Need to make some big changes

Looking forward to reading about the baking experiments! I'm super impressed that you were willing to bake cookies. I don't cook what I can't or don't want to eat. My willpower muscle just isn't that strong!
 
I don't mind cooking what I can't eat because I make sure that I have something yummy as a substitute. I ate fresh peaches so I didn't feel bad missing the cookie. Will probably wait until next week for the bread baking since I'll be out of town for the weekend and I need to pull the ingredients together. I've been good at following the diet plan this week except for one incident. I woke up all hot, sweaty and hungry a few nights ago and ate some toast. Bread is usually locked up but someone left it out. I paid for it the next day with an upset tummy. I really hate menopause and hormones! My doctor confirmed that these nocturnal cravings are due to hormonal fluctuations, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with! When the seratonin in the brain is too low, the body craves sugars and simple carbs to boost seratonin. Enough whining though. I'm not the first woman to deal with this and lots of other people have far worse problems. I've moved and am making sure that I personally check that the carbs and PB are locked up before I go to bed. Also, the nocturnal cravings are happening less frequently so I think my hormone levels are finally starting to even out :) Am doubling up on sleep aids, using both melatonin and ZQuil. This helps.
 
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Thank you! This is my last journal entry until Monday because I'll be out of town this weekend.Planning ahead for meals is always tricky when traveling, especially now when many vegan friendly foods I've previously enjoyed are off limits. Hotel has a microwave and fridge, so I can stop by the grocery store and purchase some foods for myself though. I'm attending a wedding so will definitely have to plan to eat ahead of time because knowing my hosts, there won't be much of anything I can eat there. I've been good this week avoiding the forbidden foods and have dropped 2 pounds. I had wanted to lose about 5-6 pounds I've picked up over the summer and now have about 3 pounds to go. Not some super amount of weight to lose, so nothing I'm complaining about. It's just a matter of keeping on track so that my weight stays in the zone where it needs to be for my health. Happy Friday everyone!
 
Busy last few days, so finally checking in! I'll probably check in 1-2 times a week from now on because I've started back to work. The weekend was spent travelling to and from a wedding, which was a wonderful event. I usually eat beforehand if dining out in case there aren't any good options or will bring my own food, but did not have time to eat beforehand and certainly would not bring food to a wedding reception. Big mistake to go hungry! There was literally nothing I could eat due to being either non - vegan or having something I was sensitive to. I was starving and ended up eating things I was sensitive to. Still paying the price. Other than that, doing well.
 


I'm all caught up! It sounds like overall things are going really good. Way to go! :thumbsup2

Just checking in after a really busy but great weekend. I had a little brainstorm yesterday, when I realized that there is unused storage in the house. I had DH lock up the the tempting food and viola! Problem solved! Only DH knows the combination. He is very sweet being willing to keep the yummies under lock and key. I actually feel sooo much less stressed knowing that I won't be able to cheat!

Oooh, that's a good idea.

Otherwise, my exercise is on track, dietary changes in place and I am feeling much better physically overall than I've felt in a long time. I am determined to do this!

That's soooo good to hear Kriii!

I'm so glad that the secret closet lock is working so well for you. It would make me absolutely nutso and my poor husband would get no rest until I knew the combo. But I believe that secrets exist for me to crack them!

Yeah same here. DH would have good intentions, but I'd break him. :laughing:

Researched breads I can make that fit my limits and found some, as long as I substitute chia seeds for xanthum gum. I am an awful cook and baker so this should be interesting!

What about a breadmaker?

Made it through the day with no slip ups. Felt slightly jealous of the dog because he gets to take his pills in peanut butter!

:rotfl:

I've been good this week avoiding the forbidden foods and have dropped 2 pounds.

That's awesome!!

I usually eat beforehand if dining out in case there aren't any good options or will bring my own food, but did not have time to eat beforehand and certainly would not bring food to a wedding reception. Big mistake to go hungry! There was literally nothing I could eat due to being either non - vegan or having something I was sensitive to. I was starving and ended up eating things I was sensitive to. Still paying the price. Other than that, doing well.

Oh no! What about keeping safe snacks in your purse and sneaking away for a few minutes? Getting too hungry always gets me into trouble. And being a place with no options, that's rough. :worried: I hope you've recovered and are feeling better.
 
