The Mad Scientist is Back Baby!
06 Oct 2010 3 Comments
in Healthy eating, Nutrition, Organic foods, Weight loss
I am back in the land of the living folks. The little guy gave me a wicked bout of strep throat on top of a bacterial lung infection. Though I must admit reading my incoherent sick ramblings would have been ridiculously entertaining for you, you wouldn’t have gotten a thing from it.
That being said, I am back and hitting it hard. I had a rough time when I was sick for many reasons. Everyone has their traditional “sick” food-the foods you crave (and/or have an emotional attachment to) when you are sick. Sadly, my sick food of choice is a Big Mac from McDonald’s and cheeseburgers in general. F’d up, yes I know, but it is what it is. So while I was sick, I went and got a Big Mac (and a cheeseburger, but not at the same time). I ate it-tasted great minus the slime it left in my mouth-like eating a warm slug coated with Thousand Island dressing (sorry, graphic, I know). Want to know what happened five minutes after I ate it? Well dear people, I spent the next five minutes throwing up and dry heaving in the McDonald’s parking lot. Yeah, soooooo, not gonna do that again. It was wretched! I also decided to say the hell with the food allergies and ate whatever I wanted. Can you say stupid with a capital S? Not stupid I guess, but for darn sure a bad choice! Talk about tanking-I already felt like shit so I went ate stuff to make me feel even shitter, both physically and emotionally. As you recall from previous blogs, I say to hell with “dieter speak” and “falling off the wagon”. Do I believe I “fell off the wagon”? Not a bit. Everything in this life is a learning experience. If are open to it and learn from it, it makes you stronger, wiser, and a better person. I confessed my sins, so to speak, to Sherree and this wonderful, magical thing happened-Sherree helped me through it. (Insert angelic, epiphany music here) We talked it out and did an EFT session which helped me get to the root of my emotional need to take comfort in the warm embrace of a gooey, fatty, artery clogging cheeseburger.
Total random subject change-I gotta tell ya kids, AC/DC You Shook Me All Night Long just came on and I am JAMMING! Shel is rocking out with the blog. I never realized until just a few months ago how much music means to me. Before I could take it or leave it, but now I am SO down with it. Yet another of my light bulb moments just occurred! I think I am transferring my emotional attachment to food to music, which is great. I don’t know anyone that ever got fat and unhealthy from the music itself. For you smart asses out there-yes, if you sit a chair and listen to music while you hoark down crap, you will get fat, but the music didn’t do it.
Okay, so back to the goods-
What have I been doing since the fat-filled crap fest illness? SOOO many things. I joined a wonderful gym near my house-for all the right reasons. Working out provides me that emotional and physical release that my body needs. It will shock you to know that I am a pretty intense person. What? Get out! Especially if the hippie chick goes on hiatus and leaves the type-A psycho in charge. I went to a demo class of what the gym (Lifetime Fitness on Renner) calls T.E.A.M. Weightloss last night and man it felt SO good to be that active again. I worked out with the group for nearly one hour and didn’t stroke out! Victory!!! I moved body parts that haven’t moved like that in years and sweated in places that I didn’t know had sweat glands. Beauty! Embrace the body funk! At any rate, Sherree helped me to understand that if you are working out because you love it, that is one thing, but if you are working out because you think it is the thing to do but don’t like to do it, then you shouldn’t do it. Kind of like the people who go sit in church every week and begrudge the lost hour of their time. HELLO?! Did I just say that? Yep, and I am standing by it. Same thing-if you go to church because you want to and you enjoy it, awesome! If you go out of some insane obligation, or to make up for the other six days of the week when you were a complete asshole, then you are probably wasting time. Okay, so let’s move on before I get somebody’s panties in twist. Ah, Beatles Back in the USSR just came on. Love the music channels on the ol’ tele! What else have I done? Ohhhh! Made a killer mac n’ no cheese tonight. What the H-E-double hockey sticks (Yeah, I know. Swear like a sailor in the rest of the blog and now all of a sudden I decide to filter. I happily and humbly admit that I am a kooky chick and I think I rock! Don’t be hatin’!!!) Anywho, at my last session with Sherree she and I discussed what kind of comfort foods I like and how we could make those foods healthy and address my allergies. One of my biggies is mac ‘n’ cheese. You know you dig it too! Fess up! Personally, I am super