Jogging in June! - Page 10

[Shantimama]

Just grabbing a few minutes to sit before the party I am catering tonight. I have been on my feet from 6 a.m. until 10 or 11 every night this last couple of weeks and my feet are tired. I keep forgetting to find a pedometer but I figure I must be getting a few k's in every day! Yesterday I was dragging at work and had to face the stairs for the 50th time and told myself that I am a Dingo and can do it. This is my version of a marathon, just going to work and especially coming home each night to all that awaits me here.

I just finished reading the book Jo recommended too and loved it - and had similar questions. I have given up my morning Chai latte and all other milk - just small amounts of cheese every so often - as well as grain and potatoes 99% of the time - and I have dropped another pants size and my face is not at all puffy any more. I am eating so much - a scandalous amount according to mainstream dieting - but I feel good, exhaustion and stress overload aside. It has been hard getting used to eating meat again but it does make it easier to avoid simple carbs. I am not craving legumes the way I usually do but will eat them sometimes. Mostly I am eating veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds and lots and lots of water and green tea. And yes, the occasional Diet Coke. Of course I know how horrible that stuff is but somehow it keeps me from falling apart some days and that is good enough for me right now. I feel like I am living in crazy-ville in so many ways these days and eating better helps. Thank you so much for the book recommendation!! Keep them coming, please!

Our house, refrigerator and washing machine have recovered from the extra house guests last week. I have been cooking most of the last 24 hours for this party tonight and my house smells great - hummus, roasted eggplant dip, bean dip, caramelized  onion dip, strawberry bruschetta, ricotta lemon bites, Greek salad skewers, baked brie (prepped but not yet baked!), Caprese bites, - total yumminess. I bought a really good bottle of balsamic vinegar for some of the recipes and just polished off a Greek salad I made with some of the leftover ingredients before I head over to finish prepping and start serving stuff. If I get a burst of energy I might even do some mascarpone stuffed strawberries while I am there, even if they are just to get me through the evening! I just wish I could be making all of this for a Dingo gathering       

[1jooj]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Shanti, and if it's helping you source the power to get through these days, then it is a real pleasure. I would eat mascarpone at an occasion like that!

On the Big Agribusiness questions, it goes back to postwar times...Gene Logsdon (All Flesh is Grass) is a good read on the subject. My parents' acreage is planted in corn and beans this year. Other years, there is sometimes wheat. In case my mom needed another reason to be angry about my food choices. It's actually a problem for the little guys like my parents. The system is set up for them to be dependent on it for survival, but not to thrive within it, and eventually for their land to go to sale to a large corporation. Highly mechanized crops become more profitable (at least financially and with subsidy programs in place) when their mechanization can be optimized (and only then), which is the drive behind that ag economy. You've got equipment manufacturers, seed/fertilizer/pesticide producers (all the same these days, right? and two of those are made from petroleum), and then large agribusiness corporations owned by non-farmers. It's even possible (likely) that those "three groups" are one and the same. I smell Koch. When it comes to grains, even buying local isn't a great help, with all that's happened in the GMO and pesticide end. The whole thing feels like end times sometimes.

sparkle, here is where I admit I had a dream about Adam Levine this week. 

[sparkletruck]

Originally Posted by 1jooj 

sparkle, here is where I admit I had a dream about Adam Levine this week. 

So, I am the representative floozy-in-my-mind Dingo, whom all others hark to when they have a 16-year-old moment?

I recommend watching the documentary Food Inc. for what it has to say/show about big agribusiness vs. the little guy. I blew it off, thinking, 'Ive read everything Michael Pollan has written, I know it all already', but this was shocking, mostly from the business standpoint. Down with Monsanto and Con Agra!!!

[JayGee]

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

So, I am the representative floozy-in-my-mind Dingo, whom all others hark to when they have a 16-year-old moment? !

Yep! After all, you're the one who got us thinking with that hot climbing guy!!!

[1jooj]

Originally Posted by JayGee 


Yep! After all, you're the one who got us thinking with that hot climbing guy!!!

 Not really, sparkle. But you brought it up, and I'd actually shocked myself with my 16yo moment. 

