The Kind Diet

I read a book by Alicia Silverstone called, The Kind Diet, years ago. It sparked this whole eating revolution within my own life... in fact, I only ate meat that was certified organic and humanely raised and handled for the entire year of 2010. I permanently made the switch from keeping milk in my fridge to almond & soy milk. I learned a lot about eating kindly for the earth and for my body. That book really changed the fundamental way I viewed the relationship between me, my food, and the planet.

Since then, she's come out with another book - The Kind Mama. I read the introductory chapters about the plant-based lifestyle research and benefits. And then I read the chapters on how it can increase fertility. I just love her holistic approach to everything and the complete picture on plant-based nutrition and the female body. So, in my renewed dedication to The No Food Fun Life, I am still going to aim for carb-free and sugar free... but I think I'm going to ease up a bit on the natural starchy veggies, fruits, and whole grains. It will probably make life a lot easier and more enjoyable.

In the beginning, it was easy to get swept up in the initial momentum and go all-out carb free, get on the meds, download apps, and just turn the whole experience into a regimen. I was on a mission and it was quite stressful. Now that it's been almost 6 months and the frantic excitement has died down... I want to keep up a healthy lifestyle filled with good nutrition and fitness, but less militantly.

So, here's the first meal I've made since deciding to embark on a kinder diet. I made my lunch for tomorrow... some Korean Hobak Jun (side dishes) of egg-battered fried tofu and zucchini. I also scrambled the leftover egg. I made a big batch of the Miso Soup recipe found in The Kind Mama. It was the first time I had cooked with Kabocha Squash... and it's a delicious little squash. Love it!

What else is changing? I've stopped taking Clomid, the nightmare hormone pill. Even though I only take it 5 days each cycle, I am positive that it continues to affect your body long after. I finally feel joyful and lighthearted again for the first time in months... since starting the medication! It was like running on a revved up hormone engine... I was strung super tight. I didn't even realize how miserable I've been feeling until I felt better. I'm hoping acupuncture can help regulate my ovulation issues instead.

I've also been working less hours. I think the Clomid affected me so much that I literally got talked to at work about my attitude and behavior... :/ I don't agree with everything that was brought up in that meeting, regardless of my emotional issues. But, I also don't excuse or justify anything either.. Suffice it to say, it was a get-it-together and back-to-reality moment... I think sometimes I forget some important lessons I learned from previous workplaces because I FEEL like I do valuable work and that I am among friends... I've put myself back into my government worker bee shoes and just started playing it a lot safer. I've also pulled back my hours at work as a self-preservation tactic. For the past few weeks I've averaged about 35-ish hours per week. So far, so good.

And I reduced my Metformin to 1/2 the dosage - which has done wonders for my eyes! LOL... Anyone remember that post? The side effect from the Metformin was doing really strange things to my eyes... my right eye was always red no matter what and my left eye couldn't stop watering all day. It got to a point where the skin at the corners of my left eye was red, raw & broken from the constant watering and me wiping the moisture away. I couldn't really put Neosporin on the corners... but you know what worked amazingly well? Honey! The skin healed up and got better... yay!

Well, that's about it. Everything else is pretty much the same. Something happened at work today that was cray-cray... but that's like a whole new topic that would be too complex and weird to write down. It certainly has been a super weird atmosphere... and it's not slowing down... But, I'm just going to not let it affect my state of mind. Anyway, I'm going to head to bed because I know my tomorrow is jam-packed. Gotta get that quality sleep... *Zzzzzzzzzz*

PS - After many complaints from my loyal readers about how difficult it is to leave comments with their phones... I finally figured out how to tweak the settings. So, now it should be easier? Give it a try and let me know if it has improved! :)

Peggy Bundy, Francois, & Whitney Thore

Will came home today with two new surprise additions for our salt water aquarium. A Six Line Wrasse who I've named Peggy Bundy - in honor of our previous wrasse, Marcy Darcy (rest in peace...) - and a Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp who I've named Francois. I think I've been conditioned by Finding Nemo to believe all cleaner shrimp are French, hehe.

After the unfortunate pop eye and ick epidemic of 2013... when Bean (maroon clown), Marcy Darcy (six line wrasse), and Benny the Blenny (scooter blenny) all perished in one summer, I didn't want to add any new fishies & critters. But now I'm ready and I'm happy they're here!

Francois immediately flitted all around the tank looking for food and my existing clown fish & blue tang - Pebbles and Dory - were checking him out all day. So cute! Peggy Bundy swam into a little whole in the live rock and hid there for a long time. Just keeping a suspicious eye out to keep track of all the commotion. So cute as well!

