Day 151

My honey and I attended a one day Basic First Aid training course conducted by the British Red Cross today. We kept talking about doing the course for many years but never got around to it until today.

The course was fantastic and such an eye opener. We learnt how to respond to all kinds of trauma, including severe burns, wounds, seizures, heart attacks, choking, drowning. If you have never done a first aid course, do one ASAP. The skills you learn may save a life and it may be the life of someone you love dearly.

B - 470
Cooked apple, dried fruit,cinnamon and agave- 208
52 g oatmeal - 200
150 ml soymilk - 62

16oz H2O

L
Quiche and salad - (calories unknown)
8 oz H2O

D
Quiche and salad - (calories unknown)
8 oz H2O

S
2 sweet biscuits and chocolates (calories unknown)
8 oz H2O

Calories - 470 + unknown calories
Exercise - 0
H2O - 40 oz

Day 152

B - 466
Cooked apple, dried fruit,cinnamon and agave- 208
52 g oatmeal - 200
150 ml soymilk - 62

16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 250
50 g lentils - 150
3 cups vegetables - 100
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 114
28 g cheese 114
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1075
Exercise - 1/2 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 153

Meet my new healthy and easy living aids. Tada!!!Have I ever mentioned that I hate cooking? LOL!!! I don't always hate it but ... I mostly do. This is apparently a lazy ... errr ... oops ... I meant a busy woman's dream come true. We'll see!!! And this is the laz busy vegetarian woman's secret guide to dazzling her man when slow cooking. ;0

B - 466
Cooked apple, dried fruit,cinnamon and agave- 208
52 g oatmeal - 200
150 ml soymilk - 62

16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 350
50 g lentils - 150
3 cups vegetables - 100
1 tbs fat - 100
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 232
30g goji bursts -128
28 g cheese 114
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1293
Exercise - 1/2 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 154

I weighed in yesterday, for Livy's Challenge and I've lost 1 kilo. To be clear, that's one kilo over the week which is also 1 kilo for the month because my monthly weigh day was today. I am not thrilled with my month's work, but that's what I get for inconsistently exercising for most of the month.

Livy has now extended her challenge until Christmas, which will give me the added incentive I need over the next three weeks to keep on track with my food and exercise.

My Weight Chart:


B - 399
1 apple - 65
30 g raisins - 89
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 400
140 g vegetarian mince - 150
3 cups vegetables - 100
11/2 tbs fat - 150
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 256
60g goji bursts - 256
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1300
Exercise - 1/2 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Da 155

Thanks for all your well wishes. I'm feeling so much better today. Stomach still gurgling but the diarrhea is gone. I am drinking lots of water again and all systems seem to be functioning normally. I have begun to reintroduce foods. Started with the following today and will try regular meals tomorrow if all continues to go well tonight.

B
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

S
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L
52 g cheese 228
10 crackers - 190
16 oz/470ml H2O

D
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1153
Exercise - 1/2 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 156

Okay folks, big apology up front for being crass here but I have to say, I got soooooo tired of urinating through my behind (it just ain't natural and I'm sore) that I stopped drinking water from around noon today, not that I was drinking that much to begin with ... just needed a break, you know what I mean.

Am so hungry that I've entered a strange delirious space where I just giggle all the time. Honey got me some Luczade and I've just had half a glass of that and if nothing happens, will risk having a yogurt. Had crackers last night and that didn't work out too well.

Even though my abdomen gurgles a lot , there is no pain or nausea today and for that I am very grateful.

Day 156

Screeeeeeech ... that's my life coming to a halt. I woke up at 5am this morning to a killer pain in my abdomen and before I knew what was happening I had thrown up the contents of my stomach, last night's delicious dinner, in my bed. Yuuuuuuuck!!!! Not a good time to discover that my mattress pad is NOT waterproof. Bloody Hell!!!

My life for the past 10 hours has been an orgy of pain and every time I tried to drink even a tablespoon of water, out it came spewing from both ends of my body with a force and intensity that would make one think I'd swallowed the Nile. I know "once a man and twice a child" but I thought I had some years to go yet before I started crapping on myself again.