JayGee, I am back in. It's the first, so no time like now. Last night was a PMS explosion. All "good" foods, but wrong things, wrong quantities, just...wrong. I need to get back to meals and away from snacks and be done with it again for a while. Ramadan is coming and I need to be prepared. Those will be long fasting days (almost 17 hours at the start of the month, and slowly tapering to, I think, 15.5).

Now, to plan and pack for a week at the cabin...

[JayGee]

Jooj ~ I am not snacking much this Whole30, but eating much more at meals.  I didn't get hungry for 5 1/2 hours after my hearty lunch yesterday (but boy, was I ready for dinner by then!)  Have a great Whole30.  Sounds like the ideal way to lead up to Ramadan.

RR ~ DH and I promised each other that we WILL work out today, sometime, some way.  Yesterday I just played in the pool with the kids.  We did family relays where we raced back and forth across the deep end. DH and I are the crazy parents at the pool who are swimming with their kids (here, at least, most parents are either sitting on the side watching, or reading a book).  We got some strange looks from people, but we had a lot of fun.

NRR ~ enjoying the visit with my sister and her DS.  I'm steeling myself for his mega-meltdown when my sister goes out for her run later this morning.  He does NOT like his Mama leaving him..... ever.

[sparkletruck]

That's ok. As someone whose libido just kicked in at 38 and will be fading soon, I am enjoying my 16 year old moments

Plady - I also think that there is scientific support for the low fat thing. Mark Bittman just posted an opinion in the NYT about a test of various diets, and while they found that the low carb made people lose the most, it also had some concomitant health side-effects, so they recommended a more balanced version (a little less fat, less meat, some whole grains) In any case, there has never been support for the SAD diet most people eat that the farm bill endorses year after year after year...
Edited by sparkletruck - 7/1/12 at 7:31am

[Nickarolaberry]

JayGee it's awesome you play in the pool with your kids. I, alas, am one of those watch-by-the-side-and-read-a-book moms.  Sometimes I go in and do laps but I rarely play. I have a problem with playing in general and my kids wish I would do more of it. It's not one of my more edifying qualities, for sure. Sigh.

Jo, I love how you continually find your power even through all the struggles and life challenges. You inspire me.

Sparkle, anything that encourages a 16 year old moment is cool for me.  Adam Levine, yes. Also John Mayer. And that swimmer, Roche. Michael Fassbender (for some reason dh gets GQ magazine which he never even reads -- I think it's a doctor thing getting all these random magazines. The last issue had a story on Fassbender that was...wow...) Ok I'll stop. I admit it, I probably need an eye-candy intervention. Whew. 

Shanti, I hope your catering event went well and you get some rest (and that you got to eat some of your fabulous food!). You are amazing, mama. Stay in touch.

RR: Very, very, VERY ugly 10 miles this morning. It is humid, my stomach has been iffy, and I am on any-minute-now-AF time. I got it done but it was slow and excruciating. And now I am sucking on a mango-cherry-berry-coconut-milk smoothie and pressing some tofu to make a tofu scramble. I must say that eliminating dairy has been no problem (although I miss certain things) but the eggs...that's a bit more challenging. Still, I have not been able to get farm fresh/free range etc. eggs from people I trust lately who take care of their chickens so until I can, those are off my list. 

However my dh is making fun of the vegan thing constantly (and I have said NOT ONE WORD to him about his choices) and it is starting to piss me off.  Dude. Eat what you want but keep your opinions off my plate.

[sparkletruck]

Nic - Michael Fassbender is jockeying for the top of "the list". He was at the top for awhile, but now there are 3. Dh and I joke about it. It's called my "to do" list Dh was all excited when I suggested we see Prometheus, and then on comes Michael Fassbender, and then Idris Elba

JG - I am a play half-time, watch half-time mom. I love to play in the pool more then other places (the park...) for some reason. How odd that people would give you strange looks. Good for you two!

Shanti - been meaning to say. Holy cow mama, you are doing an AMAZING job, just amazing. That feast sounded insanely good. for the wherewithal to get through this busy time.

[bec]

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

, so they recommended a more balanced version (a little less fat, less meat, some whole grains)

This sounds like South Beach!

Party at Shanti's!!!!  Yum!

