Death in the Family

Sadly we had a death in the family this week.

Our little kitty passed away in our arms on Wednesday morning. She was the sweetest little kitty and there have been lots of tears and smiles as we remember all the joy and love that she brought us.

She was a shelter cat. We adopted her just over six years ago. She came from a home of thirty-one cats and we always believed she loved finally being an "only child".

Before she left us, I told her that she was well loved and thanked her for all that she gave us and taught us.

Photo: Kitty's empty box that she slept in for past two weeks.

Figs, Tea and Dark Chocolate

Looks like another great S day for me!

Figs are in season and the ones that I got at the Farmer's Market this morning are absolutely DELICIOUS. Top that off with a chai tea latte and a little bit of dark chocolate and all I have to say is what a satsifying treat!

Just wanted to make a note that after my first week off the boards, the "chatter" has utterly died away. i.e. those crazy thoughts of ... why not just ... eat this or that and rack up lots of red days.

Apparently HABIT really is a strong creature and the more ingrained it is the less you have to think about it and the less energy you have to commit to eat.

But isn't that exactly what Reinhard has been trying to tell us all along!

I am getting amazing things done this month, staying green on NO S and thoroughly enjoying myself along the way!

Photo: Figs, Starbucks Chai Tea Latte, Yummy Dark Chocolate Bar!

Sob!

Sob! I had to quit drinking green tea. I am so sensitive to caffiene that even the supposedly reduced caffiene was too much for me.... interrupting my sleep cycle and ending up with those AWFUL headaches that I am OH SO HAPPY to live without when I am MOSTLY caffiene free.

Apparently limiting my chai tea lattes and chocolate keeps me in an an acceptable range but my green teas throw me over ...

BUT it is not all a sad story today.
In search of SOMETHING else i have discovered the two delicious, out of this world, mind bogglingly wonderful flavors of Mexican Sweet Chili and Egyptian Licorice Caffiene Free Yogi Teas www.yogitea.com

I love them! Love them! Love them! And with no caffiene and a nice cup of Bedtime Yogi Tea before I hit the pillow at night, I am sleeping peacefully, restfully, and deeply once again.

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Photo: Boxes of Mexican Sweet Chili, Egyptian Licorice, and Bedtime Caffiene Free Yogi Teas

Best S Day Ever

Sunday was my best S day ever. I really enjoyed it. I had a chai tea latte, some yogurt with honey, fruit and walnuts, a little bit of dark chocolate, a salad from Z pizza, baked tofu and a few dried figs.

What was so great about that?

Well, I will tell you.

When the day was over, I felt really good and I thoroughly enjoyed my treats. I have realized I prefer to drink my chai tea latte solo and have gotten tired of eating donuts.

Yes I have gotten tired of eating donuts, which is a very different reason to forego the donuts than because they are fattening, or fried, or junk, or too many calories, or for any other reason I tell myself that I "can't" have them.

THAT IS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEBRIS.

I have realized that I have just as many "shoulds" for eating junky food as I have for eating healthy food.

By following NO S diet I am getting more and more in touch with what I want to eat regardless of how healthy or unhealthy it is, no matter how many or how few calories it has.

This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO important for long term weight maintenance. To really make choices according to your desires. Because lets face it, if you thwart your desires, you either won't keep the weight off or you will become a complete and total pill doing so!

Photo: New Tree Dark Chocolate Bar with Ginger, Tin of Wine Lover's Chocolate

"Non-Foodie" Friday Nights

Friday afternoon I swung by our local Trader Joes to pick up one of my favorite treats -some mini peanut butter cups.

Gettting home and portioning them out in my little baggies for my S days got me to thinking about how incredible it was that I was actually doing what I was doing. In the past, I would have probably already opened the container and started chomping on those babies before I even got home because, let's face it, Friday was just another exuse for eating!

Although it can be emotionally difficult to stick with my healthy N day structures on Fridays and especially on Friday nights , I have come to beleive that this is one of the most powerful times for me to adhere.

It is like when I am in the gym trying to push a heavier weight. Yes it is hard. Yes it is uncomfortable. Yes it is stressful. And yes, it makes me stronger! When I stay "green" on Friday's I get the opportunity to separate "pleasure, relaxation, joy, freedom, and celebration" from "what am I going to eat".