We called the medical hotline and apparently there is a vomit and diarrhea bug making its rounds through London. GREAT!!! The cure is rest and plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Kind of hard to do Lady, when every time I drink it causes severe cramps and projectile vomiting, not to mention ....

My honey went to the pharmacy and secured a miracle drug for me. You stick it under your front lip and it dissolves slowly and dissipates the nausea and vomiting. I've just woken up and am testing the waters again ... pun intended ... and low and behold minimal pain and no vomiting.

Now I have to try to down 8 - 12 cups of water over the rest of the day, to flush my system and rehydrate my body.

Did I mention I'm STARVING!!!

Day 157

One of my new blogging buddies Tracy, asked me: "Do you find yourself obsessing about this whole weight loss thing? I catch and stop myself from making it a focal point of my conversations ...."

Well I usually avoid the subject completely. Essentially, I give myself this whole blogging thing to obsess about weight loss. As you'll have notice, I write almost exclusively about my weight loss/health issues here and all of the blogs I link to focus on weight loss.

What I do here gives me the strength, courage and support to stay on track with my goal of eating well, exercising and thus bring my weight down to a acceptable level, but in the rest of my life I DO NOT talk about weight loss issues other than with my doctor and my honey.

I just don't find endless conversations about diets and weight loss etc. stimulating. Never have. If someone says, "have you lost weight?" I say, "maybe a little" and change the subject really quickly. I just don't want my whole life to become about my body and what's happening with it ... I don't like to be the center of attention in that way. If someone is overweight and is asking because they may want to know what's working for me I would just refer them to this blog and set up a specific time to talk more if they wanted to later.

In person you are more likely to hear me talking about hardcore socio-political issues than weight loss, but on the other hand, it is very unlikely you would see posts about socio-political issues here.

B - 450
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
113 g soymilk - 65
52 g oatmeal - 200
1 tbls. agave - 43
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 354
2 oz cheese - 228
3 cups cauliflower - 126

D - 403
141 g fish- 280
3 cups of salad - 21
1 tbls. butter - 102
16oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1452
Exercise - 1 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 158 - Sweet Deal

I had such a lovely day. I worked at home this morning and then James and I took our work to a nearby cafe and spent the rest of the day working from there.

We ate both lunch and dinner there. My food was a little bit richer than usual, especially as I had a slice of bread at lunch and sampled three of James's fries at dinner, still I am happy that I made sound healthy choices when ordering my own food and everything was delicious.

The cafe we went to is called Pick More Daisies and fancies itself a California style joint. Yeah righttttt!!! Still it is a really sweet place, made much sweeter by a special offer they had going today. To celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, you could pay for your meals in American currency. So if the bill came to £30, you'd pay US$30. Now that's a sweet deal. Don't you think? We have lots of various currencies floating around our apartment, so this deal gave us a chance to round up all our American dollars and spend them. Yippeee!!!

B - 450
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
113 g soymilk - 65
52 g oatmeal - 200
1 tbls. agave - 43
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 256
60g goji bursts
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 272
1 oz haloumi cheese - 100
1 slice bread - 88
2 cup of salad - 14
1 tbls dressing - 70
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 419
141 g fish- 280
3 cups of salad - 21
1 tbls. dressing - 70
4 of Andrews chips - 48
16oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1397
Exercise - 1 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 159 - Patrick Stewart as Macbeth

Tonight, my honey took me to the theatre to see Patrick Stewart in the Shakespearean play Macbeth. It was directed by a young, up and coming director Rupert Goold and was fabulous.We had seats in the second row middle which ment that we got every golf ball shower that issued from Patrick's mouth ... which of course was an honour. ;0 We didn't have time to eat before we went and I didn't feel like eating out, so we waited until we got back which was quite late. I didn't want to go to bed with a huge meal in my stomach so I had some soup and then a yogurt.