Thank you for the encouragement! I really appreciate the support from other bloggers here. A lot of people who know me don't really understand why healthy foods are off limits and think I'm being overly picky. I think people are used to thinking of more traditional diets, when only the unhealthy foods are avoided. I am soooo grateful that raisins are allowed. They are my absolute favorite food in the world and I eat a dish of them mixed with apple slices before bed every night! Also grateful for tomatoes being permissible. I go through a serious number of cherry tomatoes every day. I am starting to think about which food to reintroduce first. Though I'd love for it to be peanut butter or bread (no surprise for anyone who reads this blog), I don't think it will be. Nuts and breads really make me feel bad and I suspect they won't be reintroduced easily. I'm thinking asparagus or baby kale. I used to eat these daily and really miss both. Have a great weekend everyone!
 
Thank you for the encouragement! I really appreciate the support from other bloggers here. A lot of people who know me don't really understand why healthy foods are off limits and think I'm being overly picky. I think people are used to thinking of more traditional diets, when only the unhealthy foods are avoided. I am soooo grateful that raisins are allowed. They are my absolute favorite food in the world and I eat a dish of them mixed with apple slices before bed every night! Also grateful for tomatoes being permissible. I go through a serious number of cherry tomatoes every day. I am starting to think about which food to reintroduce first. Though I'd love for it to be peanut butter or bread (no surprise for anyone who reads this blog), I don't think it will be. Nuts and breads really make me feel bad and I suspect they won't be reintroduced easily. I'm thinking asparagus or baby kale. I used to eat these daily and really miss both. Have a great weekend everyone!

Fresh tomatoes are the best! I'm glad you are starting to feel well enough to think about reintroduction. I hope that eventually a few more of your favorite foods make it into the rotation.

I'm also sorry people are not more supportive in the real world. I've got several more traditional food allergies and on more than one occasion I've had people purposefully put the offending food into something to "prove" I'm just being dramatic. They feel really bad when I can't breathe, my eyes swell shut from hives, and someone has to go running for my epi-pen. They are lucky that I haven't tried to have them prosecuted for assault or attempted murder. People have lots of reactions to lots of foods. It would be nice if people would just accept that and move on.
 
Oh wow, that is awful! Allergies are nothing to mess with. I don't have any food allergies, but certain medicines will send me into the emergency room. I'm plugging along with the elimination diet. Now that I'm back to work, it's a bit easier. I don't have time to worry about food with being busy all of the time!
 
Checking in for the week. Had a MAJOR slip a few days ago. Dipped apples directly into the peanut butter jar and killed off almost a whole small sized jar of peanut butter. Sooo yummy! I think the gut issues must be getting better because I didn't feel nearly as bad as I would have a few months ago and I didn't swell up the next day. I did feel it though. On track and eating correctly otherwise this week. Exercise, water intake and caffeine limits have been very good. Read up on "mindful eating" and am finding these strategies are very helpful. Had dinner with friends last night and was soooo happy that they commented that I am looking a lot better physically. My energy is really up! I was able to call ahead and have the restaurant prepare a meal that I could eat! My weight has been good also. I have had to make a mental adjustment in regards to weight. Now that I'm officially post menopause, any weight I hold goes straight to my midsection. I have found it to be true that women will gain 5-10 pounds after going through the change. I was in the 110-113 range a year ago and now tend to hover in the 115-120 range. This is not a humble brag and I do realize that I'm still doing well weight wise. It is just much harder to keep weight off these days, especially when I have cravings. I really just want to fit into all of my clothes from last winter! Maybe my weight will go down when the cravings finally cease, but it doesn't I'll just have to accept it. Really weight is just a number and health is what matters. Best of luck this week to all of my fellow bloggers in meeting your personal health and fitness goals!
 
It sounds like the peanut butter hiders need to do a better job. Maybe install some red flashing lights and sirens? Just kidding. I'm glad you were able to eat a restaurant prepared meal, that must have been very nice. And glad your feeling better and better!
 
Checking in for the week. Had a MAJOR slip a few days ago. Dipped apples directly into the peanut butter jar and killed off almost a whole small sized jar of peanut butter. Sooo yummy! I think the gut issues must be getting better because I didn't feel nearly as bad as I would have a few months ago and I didn't swell up the next day. I did feel it though. On track and eating correctly otherwise this week. Exercise, water intake and caffeine limits have been very good. Read up on "mindful eating" and am finding these strategies are very helpful. Had dinner with friends last night and was soooo happy that they commented that I am looking a lot better physically. My energy is really up! I was able to call ahead and have the restaurant prepare a meal that I could eat! My weight has been good also. I have had to make a mental adjustment in regards to weight. Now that I'm officially post menopause, any weight I hold goes straight to my midsection. I have found it to be true that women will gain 5-10 pounds after going through the change. I was in the 110-113 range a year ago and now tend to hover in the 115-120 range. This is not a humble brag and I do realize that I'm still doing well weight wise. It is just much harder to keep weight off these days, especially when I have cravings. I really just want to fit into all of my clothes from last winter! Maybe my weight will go down when the cravings finally cease, but it doesn't I'll just have to accept it. Really weight is just a number and health is what matters. Best of luck this week to all of my fellow bloggers in meeting your personal health and fitness goals!

