Thursday, April 04, 2013

Cutting out a little at a time. & watching fat intake (148.4) and Mumford & Sons

There's that 148 again!

First, the big news.  I'm going to see Mumford & Sons on June 17th!!!!!  I have never loved a band the way I love them.  Their lyrics are poetry. Their music is original, with a lot of different instruments. And Marcus Mumford's voice is perfection. When I found out they were touring the U.S. this summer, I told my husband that what I want more than anything in my life right now was to go see them in concert (yes, I'm being dramatic, but that's how passionate I am about them).

When they announced their tour (I am in their fan club, of course!), they emailed that they would have an invitation to buy tickets before they go on sale on April 5th, as a way to keep as many tickets as possible out of scalpers' hands.  I got invited, and on Tuesday I bought tickets.  They are choice seats--in the pit in front of the stage.  We are going with two other couples, who we went to St John with (they are easy to travel with) and we are great, long time friends. We got a VIP parking pass for $20 (did this with Pearl Jam in Indianapolis and it made a huge difference) and VIP passes for the concert.  The VIP passes allow us to get into the concert an hour early, access to a private bathroom and a private bar, and some other fun stuff.   The cost per ticket, with the VIP pass, was $86. 

It is in Bonner Springs, Kansas, so there is an 8 hour drive and we will stay the night at a hotel on Monday night, and we will miss two days of work.  But it is all worth it.  Sophie (and the other couples' kids) will be at church camp that week, and I'm having Luke spend the week with my mom for his away-from-home experience this summer (he's not ready for sleepover camp--going to the country with his grandparents is close enough to summer camp for him).  So it came at a perfect time of year, too.  It is a DREAM COME TRUE.  Seriously, I am still on cloud nine and cannot believe I get to see them live.

Okay, now onto food talk.

The other morning I added 2 Tbsp of peanut butter (natural, no sugar added) to my regular breakfast of oatmeal/berries/1 Tbsp chia seeds/2 Tbsp flax meal.  I was aiming to add more calories and protein to my breakfast so it would hold me longer. 

The combination of the PB with chia & flax was too much fat for my body to process.  I had my gallbladder taken out in 2002, and without it my body doesn't process excess fat well.  My GI tract reacts quickly, within about an hour, when I eat high fat foods.  Last Sunday's meal at the Japanese hibachi restaurant--which contained a crazy amount of butter esp. in the fried rice--was a perfect example.  It was not a pleasant afternoon.

After my PB oatmeal breakfast, I had the same reaction.  Not a pleasant morning.  I could do PB OR chia/flax, but not together.
I sometimes slip and forget about the high fat thing.  I don't over do it often, so it's not top of mind (just like when I forget to not eat cheese). For whatever reason I forget from one high fat meal to another.  Writing about it will help keep it top of mind.
A couple of days ago I started using only 1/2 Tbsp chia and 1 Tbsp flax meal.  The idea is to cut out some calories and fat, because as my weight gets lower, I don't need as many calories and eventually I will hit a plateau (too soon) if I keep my calories at levels I was eating when I was 25 pounds heavier. 

I think I'm going to start eating an egg before I leave home in the morning, to get the extra protein I need.  I don't have cholesterol problems.  I'm okay with eating real eggs, but I imagine I will need to mix it up with eggs and egg beaters every other day, just to be safe.  I know egg beaters has added ingredients, but I don't think I can do egg whites alone at this point.  I buy my eggs at our health food store, which gets them from a local chicken farm (is farm the right word?).

I was on quite a Starbucks latte kick for a couple of months.  I've talked about cutting down, but I hadn't.  It was a compulsion, which is not a good thing, obviously.  I am okay with liquid sugar in coffee; it doesn't trigger anything for me.  But cutting it out is, of course, a good thing and just cleans up my food even more.  The plan is one Starbucks a week. I have the Starbucks app on my phone (you can pay for your coffee and get a reward for every latte) and so I can track which days I buy a latte (it keeps a record of your purchases).

These are small calorie changes.  300-400 calories a day adds up. 

5 comments:

Laura N said...

I eat my oatmeal at work around 9 am. I have coffee (w/creamer) in the morning at home, and that's it. I know I should eat within an hour of waking up. I just don't take the time. I usu sleep until the kids get up for school and so my time is limited to get ready for work and get in by 8:45. An egg would take no time at all--I can cook it while I'm getting the kids breakfast and eat it while I'm packing their lunches. The egg would give my metabolism a kick, and be the added protein I want w/o too many extra calories for the day.

Laura N said...

I cook my eggs in the microwave for 50 seconds in a cereal bowl. I add 1 Tbsp milk, which helps keep them fluffy. I am going to try adding 1 Tbsp of coconut water (which I use to make smoothies) and see if that works. Alton Brown says adding any kind of liquid to eggs makes them fluffier (the tastiest is heavy cream, but I'm sure not going to do that every day!).

Vickie said...

Egg whites are sort of disgusting coming out of the container, but cooked, they are EXACTLY like the white of a real cooked egg.

I don't think it would bother you to just skip egg beaters and do whites, because it looks and tastes the same as a real egg white (because it is).

I have checked with two nutritionists now who both say a couple real eggs a week is fine (in fact it is good) but not daily. If daily, then egg whites.

I wonder if the PB2 would work in your oatmeal (greatly reduced fat). Try it on a weekend when you are going to be home.

And are you eating real oatmeal?

Jill A said...

Wow have a good time at Mum&Sons!! If you were coming up on a weekend I would travel to KS and see you (that's still about a 4 hour drive for me, not so doable on a Weekday). :)

Laura N said...

Thanks, Jill. One of these days we can meet in the middle!

Wonder if I could mix egg whites w/egg beaters and slowly wean down to just whites? might be an easier transition for me. pepper goes a long way in making them taste good. Glad to know 2 eggs a week is OK.

I eat Quaker instant oatmeal, weight control. Cal=160, Fat=3g, Carbs=29g (6g fiber); Sugars=1g; Protein=7g. OK nutrition profile, I know not as good as pure oatmeal. Not a trigger in the least. When I add in the other stuff, brings the protein & fat up, so it sticks with me for 4-5 hours. I don't eat snacks in between b-fast & lunch.

I love steel cut oats--I ought to make a batch on Sunday and bring it to work for the week; not sure if it would last 6 days in the fridge, I could try & see. Wonder if/how I could freeze portions?