Eat Right....and other ramblings

Hello all!

Again, sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. No good ideas. First, an update! My birthday was Thursday, and it was a pretty good day!
I went to lunch with a friend down at Beans and Barley which I had never been to, but love! All of their menu options look totally healthy and they have a huge selection of tasty vegetarian things. So I highly recommend it and will be visiting back often! John came home from work and I got my present from him which was a gift certificate from Azana spa. So, I think I have narrowed it down to getting a facial and a massage- yum. We went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which was tasty. I am not a huge fan of this place because I generally do not like chain restaurants (if I never see the inside of an Applebee's, I can die a happy woman!) but they have pretty good food and we don't go there that often. I had a tasty chopped salad with corn, apples, eggs, tomatoes, etc along with an appetizer of crab wontons. Well, the "side salad" I ordered was GIANT so I couldn't finish all of it, but I did finish the wontons. That is another reason I don't like chains: they give you astronomically sized portions. Anyways, a good time was had by all.

The real purpose of this post is to tell you about my weight loss/get healthy plan. Well, its kind of a plan, but not really. You all know that I am not organized enough to have a plan! Anyways, I have been wanting to loose about 30 lbs that I gained since I started dialysis, due to me being wiped out and crashing on the couch and doing nothing usually. So, me becoming a vegetarian was the first step to this "plan". I do eat fish occasionally, because my dietician wanted to make sure I ate enough protein. But no beef, pork, poultry, or any other weird animal meat. I also do not eat any white flour. I eat whole grain bread, cereal, pasta, etc. I have been doing this for a few months, actually, and have noticed a small difference. With the "no white flour" you are also supposed to do "no white sugar" but I can't do that. I have really cut down the sugar I eat, but once and a while, you need a little kick. Lately, though, I have been eating tons of fruit, which gives you the natural sugar, so I have been able to eat less processed sugar. One other big change I have made is that I do not drink soda anymore at all. It is just plain bad for you. Period.
Next I wanted to share what my normal meals look like. My meals are pretty varied especially in the summer when I am just not as hungry as normal. Its just to hot to eat sometimes! But, here goes:

Breakfast:
Whole wheat bagel with margarine or fat-free cream cheese
Scrambled egg on whole grain toast
Small bowl of organic rice krispies with skim milk
FRUIT!

Lunch:
Tuna Salad (made with low sodium tuna in water and low fat mayo- I add celery and green onions also)
Apple with organic peanut butter, cheese wedges, and whole grain dinner roll
Egg Scrambler (Scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese)
Fresh fruit
Veggies and dip

Dinner:
Veggie burgers, or Soy "chicken" patties
Salad with cheese and eggs for protein
Tilapia fillet (they sell them frozen and flavored at Pick N Save for cheap!) with steamed veggies
Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce
Fish Tacos (made with wheat or corn taco shells/tortillas)

Snacks:
Kettle Chips (they actually have less sodium than you may think)
Nuts (Sorry, no honey roasted peanuts)
100 % fruit popsicles
Yoplait "Whips" Yogurt
String Cheese (Low fat Mozzarella)
Fresh Fruit

Beverages:
100% fruit juice (I love Juicy Juice juiceboxes)
Iced tea (Usually a good bet at restaurants or vending machines)
Ice water!


Yeah, so thats pretty much what I eat. Although, I did come across a blog that I would love for you to visit. In my "Favorite Blogs" list, there is a blog called ConfessionsofaCFHusband that you should definately check out. It is basically about his experience stemming from his wife, Tricia's struggle with Cystic Fibrosis. One of the readers of that blog decided that he wanted to loose weight, but also do something to further the cause of curing CF . So he has decided that he wants to loose 65 pounds. He is raising money for his efforts and all donations will be sent to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Tricia's name. His blog has TONS of awesome ideas and tips and whatnot, so you should really read over some of his past posts. Go there NOW.

And now, this is a ridiculously long post, but now you all have to help hold me accountable for eating healthy. Next post will be about exercise. Anybody have suggestions? Please send them ASAP! Thanks.