duper suspicious of anyone that doesn’t like mac ‘n’ cheese. But then again I am suspicious of several things. That is the lawyer in me. For example, the people who have a bumper so heavy with Christian (or insert any other religion) bumper stickers that it looks like the bumper is going to fall off. I am down with the Universe and a supreme being but I don’t feel compelled to turn my bumper into a bill board. I always wonder what they are hiding. Hmmmm… Prime example-knew this one gal that was SO over the top, uptight religious. Turns out that she used to be a stripper and had a lot of guilt. She was a wonderful and kind person and I feel so bad for her that she carried this guilt around and still does to this day. My thought is rather than go extreme, let’s try to make peace with our past and not let it define our future. Whoa! Deep, but so not food related. Okay, this is not a podium and I am certainly not out to bash or offend anyone. If I do, so be it. I stand by the things that come out of my mouth, or in this case my fingers. I just spit it out as it comes into my head. These are some of things I think about. Personally, I embrace and love all people and the whole point of this blog is help others benefit from this wacky journey that I am on.
So back to the mac ‘n’ no cheese. I didn’t measure or anything like that, but I can tell ya how I did it. I made a rue out of coconut oil and brown rice flour (remember, I am allergic to gluten so no wheat products-also allergic to cow’s milk so no dairy either). Once the rue was where it needed to be, I poured in some plain hemp milk and added a few monster handfuls of nutritional yeast (has a cheddary flavor to it), some white pepper, some crushed red pepper flakes and just to be super wild, I put in some Vietnamese hot sauce. I let that thicken and then poured it over some gluten free pasta and enjoyed. It was awesome! Same texture as mac ‘n’ cheese without all the unhealthy crap. There was so much good nutrition in that dish and it tasted so so so good! I must admit though, it is kind of kicking my ass at the moment. I think I went a little overboard with the hot stuff. My bad. But it was still freakin’ awesome and to be honest, I will likely have it for breakfast in the morning. Lol. Seriously, I will. So that’s what’s shakin’ with me beautiful people. Sorry of the break last week, but it was my first time with strep and it totally kicked my butt and made me call it mama. Good riddance! Bah!
I hope everyone is doing fabulous! I am sending you wonderful, loving energy and hope I didn’t offend. If I did, I am sure you will let me know and I look forward to reading the comments.
Love y’all!
Shelley
PS-For those of you who called me out on not blogging last week, it was very nice to be missed and I appreciate you bunches!
Stuff About Things
19 Sep 2010 1 Comment
in Healthy eating, Nutrition, Organic foods, Weight loss
So many amazing things happened this week, in spite of my change of season cold! In your face cold! Many of my past blogs have focused on food and changes in eating, but equally important are the physical and mental changes that are taking place.
New and now: I am sitting on my couch. I know, generally not a good thing, but I am catching up on some work from being sick last week. Anywho, I am also watching the Jackie Warner’s Thintervention on Bravo and it made me realize that I desperately miss the gym-for the right reasons! Sherree and I had a big discussion a meeting or two ago about joining the gym and why I wanted to. The issue was this-I used to work out six days a week for one and one-half hours a day not necessarily because I liked the workout, but because I liked the result-I was buff and super hot! Sherree’s wise advice was this-if you want to work out because you like the workout, then great but if you are working out for the sole purpose of the result, then that isn’t the right reason. I pondered on that for some time and recently-like today-came to the realization that working out was my therapy, my “me” time, and I desperately miss it. For that reason-the right reason-I am going back. I have an amazing gym near me that is reasonably priced, no contracts, and the monthly rate (less than $50/month) includes all special classes, including yoga. I am so stoked that I am going this afternoon before I go pick up my little guy at his daddy’s house. Throughout this wonderful (and sometimes scary-let’s be real here) process of inner reflection, I’ve come to have in the forefront of my mind what I’ve known all along-I DO NOT want my son to grow up to be a chubby monkey, to be ridiculed by other kids, and to have health issues from poor diet and lack of exercise. As such, I need-no must-set an example for him and raise him to value healthy eating and physical activity. Plus, I just want to be able to keep up with the little booger! Holy mother!
