall, this was pretty filling (OMG did I just say that about oatmeal?) and pretty tasty for around 200 calories.

One positive thing about taking Cymbalta is that it makes me so thirsty, I'm drinking much more water than I ever have - almost what I'm supposed to be drinking anyway. That helps to keep me full.

Lunch: Blue Smoothie!

I decided to change things up a bit, and this is definitely a winning combo! Today, I mixed the vegan protein and organic super greens powders with 1 cup of almond milk, a teaspoon of vanilla, and 3/4 cup frozen blueberries instead of ice. It's a bit thicker than usual and there's still a little bit of lingering chalkiness, but I'm actually enjoying drinking it instead of cringing. 

I followed up with the standard aloe, fiber, probiotic. No colon blow with this one.

Note to self: Do not drink a healthy smoothie while looking at a menu for Mexican food. It's in violation of the 8th Amendment.

Snack: Nap

Sleeping is my favorite dieting strategy. You can't be hungry when you're sleeping! I intended to have some delicious hummus as a snack, but then I took a warm bath because my tub is actually clean and I'm freezing. Then, I realized that Daria is on Hulu Plus, so I started watching that, and I didn't even make it through an episode. 

Dinner: Vegetable Stir Fry

I've had a bag of brown rice in my cabinet forever and a bag of Asian stir fry vegetables in my freezer forever, and it was time to put them to use. 

I started by boiling 2 1/2 cups of water on the stove and adding a cup of dry brown rice once it was rolling. Then I covered it, turned the flame to low, and let it do its thing for 45 minutes. If you know me, you know that I am terrible at cooking rice (which involves all of two steps, so I don't get it) but I was told to just leave the pot alone so I resisted temptation to lift the lid and stir.

After waiting a while, I threw the steam-in-bag in the microwave for 6 minutes.

My food photography game needs work

Meanwhile, I chopped up a stalk of celery and threw it (wow, apparently I do a lot of throwing in the kitchen) in a bowl with 1/2 cup shredded carrots (not realizing there were carrots in the stir fry mix - oh well, my eyes are getting worse, anyway), 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage, 3 chopped green onions, 1/2 cup sliced yellow onion, and a can of rinsed chickpeas.


When there were about 7 minutes left to go for the rice, I threw the vegetables in the bowl in a preheated skillet with a tablespoon of sesame oil. I probably should have put the onions in first and gave them some time to brown. After 3 minutes or so, I added the bag of Asian stir fry vegetables (mushrooms, red peppers, carrots, baby corn, water chestnuts, broccoli). Meanwhile, I'm pretending I'm at Mongolian grill.



After that went for a few minutes, I added 4 tablespoons of La Choy original stir fry sauce/marinade. I stirred it all together until the rice was done, then I portioned everything out (this makes 4 large servings at 334 calories total). I added some pea shoots and a sprinkling of lime juice to mine.

In retrospect, I would add more sliced yellow onion, some garlic (obviously), and more sauce.

However, this was a very large serving that should hold me over until bedtime. I'll be happy to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow...and the next day. 

I think I'm done eating, so here are my totals:

Totals	775	137	16	35	1,020	27
Your Daily Goal	1,200	150	40	60	2,300	45
Remaining	425	13	24	25	1,280	18
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

I still feel like I'm eating way less than I should be (I hear it's bad to eat under 1,200 calories) but I'm really not hungry. I lost 6 lbs in 17 days doing virtually no physical activity, so if I keep along this path, I'll lose another 6 lbs just in time to gain it all back on my trip to Tennessee! 

Until tomorrow...

Days Thirteen and Fourteen: This Isn't Getting Easier

Sigh. Avoiding animal products is really, really hard to do when you're dining out. And since much of my weekend has consisted of going out to eat, I've had a hard time keeping up this diet. And since much of my week was filled with social activities, I've had a hard time avoiding adult beverages. Maybe there is a silver lining in my recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia - the medicine I started taking only allows me to tolerate a few drinks, so I can't throw them back and drink my day's calories away. Honestly, the way I feel makes it easier for me to learn towards total teetotalism. 

Anyway, my eating and drinking habits have put me slightly over my daily goals, proving that if I could just get my butt into the gym, I'd be right on the mark. Unfortunately, the pain I've been in doesn't exactly make me want to be very active. I know I'd feel better if I did something, but it's hard to get into that mindset when I'd rather throw myself a Netflix pity party and lay in bed. I have off tomorrow, so maybe I can start the week off right. Here's how I did on Friday:

Friday, January 17

Totals	1,387	208	32	37	1,095	62
Your Daily Goal	1,200	150	40	60	2,300	45
Remaining	-187	-58	8	23	1,205	-17
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I'm beginning to think that all oatmeal is a waste of calories. It never keeps me full like people claim it should, even when I fancy it up like this. I got this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie because I couldn't find the Hungry Girl recipe I used to use. This cooks 1 serving, and it's pretty easy. The following goes into the pot: 1 cup of almond milk, some salt (does anyone even measure salt?), 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used imitation and it was fine, although now that I'm an adult, I should probably buy the real stuff).

This looks vomitty

While that was cooking on the stovetop, I tried the blog's "melted banana trick" to sweeten up my oatmeal and add some more volume. I just sliced up a banana with another 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and let it get melty and gooey and then added it to the oatmeal while it finished cooking.

