Proverbial Death ...
"He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician" ~ Chinese Proverb
I am in the worst physical condition I have ever been, and I'm only 34 years old...I have never been this heavy during my adult life. Chances are, if I continue with this sedentary life of sitting and eating, I am going to die. Of course, all things die ... but, I'd like to meet death on my own terms. Idealistically, I'd like to be 187 years old, asleep in my warm bed, surrounded by loved ones as I pass away. However, given my current state, I'll be surprised if I make it long enough to see my own grandchildren.
So...
It's time to get off my duff and do something before it's too late. Currently the only medication I take regularly is Prozac for my trichotillomania and stuff for allergies - both of which I don't believe I can change a whole lot by diet. I haven't yet become a diabetic, or developed hypertension, etc. etc., so I think before I go down that road, I'm going to have to slap myself into reality. (I know I sound like a broken record... but this time, I really mean it).
Change # 1 ... and I've said this before, I know ...but it's so difficult... I have to stop eating junk. No more potato chips, fries, cheetos, fritos, doritos, candy bars, zebra cakes for me... and many more. And, I'm taking the family with me ... the kids actually seemed to have a good time with me coming up with new dinner ideas for healthier meals... Instead of deciding what kind of meat we would have for supper and working around that, we started with the vegetable. Last night we had acorn squash stuffed with rice pilaf and tuna, sprinkled with a little bit of cheddar cheese (not too much) and sprinkled with pecans... it was delicious... and less than 500 calories. I must say, one serving filled me up so much, there was no room for dessert. Also, it contained about 1/10th the amount of meat we normally consume at the dinner table.
Change #2 and #3 ... more sleep and more exercise . I average about 5 hours of sleep every night. Then I take little cat naps throughout the day. I'm tired, but have no real reason to be so tired, except for the fact that I'm "bored" ... I use that term loosely, as there are plenty of things I could be doing, but I just don't feel like it. I suppose the reason I "just don't feel like it" is because I'm not getting enough rest at night, causing me to feel drowsy for most of the day. And, the reason for that is largely due to my diet and bad habits... too much sugar and caffeine, followed by copious amounts of time spent on Facebook, World of Warcraft and in front of the television.
I bought a little pedometer from my neighbor who sells Avon. I had it for less than 24 hours before the children lost it... they just had to play with it. Wouldn't you know it, they discovered it last night, deep in the recesses of the sofa ( I could swear I searched it thoroughly before...) If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a lost passage to Narnia in there, too. Anyway, it still works, and I should probably start putting it to better use. It automatically shows the "goal" number of steps at 10,500 ... soooooo, I guess I'll use that as a guideline.
Also, I need to apologize to my scale. We were good friends for a while, until one day it lied to me, and I kicked it back under the bed. We need to make amends, my scale and I. I'm sorry, scale, it will never happen again.
Baby steps, Lee. Baby steps.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Makes 8 servings at approximately 450 calories per serving
4 acorn squash sliced lengthwise with seeds removed
2 boxes Near East rice pilaf
1 large can light tuna in water (optional)
1 cup pecan pieces
shredded cheddar cheese (or soy substitute)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 cans vegetable broth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place squash skin side up (sliced side down) in baking dish with 1/8 to 1/4 inch vegetable broth, and bake for 30 - 45 min until squash is cooked thoroughly. In a separate pot, cook rice pilaf according to box directions (using vegetable broth instead of water gives the rice a bit more flavor, but also increases the salt/calorie content) When the rice is cooked, add 1 can of tuna. When squash is cooked, flip them over (add salt and pepper to taste) and fill the cavity with approximately 3/4 cup rice mixture (may vary with size of squash). Top with approximately 1 tbsp shredded cheddar and place back into warm oven to melt the cheese. In a separate pan, melt butter and add pecans. Stir until pecans are coated, remove from heat then sprinkle with brown sugar. Remove squash from oven, then sprinkle liberally with sugared pecans. Enjoy!
I am in the worst physical condition I have ever been, and I'm only 34 years old...I have never been this heavy during my adult life. Chances are, if I continue with this sedentary life of sitting and eating, I am going to die. Of course, all things die ... but, I'd like to meet death on my own terms. Idealistically, I'd like to be 187 years old, asleep in my warm bed, surrounded by loved ones as I pass away. However, given my current state, I'll be surprised if I make it long enough to see my own grandchildren.
So...
It's time to get off my duff and do something before it's too late. Currently the only medication I take regularly is Prozac for my trichotillomania and stuff for allergies - both of which I don't believe I can change a whole lot by diet. I haven't yet become a diabetic, or developed hypertension, etc. etc., so I think before I go down that road, I'm going to have to slap myself into reality. (I know I sound like a broken record... but this time, I really mean it).
Change # 1 ... and I've said this before, I know ...but it's so difficult... I have to stop eating junk. No more potato chips, fries, cheetos, fritos, doritos, candy bars, zebra cakes for me... and many more. And, I'm taking the family with me ... the kids actually seemed to have a good time with me coming up with new dinner ideas for healthier meals... Instead of deciding what kind of meat we would have for supper and working around that, we started with the vegetable. Last night we had acorn squash stuffed with rice pilaf and tuna, sprinkled with a little bit of cheddar cheese (not too much) and sprinkled with pecans... it was delicious... and less than 500 calories. I must say, one serving filled me up so much, there was no room for dessert. Also, it contained about 1/10th the amount of meat we normally consume at the dinner table.
(if you're wondering where I got my calorie count from, try this website. It's free to sign up, and is so easy to use.)
I bought a little pedometer from my neighbor who sells Avon. I had it for less than 24 hours before the children lost it... they just had to play with it. Wouldn't you know it, they discovered it last night, deep in the recesses of the sofa ( I could swear I searched it thoroughly before...) If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a lost passage to Narnia in there, too. Anyway, it still works, and I should probably start putting it to better use. It automatically shows the "goal" number of steps at 10,500 ... soooooo, I guess I'll use that as a guideline.
Also, I need to apologize to my scale. We were good friends for a while, until one day it lied to me, and I kicked it back under the bed. We need to make amends, my scale and I. I'm sorry, scale, it will never happen again.
Baby steps, Lee. Baby steps.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Makes 8 servings at approximately 450 calories per serving
4 acorn squash sliced lengthwise with seeds removed
2 boxes Near East rice pilaf
1 large can light tuna in water (optional)
1 cup pecan pieces
shredded cheddar cheese (or soy substitute)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 cans vegetable broth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place squash skin side up (sliced side down) in baking dish with 1/8 to 1/4 inch vegetable broth, and bake for 30 - 45 min until squash is cooked thoroughly. In a separate pot, cook rice pilaf according to box directions (using vegetable broth instead of water gives the rice a bit more flavor, but also increases the salt/calorie content) When the rice is cooked, add 1 can of tuna. When squash is cooked, flip them over (add salt and pepper to taste) and fill the cavity with approximately 3/4 cup rice mixture (may vary with size of squash). Top with approximately 1 tbsp shredded cheddar and place back into warm oven to melt the cheese. In a separate pan, melt butter and add pecans. Stir until pecans are coated, remove from heat then sprinkle with brown sugar. Remove squash from oven, then sprinkle liberally with sugared pecans. Enjoy!
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