This week: I took my power back in a loving way. Before I go into this section, I want to make something abundantly clear-I feel absolutely no ill will toward my ex-husband. None at all! We evolved into different people and I made the choice that I could not be with him anymore. He tends to be very negative, dislikes people, and is grumpy much of the time. Sadly, he also has a really hard time taking joy in life. He loves our son dearly, and does a wonderful job when he is with him of keeping him active and making sure that our kiddo has a great time. It is beyond important to me that he and I maintain a cooperative and supporting relationship for our son. Okay, now to the goods. One of the main reasons we are not still together is because I felt (and I told him) that he was a black hole of negativity sucking out my soul. He has really made an effort at not being negative when we talk now, but every once in a while that true nature comes out, and that is okay because I have a choice as to whether I let that effect me. This past week, his comment to me was that I was “getting really out there”. He would not elaborate on what he meant by that, but I presume that it is about me embracing what some call new age/metaphysical beliefs. These beliefs are nothing new to me. They have called to me since childhood but I’ve suppressed them because main stream society doesn’t accept them. At any rate, it is what it is my good people. His next comment though, was mind-blowing. He said, and I quote, “I don’t know what it is you are looking for in this life, but you aren’t going to find it.” Huh?! Even if that were true, what a negative thing to say! He refused to comment any further, and I refused to spend any of my energy trying to figure out what he meant by that. In the past, I would have obsessed on that for hours, but the bottom line is, I don’t care what he meant. I know that I am a happy person, that I am evolving, and my life is becoming more incredible every day. The beauty of this whole exchange was that I didn’t allow him to get in my head. I was strong enough and comfortable enough with who I am to let it go. I simply replied that negative comments like that were one of the reasons why he and I could not be together. From a place of love, I said, “You are a grumpy, negative person and that is just who you are and that’s okay.” He was speechless. It was a really beautiful moment.
By the by, for those that are interested, I am reading this incredible book called Indigo Adults by Kabir Jaffe and Ritama Davidson. I know I have said it a lot here lately, but this book is LIFE CHANGING for me! For years, I’ve felt like an alien driving around in a Shelley car and this book just put all those feelings into perspective. I am only half-way through the book, but here is a profound quote that I love:
So your task is to learn the wonderful art of what they call in Zen “Wu Wei”: the art of doing without doing; working without working; being totally in your energy and totally relaxed. That means trying to build a new world and seeing a future that is wonderful, and giving 100 percent of your energy to create it, and at the same time not being attached and being in acceptance of what is right now. We are learning to accept and enjoy what is with all its limits and imperfections even while working to change it. Indigo Adults, page 64
How beyond deep is that? So amazing! This book isn’t for everyone but for those that it touches, it will change your life. I think I’ll leave you to reflect on that incredible quote.
Gratitude and love to all!
Shelley
FYI-”Stuff About Things” is a favorite email subject line between my sister and I. LOVE YA DUDE!
Shut the Front Door!!!