I saw the Town Council workers putting up Christmas decorations on the light posts in my area of London today and I began to feel really excited about the coming of Christmas. I'm not even sure why because I don't usually celebrate Christmas, or any other kind of holiday, but for some reason I'm actually looking forward to this holiday.

I am loving what the elliptical trainer is doing for me. Just two days in and my clothes are already feeling looser. I am so glad I don't have to go to the gym anymore. The convenience of working out at home is second to none, especially as it has been too wet to play tennis.

B - 450
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
113 g soymilk - 65
52 g oatmeal - 200
1 tbls. agave - 43
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 253
60g goji bursts
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 332
2 oz cheese - 202
2cup of brussel sprouts - 130
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 345
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
2 cups of soup - 100
16oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1380
Exercise - 1 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 160 - You don't bring me flowers ...

Okay, so one thing I hate about drinking water, is all the peeing it makes me do. Who has time to be running to the bathroom constantly? James says it's good exercise and I should count each trip towards my 10,000 steps a day goal! Right!

I got a nice bouquet of flowers today from Mr. Wise Guy. Why? Well, yesterday I had a somewhat dreadful day, full of little harassments and then on my way home I was running to get the bus on a wet pavement and I slipped TWICE believe it or not, landing hard on the same bum cheek each time. There were two men standing behind me and people walking past me and not ONE stopped to ask me if I was okay or if I needed help. Of course I missed the bus and had to wait for a good 15 minutes for the next one, then endured the hour long ride home sitting in soaking wet trousers and underwear with a sore butt. I woke up in agony this morning with a stiff shoulder and arm, a hurting wrist and a tender butt. My honey felt so sorry for me that he got me a little bouquet of flowers to cheer me up. Guess I should tumble over more often.

B - 466
Cooked apple, prunes,cinnamon and agave- 208
52 g oatmeal - 200
150 ml soymilk - 62

16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 253
60g goji bursts
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 270
2 oz cheese - 120
3 cups vegetables - 150
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1234
Exercise - 1 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 161 - Livy's Three Week Weight Loss Challenge

Today begin's Livy's Three Week Weight Loss Challenge. I am off to a good start having done an hour on the elliptical trainer this morning, which made drinking my water very easy indeed. I decided to focus my goals on sticking to healthy habits rather than on losing a specific number of kilos. I figure if I make healthy choices consistently, I'll be happy with the outcome whatever it is.

B - 410
Cooked apple, raisins,cinnamon and agave- 148
52 g oatmeal - 200
150 ml soymilk - 62

16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 306
2 oz cheese - 202
2 cups broccoli spears - 104
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 337
2 oz cheese - 202
3 cups vegetables - 135
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1298
Exercise - 1 hour on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz/1.9 liters

Day 162

Thanks to Sayre, my house was filled with the most wonderful smell this morning. Sayre shared in a recent comment that she liked her oatmeal with applesauce. I though that was a nice idea, but I didn't have any applesauce. I did have apples though. Sooooo I peeled one, cut it up and boiled it in half a cup of water, with a cinnamon stick and some raisins. Before long the house was filled with the most divine smell ... definitely the smell you want to have on a cold grey winter morning. Once the water had boiled out, I added a tablespoon of agave, removed the cinnamon stick and placed the combo on top of my oatmeal. Then I poured my soymilk over this. Yummmmmy!!!

Notice I've been getting my 8 cups of water over the past few days. I changed my strategy with the water. I found a bottle that holds just about 64oz and I fill that in the morning and then consume it through out the day, taking it with me when I'm going to be out all day. When I finish the bottle, I know I've met my quota for the day. This has been working out so much better for me than trying to keep track of glasses throughout the day.

B - 410
Cooked apple, raisins,cinnamon and agave- 148
52 g oatmeal - 200
150 ml soymilk - 62

16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 332
2 oz cheese - 202
2 cups brussels sprouts - 130
16 oz/470ml H2O

D - 302
2 oz cheese - 202
2 cups soup - 100
16 oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1290
Exercise - 0
H2O - 64 oz

Day 163

I had a wonderful day. I had tennis in the morning, then an all day workshop which was really enjoyable.

