I've come to the end of week #1 of my Forks Over Knives nutritional program. Brody, yet again, was the photographer who took my updated photo. No, I did not crop my head off on purpose. I will officially weigh-in tomorrow morning, but according to the scale this morning, I have lost two pounds. And I am very proud to say that I did no cheating! That's a miracle considering the s**t I've tested out this week. Let's see, first there were two "thumbs down" recipes from my Forks Over Knives cookbook -- Southwestern Mac And "Cheese" and Curried Rice Salad. If you happen to know anyone who is also doing this diet, just tell them that I preferred water over those two meals...threw most of it away. Then there was a vegan falafel burger...or as John called it, the "Feel Awful" burger. I had it doused with homemade hummus, lettuce, tomato, and onion and it was still horrendously dry and bland. Had such high hopes... I had some kind of pumpkin seed bar whose poor experience went something like this: rip open package, smell, bite, chew, throw away...all in a matter of 30 seconds.
And to round it all off, I tried Manna bread today. See this blob to the right?
This is Manna bread. According to John, "manna" is a word from the bible that described what some people ate as they traveled a long distance. He was far more descriptive than I, but for now my bible-for-dummies version will have to do. John went on to say, that the word (in Hebrew, I think) actually means, "What is this?" My thoughts exactly.
I was so intrigued by this insight that I googled "manna" and according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, manna is:
a: food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness
b: divinely supplied spiritual nourishment
c: a usually sudden and unexpected source of gratification, pleasure, or gain.
Here are my thoughts on each of these definitions as it pertains to the bread of the same name:
a: way to go John!
b: arguments could be made for how this bread was actually supplied to me, but I'm quite certain this bread can only spiritually nourish me if I eat it. Since I did not get through my first slice, I have to say that if this bread did anything to my spirit, it crushed it
c: wrong
But let me give this diet a fair shake. For as extreme as it is and as mainstream in food as I am, I have survived decently. Every time I was ravishingly hungry, it was not because there wasn't something to eat. It was because I didn't feel like making it or because I didn't want to eat any of my options. I think that will all improve as the weeks go buy. Also, aside from hunger, my side effects have been manageable. Yes, I've been extremely tired, moody, weepy and frustrated which is not fun at all, but it seems to be leveling out a bit. What has surprised me, though, are some of the side-effects I was worried about that I have not experienced at all. For example, I sometimes suffer from migraine headaches. My triggers include dehydration and hunger. I haven't had even the slightest hint of one coming on. I also haven't had any cravings. OK...so I did really have to restrain myself from devouring the nuked turkey dog on a biscuit that Brody had before bedtime tonight...but, in general, I'm not lying in bed dreaming about fried chicken or Oreo cookies, or drooling over food my friends have eaten in front of me. It hasn't been like that.
I've also discovered a lot that is good and will help me going forward. For example, I now will keep baking potatoes, cans of diet-approved soup, and whole wheat pasta at-the-ready. All three of these things can be prepared quickly and can have virtually any kind of ingredients added to them to enhance their flavors. I'll also spend more time "winging-it" with meals rather than making stuff from the cookbook. While the two meals from the cookbook totally failed, my hummus, roasted vegetables, pasta primavera, potato and soup concoctions have all worked out really well. I'm quickly learning that it's better to modify a recipe that I already enjoy than to pick one of theirs. So far, my chances for success are much greater that way. Finally, it has been really important to have something to look forward to. For me it has been date night...tomorrow. There have been several times in the last few days where I thought about cheating just a bit. Weak moments that I knew would pass if I could only dig in my heals and keep focused. What helped me stay disciplined was knowing that I could cheat tomorrow and I will do that without any guilt knowing I have earned it.
Neither the book nor the doctors mention anything about cheating or splurging. I can't see how they could without it being completely contradictory. For me though, a pretty healthy woman just trying something healthier, I can stand to indulge in some food pleasures. It will be good for my spirit, my sleep and my probability of success during this six week trial. So here's to my gluttonous Friday which I might affectionally call, "Steaks Over Sprouts."
This is Manna bread. According to John, "manna" is a word from the bible that described what some people ate as they traveled a long distance. He was far more descriptive than I, but for now my bible-for-dummies version will have to do. John went on to say, that the word (in Hebrew, I think) actually means, "What is this?" My thoughts exactly.
I was so intrigued by this insight that I googled "manna" and according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, manna is:
a: food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness
b: divinely supplied spiritual nourishment
c: a usually sudden and unexpected source of gratification, pleasure, or gain.
Here are my thoughts on each of these definitions as it pertains to the bread of the same name:
a: way to go John!
b: arguments could be made for how this bread was actually supplied to me, but I'm quite certain this bread can only spiritually nourish me if I eat it. Since I did not get through my first slice, I have to say that if this bread did anything to my spirit, it crushed it
c: wrong
But let me give this diet a fair shake. For as extreme as it is and as mainstream in food as I am, I have survived decently. Every time I was ravishingly hungry, it was not because there wasn't something to eat. It was because I didn't feel like making it or because I didn't want to eat any of my options. I think that will all improve as the weeks go buy. Also, aside from hunger, my side effects have been manageable. Yes, I've been extremely tired, moody, weepy and frustrated which is not fun at all, but it seems to be leveling out a bit. What has surprised me, though, are some of the side-effects I was worried about that I have not experienced at all. For example, I sometimes suffer from migraine headaches. My triggers include dehydration and hunger. I haven't had even the slightest hint of one coming on. I also haven't had any cravings. OK...so I did really have to restrain myself from devouring the nuked turkey dog on a biscuit that Brody had before bedtime tonight...but, in general, I'm not lying in bed dreaming about fried chicken or Oreo cookies, or drooling over food my friends have eaten in front of me. It hasn't been like that.
I've also discovered a lot that is good and will help me going forward. For example, I now will keep baking potatoes, cans of diet-approved soup, and whole wheat pasta at-the-ready. All three of these things can be prepared quickly and can have virtually any kind of ingredients added to them to enhance their flavors. I'll also spend more time "winging-it" with meals rather than making stuff from the cookbook. While the two meals from the cookbook totally failed, my hummus, roasted vegetables, pasta primavera, potato and soup concoctions have all worked out really well. I'm quickly learning that it's better to modify a recipe that I already enjoy than to pick one of theirs. So far, my chances for success are much greater that way. Finally, it has been really important to have something to look forward to. For me it has been date night...tomorrow. There have been several times in the last few days where I thought about cheating just a bit. Weak moments that I knew would pass if I could only dig in my heals and keep focused. What helped me stay disciplined was knowing that I could cheat tomorrow and I will do that without any guilt knowing I have earned it.
Neither the book nor the doctors mention anything about cheating or splurging. I can't see how they could without it being completely contradictory. For me though, a pretty healthy woman just trying something healthier, I can stand to indulge in some food pleasures. It will be good for my spirit, my sleep and my probability of success during this six week trial. So here's to my gluttonous Friday which I might affectionally call, "Steaks Over Sprouts."
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