13 Sep 2010 4 Comments
in Healthy eating, Nutrition, Organic foods, Weight loss
9/10/2010
Man, exciting stuff happening! I actually cooked something that made me do my happy food dance. For those of you who haven’t had the joy (okay, maybe not joy) of watching my happy food dance, I pretty much wiggle around and hum while I eat. Up to this point in my life, only one other thing has made me do the happy food dance-that is Alladin’s Café’s Lentil soup and Hummus and Gyro. (Wiping drool from my chin) Anywho, what did it this time you ask? The simplest of things! I sliced an eggplant like patties, basted them with olive oil and a little salt and white pepper, and then roasted them in the oven. When they were almost done, I sprinkled the tiniest bit of an Italian cheese blend on them. SOOOO delish! Ironically, I went to Alladin’s the other day and ordered my hummus and gyro and the weirdest thing happened-wasn’t so keen on it, no happy dance. What the fetch?! Although it was just as delicious as always, I wasn’t diggin’ the meat. Too much meat and not enough veg. Especially in the past few days, I find that I just don’t dig meat much at all anymore. Not to mention, ate some beef last night and lived in the frickin’ bathroom. The body no likey! I will spare you any more of the hideous details. I am pretty much about at the point where I am just about going to go vegetarian. Yes, a former meatasaurus and McDonald’s addict is riding the veggie train! Gotta love it! (At one point I considered doing a bikini shot with all the dimples and rolls showing in their full glory and having “Body by McDonald’s” printed under it to discourage consumption of such crap but I chickened out. A bikini ***cringe!*** I considered it a public service not to do so.)
So what else has been happening? Wowie wow! SOOOO much. Ya know, I spend a lot of time writing about food, but this process is about much, much more. Sherree has this awesome food pyramid (modified from the standard issue FDA one) and around this pyramid is a circle. That circle encompasses your mental and physical well-being. (Jump in here Sherree if I am off the mark. Loves my food Yoda!) Basically all of these elements have to be present in a good way for us to function-if your nutrition is poor and your physical well-being thus suffers, everything caves in, and likewise if you are eating good food but are an f’d up mess emotionally, it caves. I’ll make no bones about it folks, and this is true for everyone, but with all the balls I have in the air right now, it is a MAJOR challenge to keep it all together. For me, the physical and the food aren’t such a challenge, but the emotional/mental health aspect of it is an ass kicker!
9/12/2010
I wanted to note the dates here so folks could see that I wrote part of the blog on one day and part on another. I was one cheery chick on Friday and here I sit ol’ Betty Bitchy Britches on Sunday. I am SOOOO frickin’ cranky. I’m not going to lie to you people-you get it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. I am just grumpy. Like the kind of grumpy where you’d rip someone’s arm off and beat them with it just for shits and giggles. Hmmm…perhaps I should go spritz a little holy water on myself. All dark and nasty-yikes! That is SO not my usual scene. I don’t feel that well today. Some seasonal funk is trying to get its grubby little mitts on me. My neck and shoulders are achy, throat is sore, and my sinuses are stuffy. And did I mention that I was bitchy? Hey people, I believe in fair warning. On top of that, the monthly “gift” decided to pop in for a visit yesterday. Bummer is that I didn’t keep my receipt, so I can neither return that gift nor can I regift it. Lame. So what is up you ask? (Besides being a massive grumpy butt, that is) I find myself, yet again, fretting about money again (who isn’t these days?). For those new to the program-I am newly divorced, self-employed and have a little boy that is almost three. It’s a whole different critter when it is just you to take care of, but when you have a little person counting on you, things can get real and scary quick. This is something I struggle with and I’ve gotten better at handling, but I’ve got a long way to go. Bottomline is, if the shit hit the fan, I have a wonderful support structure-amazing family, awesome friends. It’s not like I’d end up in my minivan down by the river (Chris Farley, anyone?). That wouldn’t happen even if no one had my back. That isn’t my way. I’m a suck it up and make it work kinda gal. You can sit on the pity pot all you like, but all you will get is a sore red ring on your ass.