I am a chronic class taker or as we say in England, a life-long learner. Essentially, I love to learn for no reason at all other than "because I don't know and I'm curious". I particularly like short courses - about 15hrs altogether usually spread over three or five sessions - because they usually pack a lot of information in over a short space of time and they're cheap.

I'm primarily drawn to anything to do with visual arts, literature, languages, culture and socio-political issues.

Anyway, had a great time at my workshop and finished off by having tea with two lovely women I met there.

B - 404
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
150 ml soymilk - 62
52 g oatmeal - 200
16 oz/470ml H2O

S - 245
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O

L - 350 (I ate out so I am guessing the calories)
Mozarella salad with dressing
16oz/470ml H2O

D - 345
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
2 cups of soup - 100
16oz/470ml H2O

Calories - 1344
Exercise - 1 hr. tennis
H2O - 64 oz

Day 164 - The Perfect Day

I recognise that schedules get disrupted but I have not exercised in 1 WEEK , and I feel it.

I can tell that I haven't been losing weight over the past two week because my clothes are fitting much the same. I know my body very well. I need to keep my calorie intake around 1300 a day, day in day out and I need to get at least 30 minutes concentrated aerobic exercise 5 day per week to lose at 1-2 lbs per week steadily. Well when I look at my records for the month of November, I have been all over the place with food and exercise. Of course, living in a city and not having a car means that I move quite a bit when I am out and about. Many tube stops here are way way way way underground and though most of them have escalators I always take the stairs or run up and down the escalators. Still that's not enough. I need at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity to lose weight, so a week without exercising just WILL NOT DO.

As I have said before, I just hate gyms. I'm not knocking them for other people. I am not a "one size fit all" kind of gal. I understand that different things work for different people, and some people do extremely well in gyms and I say "YEAH" to that but, I have never been one of those people.

I have belonged to three gyms in my life and always ended up locked into year long memberships which I do not use or use scantily because I hate the feeling of "boring sweaty factory dronedom claustrophobia" I experience in a gym. The only time I have done well with exercise is when I could mold it to my lifestyle and for me that means get it out of the way first thing in the morning, shower and be done and ready to start my day.

So we have ... or actually my honey has put together the elliptical trainer which came in two box of a million bits and here it is: Tadaaaaaa. Tried it out this morning. It sways a little from side to side-definitely not as stable as those in the gym but moves just as well as they do. It has 12 levels, a panel will information like calories burned, speed, miles covered and time, also has little sensors to check your heart rate. For a couple of months of gym membership definitely forth the cost and convenience.

B - 404
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
150 ml soymilk - 62
52 g oatmeal - 200
16 oz/470ml H2O

My new breakfast obsession:
I am trying to go through my meals one by one and create a few combinations for each that I can rely on which are nutritionally dense and fall within my calorie limits. I am making breakfast my most calorie dense meal of the day. I love this breakfast. It is very nutritious, delicious and satisfying.

S
250/8 oz yogurt- 245
16 oz/470ml H2O
I love yogurt. This one is a new discovery and I am deeply in love with it. Notice it says wholemilk. I DO NOT DO no-fat or low-fat yogurt and I have normal cholestrol levels to prove it.

L - 224
1 veggie burger - 132
1 cup of carrots - 52
1 cup broccoli - 40
16oz/470ml H2O

I chopped up the veggie burger and use a couple squirts of olive oil spray (claims to be 1 calorie per squirt) to sautee it with an onion. I lightly steamed 1 cup of carrots and 1 cup of broccoli and seasoned afterwards with a little black pepper. I eat a lot of vegetables for their vitamins and minerals but also they fiber/carbohydrate content.

D - 370
2 oz cheese - 202
1 cup of brussel sprouts - 65
1 cup sweet pepper - 39
1 cup eggplant & onions - 64
16oz/470ml H2O
Calories - 1243
Exercise - 11kilometers/6 miles on the elliptical trainer
H2O - 64 oz

Day 165

Today in old England is as cold as a witch's tit. Yeah, I know they are colder places in the world, but England is DAMP and that just gets down into your bones.