This is powerful and profound. It forces me to find other ways to EXPRESS THE UTTER DELIGHT I always experience at the weeks end with something other than food. Like building my muscles in the gym, it makes me stronger.

It also does not take away at all from the pleasure that I can get from eating. It just means that eating is not my only source of pleasure. So interesting enough, I have come to REALLY enjoy the peace and satisfaction of my "Non-Foodie" Friday Nights!

WHO KNEW!

Photo: Trader Joes Mini Peanut Butter Cups

The Power of Just Stopping

One of the many great things about practicing the No S Diet is the power of just stopping. Coming from the BED (Binge Eating Disorder) spectrum of disordered eating, just stopping is one of the things that I have found really hard to do in the past. But with the healthy structure of no snacks, no sweets and no seconds, that "just stopping" muscle gets worked out at least a little bit every N day.

Which means that when those time comes up when it is simple, but not easy to "just stop" eating I have the habit, the will, the strength to do so.

Last night was a case in point. Lying in bed I wanted to JUST GET UP AND EAT A BOWL OF YOGURT. Odd, since getting out of bed to eat is NOT one of my things, but yesterday from the time I got up to about the time I went to bed the news, the answers, the outcomes, were pretty much not what I wanted to hear, no, and not now.

Needless to say by the time my head hit the pillow I was feeling pretty frustrated. Nothing that a nice little bowl of yogurt with some fruit and walnuts wouldn't distract me from. But because I have been nosing for about four-and-a-half months an inner war raged between HABIT and just wanting to drown out my frustrations with a little bit of food.

Of course, HABIT won.
And of course, when I woke up this morning I was glad I had not sacrificed all of my "greens" for my first "red".
I also realized in the past I would have had the yogurt and justified it by saying, oh thats ok, it was "healthy food".
Yes, you can use "healthy food" to appease emotional eating just as easily as you can use junk food.

Regardless, last night I definitely got to reap the benefits of the Power of Just Stopping!

Photo: Pinto Beans, Sauteed Chard, Mixed Grains, and Salad of Romaine Lettuce

My New and Funky Little Breakfast

I have been trying for several days to get a good photo of my new and funky little breakfast, i.e. one that makes it "look" as good as it tastes, but NO LUCK!

My new mix of grains is Quinoa, Amaranth and Buckwheat. I switched the Teff for Amaranth and I must say I like it better. I add about a teaspoon of Earth Balance (a very yummy vegan alternative to butter) and throw one or two eggs scrambled in extra virgin olive oil on it.

It is so yummy and really sets me up to have a wonderful day!
I love it!

Photo: Grain Mix of Amaranth, Quinoa and Buckwheat with Scrambled Eggs

Von's Birthday Cake

I used to binge on Von's Birthday Cake. I am embarassed to say that I used to be able to eat up to three pieces at one time.

AMAZING!

Curiously, I have not had ANY Von's Birthday Cake since I started No S in March. I have had their carrot cake and their german chocolate cake but not their white birthday cake with white icing and a pink flower.

The first few bites were good.

Then it was too sweet.

Then my tummy hurt.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm......

No S is very interesting the way that it alters my relationship with food.

As long as I keep my N Days clean,

my relationship with food changes at subterranean levels in my mind.

This is possibly why the weight loss is slow but permanant.

REAL CHANGES are being made.

I really, really, really like that.

Photo: Von's Birthday Cake

Out of My Food Rut

Today and yesterday I ventured a little bit ouf of my current food rut.

On Wednesday I picked up my usual Z Pizza Arugula salad and found out they had given me the Italian dressing and not the Balsalmic Vinagrette.

UGH! I was not happy.

But perhaps it was a good thing. I went to Jimbo's on Thursday morning and picked up some new vegan/vegetarian entrees. They are from Helen's kitchen. I am getting tired of ANYTHING even mildly processed but they are not bad in a pinch. And hey ! They got me out of my food rut.

Yesteday I had the Mac and Cheese with Asagio Cheese and Broccoli and today I had the Hearty Bean Chili with Vegetable and Tofu Steaks. I ate them with romaine and EVOO salad and mini blue cornmeal spelt muffins.

I have to admit it was a nice change!

Photo: Helen's Kitchen www.helensfoods.com Hearty Bean Chili wiht Vegetable and Tofu Steaks, Romaine Salad with EVOO and Celtic Sea Salt and Mini Blue Cornmeal Spelt Muffins