It is SO critically important to send positive energy out into the universe and focus on the things you want-NOT the things you don’t. If you spend your time focusing on what you don’t want (i.e., I don’t want to be broke), then you are going to get back what you put out. (It is just like if you look for the ugly in the world, you will find it or it will find you) This is always at the forefront of my mind, but sometimes I find difficulty in trusting that the universe will provide me exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. I know this to be true-it always has been, but sometimes it gets tiring beating down that negative little voice in my head. I am sure that the emotional part of the circle crashing this weekend is what led me to not feel well. We must always be mindful that one of the parts will always affect the whole-positively or negatively-and we must always strive for the positive. So, my challenge tonight is to visualize a hunter (Elmer Fudd pops into my head) hunting down that negative voice (i.e., the “wabbit” but not a cool Bugs Bunny rabbit, but a gnarly horrible rabbit) and capping its ass! Negative energy is not and will never be welcome here! I must recall my positive affirmations and put out into the universe the wonderful, happy, loving energy that is me.
It isn’t always an easy road, but then seldom does something really worth having come easy. You’ve got to keep a smile on your face, a happy song in your heart, and just keep on keeping on. Life isn’t something you watch pass by-you jump on that crazy train and ride it until it takes you where you want to go, or it crashes. For me personally, I have no intention of letting that train crash. My life is awesome and I will rock it out!
Love, peace, and gratitude to you all,
Shelley
It’s Not All Sunshine and Roses, But It Is All Good Baby!
08 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Healthy eating, Nutrition, Organic foods, Weight loss
Greetings beautiful people! What an absolutely gorgeous day! I had a wonderful weekend-hanging out with my friends and their kiddos. I indulged in one of my guilty pleasures-nope, not a big ol’ gooey, gross cheeseburger, but something only marginally healthier-
“reality” television. I LOVE Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I know, laugh. I do. My IQ drops a few points with every episode I watch, but I love it. Chloe is just a hoot! I also love the Rachel Zoe Project and Project Runway. There, now my dirty secret is out. I feel better.
Gosh, so much has happened since the last blog! I was diagnosed with a veritable butt load (classy terminology, I know but bear with me) of food allergies. This was simultaneously anger inducing, a relief, and a major bummer. How you ask? Well, I’ll tell you… About four years ago, I started having really bizarre gastrointestinal symptoms. I would bloat up, practically live on the bathroom (the diarrhea song is stuck in my head now-argh! That’s something you don’t want stuck in your head when you are trying to fall asleep), and had horrible pain in my lower abdomen. By the time the docs would get through the battery of tests to rule out other stuff, the symptoms would ease up and they would chuck it up to irritable bowel or some other such nonsense. Two years ago, the symptoms changed. Not only did I have all the wicked G.I. stuff going on, I also had migratory arthritis, I was so tired I could hardly stay awake, and eventually was in so much pain that I took prescription painkillers to fall asleep. The docs kicked around the idea of Lupus and/or Crohn’s. It was beyond debilitating at that point. Thank God I had my little boy or I really don’t know that I would have had any desire to continue occupying physical space on this Earth. At any rate, I am not one to sit on the pity pot, or let much of anything get me down, so I made the choice to suck it up and make the best of it. I was determined to do everything I could with my little boy and if I hurt like hell, he didn’t need to know that. So that’s what I did.
