HAPPY HALLOWEEN

It's Friday again! Time to go weigh in soon.

I've had my typical couple of days anxiety since Wednesday. Not feeling like I'm down much. Not feeling like I'm doing enough. It's almost like this diet can be too good to be true sometimes.

I did have a few cheats that I will talk to my coach about. The first was seriously not my fault. I went out for dinner and planned ahead, ordered my 8 oz striploin with careful instructions: no butter, no sauce, no anything. And, asked to switch the side from fries to broccolini and steamed kale with no butter, no nothing. They accommodated. Their definition of broccolini was not mine: it looked more like long green beans to me. It's okay though, because the only other occasional vegetable I had this week was a few slices of tomato on my take out salad. I'm sure these aren't game changers. My dinner was delicious. I drank a litre of sparkling water with my dinner. I didn't miss the beer and it was nice to be able to get out for a meal that I didn't cook. The food tasted better than I've ever had out. It might be my refined palate! I had a few pieces of charceuterie to start(lomo, jamon) which I classified as lean meat. It was a stretch but it hit the spot. If that's as far as I take the cheating, I think I'm okay.

Then, today, I failed to pack appropriate veggies (due to inadequate grocery shopping) and I went to the salad stand at work. Of their many options, I could only have spinach, chicken, celery and cabbage and they had no dressing and weren't willing to do the olive oil and vinegar. So, I had the greek feta dressing which was closes to. I had such a little amount that I'm sure it is okay. It just annoys me that I am not prepared. I'm going to order some to go dressings from Low Carb Canada. A variety pack is good and they don't need to be refrigerated until opened. This would help me in many situations. At the restaurant last night, I couldn't even order a salad between the toppings and the dressings.

The daily taunts of cupcakes, fruits, and other sundry items beckon
while I sit to have my soup in our work kitchen! NO thanks.

I'm surrounded by chocolate bars, treats, chips, cheesies...so much junk food. It's been this way all week. I have not even been tempted at all. Today's video talked about glucose in the brain and willpower. That must be it...my brain is satisfied so I am strong. The sugar dips and highs definitely drive cravings. And, the structure helps me know that I just can't have something. Sometimes, I think it's better to not even try it. To not know what I'm missing.

Walking the talk: Halloween treats

I refuse to give out candy. I can't stand the over consumption and that now that parents have become more astute (and kids have become more allergic) they have things like the Switch Witch. So, most of the candy gets donated to food banks. I can't list all of the Population Health reasons why giving candy to the people who are most at need for nutrition is bad. I shouldn't have to. 

My weight issues are tangled up with insulin and metabolic disorders. This is no doubt attributed to my diet as a child. The candy bars, the chips, the access to sugary drinks. It was given as a show of love and never intended to be harmful--I'm not accusing or blaming anyone for anything here. All children of the 80's ate that way--it's what we were advertised to like, what we thought tasted good. The cereal commercials and Saturday morning cartoons, the prizes in the most sugary cereal, the prizes in packaged chips. And, it was cheaper. Which means that someone with two children on a limited income could afford to feed us sugary drinks in between meals because it costed next to nothing. And, with names like Fruite, Tang or Sunny Delight, these delicious sugared syrups had the appearance of thirst quenching vitamin fruit drinks. Combine that with my DNA and reduced activity levels, and it was a loaded gun for obesity. It set the course, the genetic programming, for weight for my whole life. 

I do not believe that children need candy for obesity and dental health reasons, which then turn into other chronic conditions that may even lead to poor self esteem and depression. 

I do hand out the occasional chocolate (last year I ran out of my 75 Halloween tattoos quickly and ran to get something at the corner store). This year, my treat bowl is filled with pencils, games, notebooks, pens, stretchy rats, bouncy balls, vampire teeth, etc.

I hope the kids feel good about it, but if not at least I will. 

p.s. Wearing a full beard with ketosis breath is surely an adventure. Don't forget the listerine strips!