I love sitting next to my aquarium in the mornings to watch the fish swim around and the hermit crabs & snails slowly foraging about. It's so relaxing and therapeutic. Did you know there are a multitude of health benefits to keeping an aquarium in your home? It can significantly reduce stress levels and has even shown to be one of the most reliable ways of temporarily lowering your blood pressure. I'm lucky to get all the benefits and the fun of feeding them... while hubby does all the cleaning and maintenance. :)

Another thing that I found to be very therapeutic? Binge watching "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" on TLC. Whitney Thore became an internet sensation when her dance video went viral. She was a lifelong dancer who fell victim to PCOS in college...! She gained over 200 pounds within a decade and felt completely devastated and derailed. Her candidness, her courage, and her triumphant spirit brought me to tears so many times. I seriously, quite literally, watched the entire season in 24 hours. I couldn't peel my eyes away.

If I could ever meet her in person, I would like to thank her for giving a face and voice to PCOS. For so long it's been this weird syndrome that nobody talked about. Most women who had it couldn't even get properly diagnosed for it, and nobody knows anything about it... unless you have PCOS. Or know someone with it, like me, and then you're forced to listen to EVERYTHING about it. Haha, sorry folks!

One of the many things I can take away from her show is that she couldn't be so fabulous without the unending support of her family and friends. Just like me! Thank you everyone for all your support!!!! :)

 

#MyBigFatFabLife - Please come back for another season!

Slowly But Surely...

I had some small but noteworthy successes this past week in trying to get back on track for The No Fun Food Life. I attended a friend's birthday celebration last Sunday and made myself this awesome plate. Honey Baked Ham slices, steamed brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, and just about a 1/4 cup dollop of stuffing. Oh, don't get me wrong, I went and got seconds (but not the stuffing, yay). But even though I ate a lot, I ate a lot of stuff I"m supposed to be eating. YAY. Then I had some birthday cake and a couple little pastries. BOO. I tried not to be too hard on myself since it was a special occasion.

I didn't work out at all this week, but I was having a hard time. It was Clomid week again, but this time I switched to taking it at night. So, I didn't have as many emotional outbursts and difficulties as last month, but I was super tired.

I did manage to keep my breakfasts very healthy with Greek Yogurt, blueberries, and even added some Kombucha on two mornings. I brought my own lunches on half the days and stuck to mostly protein & veggies for the rest. I splurged on Korean BBQ on Monday night, but kept the carbs to a minimum. And I had Japanese on Tuesday night... worst item: California Roll. *sigh* It's been an uphill battle getting back to the level of dedication I had a couple months ago, but I will get there.

I went to the acupuncturist yesterday morning and it felt awesome. I really liked Dr. Roth and she went to the same acupuncture school that I had went to years ago (but she graduated like a decade before I attended)... what are the odds! It was so relaxing and my arms and legs even felt like they were heavier to move... like everything was just soooooo loose and relaxed. Amazing. I have an herbal formula extract that I'm taking to "regulate liver qi" and "remove damp heat" and perhaps some other things. So far, nothing bad except a slight headache today... but I slept better last night than I had for months. The best part? My insurance covers acupuncture!

I'm up late right now because I'm waiting for my good friend & college roommate to get to my house. She's driving up from LA tonight to spend the weekend with me. I am so excited! :)

SoCal Vacation _ Part Two

I ate the delicious Ham & Cheese bun for breakfast, yum! Then, my cousin and I headed out to LAX to pick up a friend from the airport and ate delicious Korean dumplings and I had a really amazing Royal Milk Tea afterwards. No regrets! Especially since we walked The Strand from Venice Beach to Santa Monica... I don't know the actual distance we walked, but we were there for almost 2 hours. My Fitbit hit 10,000 steps before we reached the end of the trek, but when I went to sync it with my app, it only tracked like 164 steps... Arg!

After our epic walk, we went to Tender Greens in Marina Del Rey to enjoy a light and healthy dinner. I ordered the Chicken Cobb Salad and she had the Tuna Nicoise... let me tell you... if you've never eaten at a Tender Greens before, you need to make your way over to one. Pronto! Hands down, the best salad I may have ever eaten in my entire life. We went back to her place and had a nice relaxing evening. I started watching a series called Resurrection on Hulu, and now I'm completely hooked. I spent the night watching this riveting show, drank hot Raspberry Leaf Tea, and munched on a banana & train mix.