I'm glad the peanut butter slip didn't cause too many problems. Eating out must have felt wonderful! You are doing a great job!
 
Had dinner with friends last night and was soooo happy that they commented that I am looking a lot better physically. My energy is really up! I was able to call ahead and have the restaurant prepare a meal that I could eat! My weight has been good also.

That's awesome! You're doing great Kriii!!
 
Still plugging along, making pretty good food choices for the most part. I won't lie - still slipping up about once a week. Totally avoiding PB toast though. The slip ups have been with unsalted nuts, not peanuts., and vegan white bread. Peanuts cause worse symptoms than other nuts I've found so I think I'm healing a lot. I tolerate white bread a lot better than bread wih whole grains I find. Exercise, steps, water intake and sleep are good also. I'm so happy that I'm sleeping better, even though I need sleep aids. I'm averaging 15,000 to 17,000 steps most days so I'm happy with that. Work is keeping me busy these days. I'm trying! Happy Labor Day weekend!
 
I'm averaging 15,000 to 17,000 steps most days so I'm happy with that.

Holy moly!!! :eek: :faint: Are you a postal worker that walks their entire route or what, that's a lot of steps!! Good job though. You're doing great and I'm so glad you're sleeping better. It's so hard to focus on any other goals if you're not sleeping well.
 
I swear my whole body has gone to heck lately. I really thought I could be a realist about post menopausal body changes, but I am not liking the fact that my jeans are now too tight. I am determined to drop 5-7 lbs. so that my jeans aren't so tight. No changes in diet or fitness routine, other than eliminating some foods, so my metabolism has clearly dropped. Mother nature is not kind to the ladies. Unfortunately my exercise routine is modified for the next two days. Had a minor foot injury and the doctor says to avoid the interval training until Monday. I can still walk and engage in exercise that isn't too weight bearing, so I plan to dust off the old yoga DVDs and see if I can recall the moves. A little down but not defeated! Have to keep it in perspective. On the positive side, I have added asparagus back into my diet and it is tolerated well! I LOVE this veggie and used to eat it every day so I am quite excited. Happy weekend to my fellow bloggers and hope you make progress towards your personal health and fitness goals!
 
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OK, so I reviewed my food journals and I have figured out why I am gaining weight. True, it is harder to lose or maintain weight after "the change" but I see that I have been compensating for the foods I've eliminated by overindulging in some high calorie substitutes. Raisins are a big culprit in my weight gain I suspect. I eat way too many of them so I cut them out yesterday and will keep them as an occasional treat. I burn an average of 1500-1700 calories a day, including during sleep, and that is only if I exercise. I started my diet yesterday and already the weight is starting to come off. I do retain water and the loss is probably just a loss of bloat but it still is encouraging. I've added some of the veggies that I am sensitive to back into my diet with no ill effects. I am really happy about that! Yesterday I ate about 1400 calories so that is a good start for day one! No hunger either, since I filled up on fruits, veggies and legumes. Really I ate pretty much as usual but cut out the raisins and watched the portion sizes. I am going to get more comfortable in my blue jeans! Happy Sunday everyone!
 
A little down but not defeated!

Love this! You have such a great, positive attitude. :)

OK, so I reviewed my food journals and I have figured out why I am gaining weight. True, it is harder to lose or maintain weight after "the change" but I see that I have been compensating for the foods I've eliminated by overindulging in some high calorie substitutes. Raisins are a big culprit in my weight gain I suspect. I eat way too many of them so I cut them out yesterday and will keep them as an occasional treat. I burn an average of 1500-1700 calories a day, including during sleep, and that is only if I exercise. I started my diet yesterday and already the weight is starting to come off. I do retain water and the loss is probably just a loss of bloat but it still is encouraging. I've added some of the veggies that I am sensitive to back into my diet with no ill effects. I am really happy about that! Yesterday I ate about 1400 calories so that is a good start for day one! No hunger either, since I filled up on fruits, veggies and legumes. Really I ate pretty much as usual but cut out the raisins and watched the portion sizes. I am going to get more comfortable in my blue jeans! Happy Sunday everyone!

You're doing great Kriii. I hope you're having a wonderful week!!
 

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