I'm not Crazy I'm just a Vegetarian

Walking the path of the greens eater is a tough transition after 3 decades of being a carnivore. I still crave steaks and cheeseburgers. A lot! But I want to be healthy and thin and my previous diet plan was letting me down on achieving those goals. So time for a change.

I just finished reading Eat to Live. Lots of good information packed into that book with plenty of references for the skeptics. For me, seeing is believing and after 12 years of working with cardiac patients and diabetics I've witnessed the importance of diet over exercise and medications. I've been sampling the diet as I worked my way through the book. There were several things that I thought I was doing right but were actually keeping me from moving forward. For example: heaps of olive oil when cooking, large portions of lean meats, and fruit juice. So far by just dabbling with my diet I've lost 8 lbs. I'm not quite down a size in my clothes but I'm getting there.

I'm doing this not because I feel bad for animals but because I want to be the best version of me. If eating vegetables can make that happen, I'm willing to make the HEB produce section my best friend.

Here is a sample of what I eat during the day:

Breakfast: Salad - 2 handfuls of baby spinach
6 baby carrots
4 grape tomatoes
1/4 red bell pepper
1 handful of walnuts
I like this because I can eat it in the car on the way to work.

Lunch: Foot Long Veggie Delight on Wheat from Subway with spicy mustard and hold the cheese
This is a ton of food but only 500 calories.

Dinner: Baked Sweet Potato Plain
Baby Spinach Salad Topped with Canned Black Beans (Ranch Style is my favorite), 2tsp of Light Oil and Vinegar Dressing, and Chopped Green Onions.
I love how this looks on a plate with all the colors. Even Damon the die hard meat eater likes this meal.

I still eat some meat/fish a few times a week but it's more of a side dish buried under all the vegetables. Several of my co-workers have enjoyed telling me how weird eating all veggies is and how I'm going to be unhealthy and lose all my hair? Hopefully seeing will be believing for them too. Going against the norm is crazy to most people but when the norm is being overweight and sluggish I'm willing to be crazy. Crazy for fruit and vegetables that is.

Guns Up Baby!

Not my best camera work but this is my favorite Sid vid!

Likes

Last year when we went to Durango, CO Sidney brought home a toy cat named Chloe as a souvenir. Chloe is very opinionated. Sunday night Sidney was telling me all the things that Chloe hates. Chloe apparently hates "football," "zucchini," "water," "dogs," and "typing" - in no particular order. I told Sidney that we shouldn't focus so much on what Chloe hates. We should talk about the things that Chloe likes. I asked Sidney, "Can you name some things that Chloe's likes?" Her response was, "Chloe likes hating." Gotta love that 3 year old comedic timing.

Thoughtful Moments

Today has been spent lounging around the house and just randomly reflecting on life. So far I've realized that... I'm a much better house keeper when we have people coming to visit. Chips and salsa can be just as good at home as at a restaurant. I overly enjoy making lists. I just finished a great one for grocery shopping complete with an aisle by aisle plan of attack. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Curse you Bejeweled Blitz and you're mesmerizing sparkling gem stones! I really dislike fixing my hair. The blow dryer is not my friend. And do people really care what my hair looks like? I think not. Louis Lamour books are a fun fast read unless you're an Apache. I need a cell phone cover that repels face prints. Rubbing my Blackberry on my pants all day is getting old. That pretty much sums up my day of randomly wandering brain waves.

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 3 tries we finally paid off our consumer debt. Our 2 previous attempts ended after we bought new cars and then had to get loans to repair the roof and air conditioner.

Last September we buckled down (the reluctant spouse got on board!) and started attacking our $40,000 of debt. Now one year later we're done! The last thing we paid off was Damon's pickup. So long Ford credit!

I have been so focused on making the debt disappear that I didn't plan for what we would do after it was gone. I feel a little lost. There are so many things that we want to see, do, or buy it's overwhelming. I need a plan! Our new challenge is definitely learning to save. We've never had that option before, and I think it may be as challenging as getting to where we are now.

We are splurging a little this week on a new TV. Our current TV has a wavy image that has been driving Damon crazy. It will be awesome to write a check for something fun instead of a bill!

We've been debating selling our house and moving into an apartment where we wouldn't have to worry about maintenance. That appeals to me. Escaping a renovation sounds like a good idea. We've also thought about buying another home, but I know that we'll still have maintenance issues. Today we are leaning toward staying put and getting our fixer-upper repaired. No telling what we'll decide tomorrow. The good news is that we don't have to decide anything right away.

Denver City Saturday

Take That Rosacea!

For several years I've been trying to find some way to cope with my rosacea. I've tried antibiotics, prescription creams, ointments, and over the counter cleansers. Nothing worked. After my allergic reaction in March I was through with dermatologists and decided I would just have to deal with having the complexion of a tomato. I randomly picked up this kit at the grocery store of all places because I'm drawn like a moth to a flame to any product that says "controls rosacea." This stuff is amazing! My complexion looks great, and I am so happy with the results. There is a price to beauty though. One of its ingredients is sulphur, and the odor is very strong. I feel great, look great, but smell like a box of lit matches. So sorry family, friends, and co-workers that you have to be around the smell. I'm hopeful that the company will develop a more aromatic version in the future. For now I'm not giving this stuff up for anything!

July 4th Weekend

Gigi's 80th Birthday

Birthday Weekend

This past weekend we went to Dallas/Fort Worth to celebrate my birthday. We stayed with my best friend Denise and her family. On Friday we went to the Dallas World Aquarium with the kids. It was an amazing place, and I hope that we will get to go back again soon. On Saturday the guys watched the kids (this included a trip to the new Cowboys stadium) while Denise and I did some power shopping. We had ladies lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum!!! It was a great way to spend my birthday. Thanks Denise for making the weekend so memorable and fun!!!

Daddy Time!

Graduation!

I am now an RN, BSN! Woohoo! Guns up Red Raiders!