Nic - Grrr to your H (you don't want the 'D' that I would put in front of that).  But, congrats on getting a hard 10 miles in!  I find those just before AF workouts to be the very, very toughest.  It's such a relief when she gets here!

Pool - I don't necessarily play, but I totally hang out with my kids in the water.  They like to orbit around me, use me as a buoy, or base, or goggle tree.  Abby taught herself how to breath on the side by watching me do laps, so, they do, apparently pay attention when I am swimming. 

RR: 50 mile bike ride today!  We did it in under 3 hours, too, and I did not feel like we were pushing all that fast.  I'm, apparently, getting better at riding hills (wish that would translate to running them).  And, how crazy is it that I was thinking around mile 45 that a run after would probably feel pretty good?  Hmmmm, 2 weeks till 70.3!

[sparkletruck]

Here's the Bittman article

[MelW]

Shanti, you are amazingly strong. Your food sounds delicious and I wish I could join you for a dingo feast. (And then a dingo film ogling event - may I recommend Timothy Olyphant in Justified? ).

JayGee, I love playing in the pool, though at my kids' ages it's still mandatory. Good for you for fitting the exercise in and having fun!

sparkle, I hope your funk clears soon. And thanks for the article. I've read some Taubes and paleo/primal stuff, but feel that it's not the "best fit" diet for my body. I'm pretty convinced of individual chemistry/metabolism impacting our own best diet (and likely changes in this over time as we age, change hormones, etc.). I seem to thrive with lots of fruit & veggies, fish, legumes and eggs as my main proteins, some nuts and occasional other meat. My family is much more carnivore than we used to be- now that I have my birthday deep freezer, I just put in a big family package meat order from our local butcher.

bec, way to go with the long ride! I can't believe your tri is so close already.

Nic, glad you survived your grueling 10, and that your new diet is working well despite the criticism

RR- Strength training today. I am finally *almost* getting somewhere with the chin-up/pull-ups. I can do one and as long as I don't go down too far get myself up a second time. My upper body strength is pitiful, so I'll celebrate small successes.

NRR- There is a big "BC Bike Race" 7 day mountain bike stage race that came through town today. My youngest joined the kids race- she was the youngest/smallest in the under 5 pedal bike category (separate race for run bikes), and was thrilled with her finisher's medal and winning sunglasses as a draw prize. Pretty cool. I wasn't actually there for the race- she had asked for some special dad time so we split up and I took the oldest with me to the hospital to make student assignments for tomorrow and out to a coffee shop for a treat. We had watched the tents go up yesterday and some of the bikers coming into town and she was hooked on the idea of racing. My oldest daughter doesn't like to do anything competitive... she couldn't possibly "fail" in public. And speaking of ogling, there were lots of lovely mountain bikers in town for the event...

[tjsmama]

jo~Your question about where the cholesterol decrease was made me wonder, so I just pulled up both sets of results. Interestingly, the HDL was almost exactly the same (1 point off). The LDLs, however were 40 points apart! Also interesting...my triglycerides were actually 30 points higher on the test with the lower overall cholesterol. Hmm. On the question of a rendezvous...I really think it's hard to go wrong with Paris. Four days in Paris...ah, romance. I love Paris, can you tell?

shanti~Your feast sounds delicious! Hope it was appreciated! And that you get some rest soon!

nic~I have problems with play, too. Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing "mommy, I want to plaaaaay with you." That said, I did a pretty admirable job in the pool for four hours this afternoon. I prefer to be on the side with a book or magazine (and the occasional dip to cool off), but we couldn't get lounge chairs close enough for me to be comfortable with that, so in the pool with the kid it was.

DS and I are having a pretty wonderful weekend in Glenwood Springs. I have to say, for as much as I was worried about him driving me crazy with it just being me and him for three days...it's been really good. Yeah, he's been exhausted and a little crazy at the end of the day, but overall, I have loved spending this time with him. He's been really well-behaved and a lot of fun. Yesterday, we hiked to Hanging Lake, probably my favorite hike ever. It's a short hike, just about a mile one way, but that mile is mostly straight up. For the majority of the hike, you're right alongside a creek that is forming waterfalls all along the way, and when you get to the top, it's a gorgeous lake that just appears on the edge of the mountain, fed by waterfalls. I did learn that peak tourist season is not a good time for me to do the hike (hello, stupid people...the signs clearly say NO dogs, and STAY OUT of the water ), but it was so fun to share it with DS. He did pretty awesome, with much less whining than I anticipated. A ton of "mommy, when will we be at the top?"s and a ton of "mommy, I'm tired"s on the way down, but it was so worth it.