B - 404
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
150 ml soymilk - 62
52 g oatmeal - 200

S - 357
8 oz of fresh squeezed orange juice- 112
250 yogurt - 245

L - 451
250 g yogurt- 245
2 cup of vegetable soup - 206

D - 355
140 g vegetarian mince - 150
3 cups vegetables - 100
14 g butter - 105

Calories - 1567
Exercise - 0
H2O - 64 oz

Day 166

My elliptical trainer finally arrived. Yeah!!! Now I don't have to go to the wretched gym anymore. Just have to pick up my weights either this week or next and I'll be all outfitted for the price of a couple months membership.

B - 377
1/2 banana - 30
50 g dried fruit - 82
113 g soymilk - 65
52 g oatmeal - 200

S - 245
250 yogurt - 245

L - 451
250 g yogurt- 245
2 cup of vegetable soup - 206

D - 270
140 g quorn (vegetarian protein) - 170
3 cups vegetables - 100

Calories - 1343
Exercise - 0
H2O - 64 oz

Day 167

Okay, so Ms. Livy over at The Meanderings of a Woman's Outback Life tagged me and so I gotta reveals some deep dark secrets:

Four dishes I like to cook:
Four is really stretching it, but I guess I would have to go for the few dishes I have mastered (I am counting deserts in here)
Quiche
Cheesecake
Sweet bread (made with coconut)
Vegetarian Chili

Four qualities I love in people:
It's really hard to keep it to four but I guess I'd have to go for:
Integrity
Compassion
Warmth/Generosity
Intelligence

Four places I have been:
Don't know where to begin, so I'll choose places that begin with M just for the hell of it:
Morocco
Martinique
Montreal, Canada
Mississippi, USA

Four things in my bedroom:
Birth control (LOL)
Photo of my only niece, James and I
La Main de Fatima
Nighttime reads - at the moment, Grace Paley and Maya Angelou

Four dirty words I like to use (and wish I didn't say as often)
Okay, I am a complete dual personality. In the outside world I almost never swear, but at home I am the worse foul mouth you can imagine. When I am talking to James or a very close friend about someone who pissed me off, I usually say, whether I am talking about men or women:
F**ker - as in, "that f**ker had the nerve to ..."
Tosser - as in "that f**king tosser had the nerve to ..."
B**ch - as in " that f**king b**ch had the nerve to ..."
I also sometimes say, "Oh shite!!! as an exclamation.

I'm choosing the following people to be TAGGED, YOU'RE IT. Please answer the prompts by cut and pasting the above and replace my answers with your own:

Celtic Girl
Iron Man
Sayre
Tracy
Willow

B - 402
1 banana - 60
50 g dried fruit - 82
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

L - 439
52 g goat cheese - 204
6 stuffed vine leaves - 235

S - 245
250 yogurt - 245

D - 560
200 g Goat cheese and onion quiche - 400
225 g carrot & swede - 160

Calories - 1646 - yikes!!!
Exercise - 0 - have been just too swamped this week to get to the gym or tennis, we'll see how tomorrow goes.
H2O - 32 oz

Day 168

B - 383
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

L -
250 yogurt - 245
125 g goji berry cereal -

S
250 yogurt - 245

D -
52 g goat cheese
3 cups squach

Calories -
Exercise - 0
H2O - 32 oz

Day 169

Well today is a new day and I want to bring my food and water consumption back in line.

B - 383
16 oz water
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

L
16 oz water
250 yogurt - 245
60 g goji balls - 189

D
125 gWholegrain cereal
100 g soymilk - 60

Calories -
Exercise - 0
H2O - 24 oz

Day 170

Didn't go to tennis or tango today. Am attending a workshop every Saturday from 10:30 - 16:30 for the next three weeks which clashes a bit with my tennis lesson which is 9-10. I didn't want to be late the first day of the workshop so I passed on the tennis. I did discuss the clash with the workshop facilitator and she didn't think it would be a problem if I was 15 - 30 minutes late for the other two sessions, so I won't have to miss anymore thank goodness.