Thursday

I awoke and ate that Milk Pudding bun... then I ate a piece of my cousin's Red Bean & Mochi bun... and at that time I felt a little unsettled. I think the sugar & carbs hit me a little too fast first thing in the morning. I take my Metformin after breakfast, so maybe that contributed a bit. We met my parents for lunch... I didn't keep track of what I ate, but there were definitely rice cakes, steamed pork buns, and Shanghai noodles involved. I didn't feel too bad about it - it was a great meal with my family. Afterwards, I had a Chai Tea Latte while chatting with my cousin. It was way sweeter than I anticipated... and it did make me feel a bit guilty. First tally of vacation woe - meh.

I left to meet up with a friend from my hometown for a long stroll around a park that she regularly runs at. We did some of the course exercises that are displayed on the signs around the track for a warm up, and then walked and talked for 3 laps. I'm not sure how far we walked, but the sun had set by that time and we headed to dinner. Second tally of vacation woe - we ate pho (Vietnamese noodles)... they're rice noodles and I'm sure SUPER high in carbs. Funny enough, I feel nothing about the egg rolls... lol. And then, I had a Jasmine Milk Tea with half sugar/half boba for dessert as we chatted into the evening.

Friday

I slept in this morning, and raided my parents' fridge for breakfast. I did well and just ate leftover veggies with a bowl of my mom's homemade papaya soup. Soooooo good! I just relaxed, watched TV, talked to my best friend on the phone for almost 2 hours. It was such a peaceful and relaxing day. I hung out with my parents when they came home and we had dinner together. Another great home-cooked meal that totally fit into The No Fun Food Life. Yay!

And now... I'm watching Resurrection, haha.... and about to head to bed so I can get up early to go visit my friend in San Diego tomorrow morning!!! So awesome! :)

SoCal Vacation - Part One

Very first stop after a 4 hour drive... my parents' house! My mom made me a homemade feast for lunch and it was so good! She went through the trouble of steaming extra fluffy brown rice w the little husks still intact... there's a special name for it, but I forgot. So I had about 3/4 cup of that with all the other veggie goodies. My parents are mo stay vegetarian. And, of course, slow boiled soup... the broth was soooo good.

After sitting and chatting a bit, I drove on! Went to LA to visit my cousin... and we headed over to Cerritos. We went to 86 Degrees, a super amazing Asian bakery. I bought an Egg Tart, Milk Pudding bun, and a Ham & Cheese bun. I ate the Egg Tart after enjoying Korean BBQ in the additional company of my best friend & her hubby. I also ate some mac salad at dinner and lots of 'rice paper'... which is like big flat noodles, and drank a couple glasses of Hite beer, I'm on vacation! LOL

I ate the Ham & Cheese bun this morning, and now I'm headed off for another funfilled day of adventure!!! :)

Travel Snacks

Today is the beginning of the two week vacation! Two whole weeks!!!

Tomorrow, I will be driving down to LA to visit my cousin and we'll be eating dinner with my best friend... and that's just the beginning! It's so exciting to know I'll be spending so much time seeing my fave people, visiting my fave places, and eating my fave foods... and it all starts when I wake up tomorrow! Woohoo!!

I feel like I'm heading into this vacation with a head start on health. I got on the scale for the first time since Thanksgiving... ready to face the brutal truth and expecting the worst... and I didn't gain any Holiday pounds! Omg, that never happens - it's unbelievable! LOL

So, I've made myself a little No Fun Food Life friendly travel pack... Pistachio nuts, trail mix w. peanuts/almonds/cashews/cranberries, and a couple of Nature Valley crunch bars. The gluten-free Nature Valley Peanut Crunch bars have the lowest carbs & sugar content out of all the boxes I looked at in the grocery store... I seriously spent about 15 minutes in that aisle. There are 13g Total Carbs and 6g Sugar in each bar... I normally wouldn't eat these, but no harm in packing them in case I get a little tired driving or just need the extra boost in blood sugar.

I already know I'm stopping by Whole Foods to get my mom this hand cream she likes and I'll grab a bottle of Kevita/Kombucha for the first leg of the drive. Then, I usually stop by the Starbucks in Bakersfield to get a Venti Iced Green Tea. Yup... everything's planned.

I'm going to try and be as good as I can this vacation, but I already know I'm going to eat some delicious Korean barbeque, dumplings, pho, my mom's home cooking, and then one solid week of my mother-in-law's home cooking.

Don't worry though, I've already planned 2 hikes and will wear my Fitbit to make sure my exertion level can keep up with my consumption level... hehe. ;P

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving is here and I feel there is so much to be grateful for! But first, I'm going to take a moment for reflection.