You know what would make this better? BUTTER.

I forget how long this took to cook altogether, but just let it boil and then watch it until it gets to the desired consistency. When it finished, I threw in about a tablespoon of golden raisins and sprinkled some cinnamon on top.

This is actually better than it looks...but not that good

Like I said, this was decent, but not worth the 381 calories. Next time (Tuesday, probably) I make this, I will probably omit the banana. It didn't add any flavor or volume that was worth its weight in calories. 

Lunch: Whole Foods Quinoa Salad

Remember how I was excited to find this because I thought it was the same quinoa salad that I had at Pita Grill? (man, I'm also plugging them so much, they should sponsor me, too).

Well, I was WRONG.

This was gross. A serving size was like two tablespoons, so I think this was meant to go on top of something rather than be eaten by itself. Granted I did eat it a day after its "use by" date, but I don't think that explains the funky chemical taste in this salad. I think I managed to eat 8 tablespoons for lunch, at 80 calories.

Snacks: Random crackers at my parents' house

I had plans with the girls on Friday night, and since we were staying at Jen's house and Jen lives around the corner from my parents, I decided that fate was telling me to bring my laundry to good old mom and dad's before dinner. When I got there after work, no one was home, but I could smell szekely goulash in the slow cooker, which is my favorite Hungarian dish and one of my favorite, period. Not fair! This smell, combined with my measly 8 tablespoons of quinoa for lunch, had me digging through the pantry for a vegan-friendly snack in a carnivorous household. I settled on some crackers and some dill Triscuits, which I realize are crackers, too. I was famished. 7:00 couldn't come soon enough. Especially when my parents started eating the delicious pork and sauerkraut in front of me and offering me some.

Dinner: Vegetable Pad Thai and Champs

It was finally dinner time!!! We headed to Yummy Sushi to celebrate Jen's and Kayln's belated birthdays and eat our faces off. We ordered edamame for the table, which is obviously safe, and I went with the vegetable pad thai because I didn't think sushi vegetable rolls would fill me up, especially if I was drinking the champagne we brought with us. 

When the vegetable pad thai came, I couldn't shovel it into my mouth fast enough. It was so good. And then I realized: Holy shiitake mushrooms, pad thai has eggs in it. Nonononononono!!!!! I attempted to pick the eggs out, but because they were cooked with the noodles, the pieces were so small it was nearly impossible. I did the best I could, but after my realization, I didn't eat much more. :( 

I'm very proud to say that when we got back to Jen's, I was able to resist the chocolate Junior's cheesecake she surprised us with. I did not resist a glass of white white. Small victories! (?)

Saturday, January 18

Another day that wouldn't have been so bad with exercise: 

Totals	1,657	239	18	56	1,455	38
Your Daily Goal	1,200	150	40	60	2,300	45
Remaining	-457	-89	22	4	845	7
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

Breakfast: Randoms

I had to take my car in for service at the dealership, so I had to wake up pretty early at Jen's and make the trek pretty much all the way across the state (seriously). Luckily, the dealership is down the street from Steve and Eric's house, so when they told me it was going to take two hours, Steve so kindly agreed to pick me up. We were roasting Eric that night, so we had decided to work on our material during the day so I could avoid driving all the way home and coming all the way back. Of course, as soon as Steve pulled up the car was ready 90 minutes ahead of schedule (not complaining!). Steve, Briele, and I decided to go to Shore Good Pancake House for breakfast and I immediately started thinking about what I'd be able to eat there. In the meantime, I ate a banana that was in my car.

I settled for a random mix of vegan-friendly options: black coffee with Splenda (which I will no longer be using, by the way), grits (which I requested be made with water and not milk), home fries (which were hopefully safe, but for all I know were cooked in butter or bacon grease), and wheat toast (which I requested without butter).

Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs!

I had some strawberry jam on the one slice of toast I ate, which made my teeth hurt because I'm not used to sugar. I finished the grits and maybe a third of the home fries. I was full and happy, but I felt deprived because Shore Good's omelettes and pancakes come in so many delicious and wonderful varieties. 

After a late breakfast, we sat around for a while and then I went to go run some errands, so we skipped lunch. By 5:00, I was totally ready for all-you-can-eat Mongolian grill. 

Dinner: Mongolian grill

The nondescript Mongolian grill (PJ Lee's) we went to had "vegan friendly" painted on their window, so I knew I was safe! Our dinner started with soup and rice (I chose vegetable and brown) and then I packed my bowl with sprouts, vegetables, tofu, and noodles and added Mongolian and barbecue sauces. After it was cooked, I topped it with peanut sauce and sesame seeds.

I could barely finish all of my food and then could only guess at my caloric intake. I chose a "Mongolian Bbq Bowl" on My Fitness Pal at 512 calories. In retrospect, I could have ditched the rice and used less noodles and avoided the peanut sauce altogether. This was very good and filling though, and I was pretty much set for the night.

The Roast: You need drinks at a roast, so I had two Pacifico and then AJ had to show up with Natty Boh, and how was I to resist the PBR of Baltimore? Luckily I resisted any late night snacks, although Eric did (accidentally) trick me into another slip up when he told me try this awesome guacamole, and then told me it was Greek yogurt guac. :/ I barely had a bite, so I'll get over it.

More about today and tomorrow...probably on Monday.