B - 383
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

L - ate out /calories unknown
Vegetarian Quiche
Two cups of salad

S
45 g goji balls - 189

D - ate out calories unknown
1 cup Vegetable Stew -?
1/2 cup barley - ?

S - 434
250 yogurt - 245
45 g goji balls - 189

Calories - 1006 + unknown lunch and dinner calories
Exercise - 0
H2O - 24 oz

Day 171

James and I had dinner with our neighbours Douglas and Alvaro tonight. They are such wonderful a couple and great cooks and great company. We had a blast. I had everything they served including a sweet for desert but I did have very small portions and no seconds. I'm still off in terms of food choices and calorie intake.

B - 383
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

L - 280
Vegetable & cheese pie

S - 279
45 g goji balls - 189
1 cup elderflower juice - 90

D - eaten out calories unknown
Rocket and blue cheese salad
Rice with nuts, mushrooms and raisins
One sweet pepper stuffed with tomatoes and anchovies
Once scoop of chocolate ice cream
1 glass of wine

Calories - 942 + unknown dinner calories
Exercise - 1 1/2hr tennis
H2O - 16 oz

Day 172

I've been having a somewhat disruptive week and not recording my food as diligently as I'm in the habit of doing. Unconsciousness around food is dangerous for me because it leads right back into poor choices and overeating. My exercise and water have also gone off kilter. :(

B- 480
250 yogurt - 245
1 slice of wheat bread - 135
1 tsp butter - 40
1 banana - 60

L - 434
250 yogurt - 245
45 g goji balls - 189

D - 409
52 g goat cheese - 204
3 cups of spinach - 30
1 slice wheatbread - 135
1 tsp. butter - 40

Calories - 1323
Exercise - 0
H2O - 24 oz

Day 173

Quite a caloric day. Though I 'm not sure what the damage is calorie wise because I was out all day.

B- 434
250 yogurt - 245
45 g goji balls - 189

L - ?
Tuna melt sandwich
Strawberry Shake

S - 434
250 yogurt - 245
45 g goji balls - 189


D - ?
Roasted vegetable and mozarella sandwich


Calories - too many
Exercise - 1/2 hr. walk
H2O - 24 oz

Day 174

I didn't have time to have a full lunch and when I got home I was so tired I though I'd just have a nap and then get up and have dinner. Well when I got up it was 5am Wednesday. :( I guess some days are going to be like this.

B - 383
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

S
45 g goji balls - 189

L
250 yogurt - 245


Calories - 817
Exercise - 1 hr. tennis
H2O - 16 oz water :(

Day 175

Today was as busy as yesterday was peaceful. At least I am pain free. The root canal was completed, teeth filled and I have no residual pain in the mouth and not too much in the pocket. Yeah!!!

B - 383
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

S - 434
250 yogurt - 245
45 g goji balls - 189

L - 187
140 g tofu- 137
2 cups soup - 50

D - 510
250 yogurt - 245
30 g nuts - 183
Dried Fruit - 80

Calories - 1541 (woah)
Exercise - 25 min elliptical trainer
H2O - 8 oz water :(

Day 176

I love my Sundays when they are peaceful and inactive which they are for the most part. My honey works all Saturday night until 9am and so he sleeps until around 6pm on Sunday.

It was another sunny and mild day in dear old England and I lounged on my sofa all day reading, day dreaming, ruminating and planning. Nowhere to go ... no one to see ... no outstanding work to catch up on ... just peace and quiet and me. Yummy!!!

I have decided to respond to the comments I get where appropriate. It feels so odd not to. I have been asked various questions over the short time that I have had this blog and just have not answered them. How weird!!! LOL!!! So over the next few weeks I am going to go back through my posts and answered all unanswered questions etc.