We got started on the hike later than anticipated (DS slept till 8:30! Unheard of!), so instead of hitting the Hot Springs pool yesterday, we just went down to the (miniscule) indoor pool at the hotel for a couple of hours. Picked up some pizza for dinner, changed rooms (hello, Ramada Glenwood Springs...you should really consider some better soundproofing for your first floor rooms if you're going to have quinceaneras with pounding music directly below them until 1 am ), and watched a movie.

This morning's plan was to go to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. I was kind of on the fence about whether it would be worth it, but my friend who grew up here said we should go, so off we went. To get to the park, you have to take a gondola up to the top of the mountain, so that was fun, with some good views. Once at the top, we did the cave tour. It was pretty impressive, and DS loved it. There's a huge cave system, with tons of cool formations to see. It was over an hour tour, and DS didn't get tired of it until we were literally on the way out (and only then because he was cold!). The rest of the park is a bunch of rides and attractions that you can buy tickets for, but they're kind of pricey, so we only did the ferris wheel and the human maze. I kind of wanted to do the alpine coaster, but DS wasn't so sure, and for $12 for us to ride, we decided to pass. I already had coughed up $25 for the souvenir photos of us in the cave (kind of lame, but it was actually a really good picture of us). We took the gondola back down, grabbed some lunch, and headed for the Hot Springs pool for the afternoon. $$$, but well worth the money (same as the Caverns...it was an expensive day!). The main pool is 90* year round, and is ENORMOUS. 3-5 feet for most of it, then 8-ish lap swimming lanes, and a deep end with a diving board. There's also a kiddy pool, waterslides (extra charge, and DS didn't want to ride, so we didn't), and the therapy pool...which is 104* year round. Ah, giant hot tub. As previously mentioned, we weren't able to get lounge chairs close to the pool, so I spent the whole time in the water with DS. Which was mostly ok, except for the part where I realized that he has pretty much entirely forgotten his swim lessons from last year. We worked a little bit on back floating, but it's definitely time for some more swim lessons. We left the pool tired, a little sunburned, but pretty happy. I splurged on dinner at a nice steakhouse, where DS practically fell asleep at the table.

We head home tomorrow, by noon at the latest, so I can get home and get a nap before tball practice and work. We may squeeze in one more short hike, but we'll see what time we get around in the morning. We've been eating breakfast in the hotel, but tomorrow we're going to go out.

rr~A very slow (practically glacial) 2.5 mile hike. A crapload of stairs on the cave tour (127 each way). Some more stairs down to/up from the pool. Sadly, my legs are actually a little sore from this...

[1jooj]

I started a NEW THREAD! 

Gaye, so interesting, the cholesterol thing. There are just so many variables on those numbers. From what I (think I) understand, a lot more can elevate triglycerides than just eating more sugar/junk. Body fat, I think, is liberated into triglycerides to be burned as fuel, too. Either way, I am sure in some way that thyroid also affects those numbers, and it will be interesting to see next time where things are. Your together time with ds sounds pretty awesome, even if tourists can be, well, as they are. Thoughtless, inconsiderate, dumb. Anyway, he'll be making up sleep for a week!

Play: I don't like to play, but then sometimes I do. I am sometimes playful and I am unpredictable with it, which makes it more fun. But my kids would like more of that from me. But, guess what? I don't usually have more to draw from.

MelW: You've nailed the way I am feeling about diet and health! It is just giving me an amazing sense of, "Whoa, epigenetics," to think about how differently bodies process nutrients, react to stress, consume sleep, develop allergies etc. And what I am capable of now vs. three years ago. And what I do better with. But paying attention to the body itself seems to be the key, and this is something we can easily tune out in exchange for a hundred million little stims every day. Your bike day sounds rocking.

So, move on over to the NEW THREAD, and in the meantime, I will suit up and head out for 4 miles or so before hauling kids back to the orthodontist and packing for a few days up north at the cabin. See you ladies when I get back!