In my journey to find good health and happiness, I've also learned that how I feel is just as important as anything else. PCOS will often cause or exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety, and I've struggled with both conditions (and probably PCOS) throughout my late teens and my twenties. Getting my PCOS diagnosis and treatment from my endocrinologist was the best thing to ever happen to me - and now The No Fun Food Life and renewed fitness attempts have also made me feel better.

I started the day reading this article called "How to Become More Grateful in 5 Minutes or Less" by this website called Retrofit, and there are some helpful little tidbits in there that can help all of us keep the Thanksgiving spirit going year round. Even when life gets tough, I still try to focus on the positive and pay homage to all the things I can always be grateful for... positivity attracts positivity!

An unexpected surprise on this day of gratitude was waiting in my mailbox today: a super cute Manatee Tea Infuser (a manatea, how cute is that?!?) and a packet of chocolate "pop rocks" by Chuao!! This uplifting suprise was sent from the same friend who is doing the 30 Day Yoga Challenge with me - I am so happy and thankful!

Lately, I've been thinking of improving my morning routine. Instead of gulping down soy/almond milk and eating an apple on the hurried drive to work, I want to slow down and leisurely enjoy a nice cup of tea with actual breakfast. If such a cheerful & inviting manatee is waiting for me every morning, how can I say no? Perfect!!

Thanksgiving 2014... I have a beautiful roof over my head, delicious food on the table everyday, loving people to answer my phone calls & texts, meaningful work to do each day, the luxury of splurging on travels/meals/experiences with my fave peeps, and a lifetime of bright adventures ahead.

Thank you, everyone! Thank you, 2014!!!

A Sweet Treat

I had a rough day. According to my menstrual cycle tracker and my ob/gyn, today should be the start date of my period. It hasn't come yet - but I feel all the symptoms, and then some.

I am experiencing some intense fatigue. I hesitate to tell people that I'm feeling fatigued anymore, because the common misconception is that I'm just tired. I'm not TIRED... I'm not hitting a mid-day slump. This is different and comes in many forms. Many people do associate fatigue with physical exhaustion, but fatigue can also show itself as depression or the inability to concentrate. In fact, a lack of energy can decrease your ability to function physically, mentally, or emotionally. But, yes, I do feel completely exhausted.

Next, the PMS party mix of symptoms: back pain, headache, breast tenderness, cramp-iness, bloating, and the lovely *blah* emotion - you know, that feeling when you wake up and think to yourself, what's the point? and then proceed to crawl back into a mental hole, hoping to stop life from happening there. I dreaded going to work - thinking that I couldn't face my teammates. I thought: Why bother, they don't even like me... they're so annoying... they won't understand... they're just going to be all positive and tell me to feel better... I can't sit through any meetings! Um, these are the same lovely people I invite over to my home, eat with, get drunk with, watch movies with, walk to taco trucks with, sing karaoke with, bare my soul to...! Obviously, I was afflicted with some serious blues. Although, that last part was true... I ditched every single one of my meetings today. It felt great.

All of the symptoms are so intense. That is also a curse of PCOS. In fact, sometimes women with PCOS are diagnosed with PMDD  - Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder - which is extended, and sometimes disabling, PMS. Which, of course, can be true, but if the diagnosis ends there without testing for PCOS, that woman can suffer forever and just blame it on the wrong disorder. When my hormones were regulated by birth control pills, I never had symptoms like this. The most would be some back pain with a headache... and sometimes light cramps. Every time I experience a non-hormone induced/regulated period - it's like the world is ending. And what's worse is that... I don't know what's not working right, but it will just drag on for days.

Aside from the PMS horror show, today marked a successful first week in The No Fun Food Life. With the exception of 1/2 cup of brown rice/millet/barley, 4 croutons, and 2 pieces of spiral pasta... I had refrained from indulging in sugars, carbs, and starches. It was no easy feat... but I am proud of myself.

Since I woke up feeling so extra crappy - I made a little pact with myself. If I could make it through the day and manage to not hunt down 15 brownies and inhale them all... I would treat myself. I stuck it out through the day, and went over to a hip little cafe after work. I ordered a large chamomile tea and 2 macarons: almond and raspberry. Oh boy, did I savor them. I took little bites and chewed very slowly. I think it took me ten minutes to consume the two tiny little delicate desserts. They tasted heavenly. *ahhhhhhhh*

I'm glad that I rewarded myself and, if anything, I feel like it has reinforced my dedication. I can indulge responsibly. And... I deserved it! Here's to another successful week! :)