B - 383
1 banana - 60
20 g raisins - 63
52 g oatmeal - 200
100 g soymilk - 60

S - 376
150 g yogurt - 193
250 ml fruit juice - 183

L - 187
140 g tofu- 137
2 cups soup - 50

D - 365
150 g yogurt - 193
1 cream egg - 172

Calories - 1311
Exercise - 0
H2O - 44 oz water

Day 177

Today was the most GORGEOUS day. First and foremost, the new antibiotics my dentist prescribed finally kicked in and the pain is GONE, so I can chew again. Next it was just the most perfect autumn day. 14C/ 58F - brilliant sunshine, golden leaves on the trees and leaves covering the ground everywhere.

Went out to my fabulous tennis class, chatted with my new buddy Nicola in the sunshine for 1/2 hr. afterwards and then headed home. Did some reading, then headed off to tango in the afternoon. Had a really good class. The instructor said we were executing the steps we were learning today perfectly. Yesssss!!! We don't often get it completely right, sometimes we just feel like we are bumbling through. Today though I could feel in my body that I was much more sure about myself and James was the perfect leader.

Today Guy Fawkes Day is being celebrated with fireworks and huge bonfires (the actually day is the 5th November). Apparently, Guy Fawkes is responsible for the use of the word guy in English as people started calling each other guy(s) after he was made famous for his plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. So from about 19:00 until about 21:00, fireworks were going off everywhere. I went out on the balcony to watch for a little while.

B - 376
150 g yogurt - 193
250 ml fruit juice - 183

L - 225
52 g oatmeal - 200
125 g yogurt 225
10 g raisins - 40

D - 772
2 oz cheese - 228
3 cups cauliflower - 190
1 tbls. butter - 90
2 slice of bread = 264

Calories - 1373 calories
Exercise - 1 hrs of tennis
H2O - 48 oz water

Day 178

I guess I really didn't have to worry about not getting enough food. Even though I can't chew. I certainly packed in the caloreis today. Will have to be more vigilant tomorrow.

B - 376
150 g yogurt - 193
250 ml fruit juice - 183

S - 225
125 g yogurt 225

L - 438
125 g yogurt 225
250 ml fruit juice - 183

D - 870
450 g mashed potato - 800 ( guess this was too much - yikees)
50 g blended quorn (vegetarian protein)- 70

Calories - 1879 (woah)
Exercise - 1 1/2 hrs tennis
H2O - 48 oz

Day 179

Well, another day of struggling to survive the pain in my mouth that radiates through my head. LOL!!!

Dentist no 1 has been treating me and I must say he has been just lovely. He is a very conservative and cautious dentist. Doesn't want to do any procedures that are not called for. As it happens there are two teeth that had "problems" on my right side. The one that dentist no. 2 wanted to root canal and charge me the earth for turns out to have had only a small crack which had allowed some bacteria in. Dentist no 1 cleaned it and stuffed it with medicine and dressed it temporarily because he wanted to see if I would continue to have pain. It's been just fine and so he will fill it permanently on Monday. However another tooth on the same side seems to have been the really culprit in my saga of pain. He removed the filling and because the nerve was exposed he performed a partial root canal. I say partial because the other root in the tooth had blocked itself (apparently teeth do that to protect themselves against bacteria). It may flare up in the future or may not. He also stuffed this tooth with medicine and temporarily filled it. It hurts like hell and I am on antibiotics and painkillers until he sees me on Monday to finish treatment on it. So far the two teeth have cost me only £180 and should not be more that £100 more for the fillings on Monday.

It's been very hard to eat my regular foods with all this drama going on in my mouth. I tried some solids after my procedure on Tuesday which turned out to be a big mistake, as soon as I bit down on the tooth that had the root canal, it began to throb and hasn't stopped since. So it's back to soft foods and liquids for me. I'm so afraid of screwing up my metabolism even more than it already is by not eating enough but I'll just have to do the best I can and let the chips fall where they may.

B - 338
250 ml soy milk - 155
250 ml fruit juice - 183

L - 470
260 g of wild mushroom & goat cheese frittata - 470

D - 460
2 yogurts - 400
2 cupsV8 tomato juice- 60

Calories - 1268 calories
Exercise - cleaned my home - not much but counts for something, right?
H2O - 48 oz