For the past two years, I’ve had pretty darn severe arthritis pain in my hands and feet, muscle fatigue, joint pain, weird sores in my mouth that come and go, and a host of other stuff. I’ve spent literally thousands of dollars taking test after test praying that something would show up so that we could at least put a name on this critter. I wanted to be able to call by name what I was fighting so I could kick its ass. I went to a doctor who was supposedly the best rheumatologist in the city. She treated me as if it were all in my head and I was nuts. When I would call her begging her to help me because the pain was unbearable, her response was to prescribe me heavy doses of Prednisone, which I refused to take. My big break, so to speak, came when I met a therapist named Debra O’Malley (a kick ass therapist that has become a good friend). She suffers from horrible Fibromyalgia and has a lot of pain from it. She told me about an allergist here in town named Jeremy Baptist that treats illnesses such as Fibromyalgia and even Autism through diet and the elimination of allergens. I thought, what the hell, I’ve been through everything else so I might as well give him a go. I went through skin and blood allergy tests and learned that I was allergic to 21-yes 21!-different foods, stuff that I ate every day. The kicker is that these food allergies could easily be the cause of all of my suffering and it took me being in the right place at the right time to stumble onto a doctor that could help me. That would be where the anger comes in-I spent so much money and suffered so much physical and mental pain all because these geniuses never considered that the source of my suffering could be allergies. I was, and still am, hopping mad about that. I have to let that go though and just be grateful that at last, I may have found the source of my suffering.
So now to the bummer (not really, but kind of). I am very much a believer in reframing thoughts and that is what I’ve had to do with this food allergy stuff. I went to the grocery store last week, just a few days after the diagnosis, and left there hungry, pissed off, and depressed. It seemed that everything I wanted to eat contained at least one ingredient to which I am allergic. For grins, here is the list of my food allergies:
Bananas, barley, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, garlic, gluten, lobster (so sad), malt (funny-I typed male the first time. Just being divorced for the second time, I suppose I do have a bit of an allergy to males. Lol.), Cow’s Milk, oats, black pepper, rye, wheat, baker’s yeast, yogurt, eggs, pork, peanuts, salmon, and corn.
Holy guacamole! Try finding any prepared food without at least one of those ingredients-it’s damn near impossible, I guarantee you. Anyway, I came out of the market so bummed and gave Sherree a call. God bless her! She called me back within five minutes and spent the next 30-45 minutes talking down off the ledge. In my conversation with her, I came to realize that I must focus on the hundreds, if not thousands, of other food choices out there for me, and that a little preparation will go a long way to curbing my frustration. What I mean by that is this-instead of willy nilly going through the grocery store looking at this and that, I must sit down and prepare my menu for the week, and from that menu make a list of the things I need. That way I can do my research in advance and save myself a whole lot of crankiness and an empty shopping cart. Sherree is also helping me find tasty substitutes to some of the things I am allergic to and introducing me to a host of other foods that I’ve never tried. Pretty exciting stuff! I firmly believe that everything happens when it is supposed to happen and for a reason. If I eat whole foods in as close to their natural state as possible, the food allergies aren’t really an issue. Thank God I am not allergic to greens or vegetables! I believe this was the universe’s way of getting me to eat the way people are intended to eat. And if that is the case, then I am absolutely forever grateful. This transformation I am going through is about SOOOO much more than just food. My mind, body, and entire being are evolving and I LOVE it! I’ve met some incredible people through this process and made some amazing new friends. What blessings! I am grateful for it all-the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Well, as it is just after midnight and I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. to pick up my kiddo, I’d better haul my tired butt to bed. I hope everyone is well and send you peace, light and love!
Until next time, blissful eating!
Shelley
What’s the Scoop on Sherree Ross?
03 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Healthy eating, Nutrition, Organic foods, Weight loss
Well, here I am dear people-sitting on my couch writing my blog. On my television, I am playing, “Too Fat For Fifteen” (via DVR). It is heart breaking! I was obese by the time I was around three years old, so I really identify with those kids and my prayers and healing energy go out to them. It really helps me to keep things in perspective. Before we get down to business, let’s take a moment to celebrate. Since starting this crazy, wonderful, amazing adventure, I’ve lost 16 pounds!!! Sixteen globby, yucky, unhealthy, energy sucking pounds! Yeeeeeesssssssssssss!
You know, it occurred to me the other day that I’ve mentioned my holistic health coach, Sherree Ross, on a number of occasions in my blog but I’ve never really told you about her-her education, background, all that good stuff.
Sherree and I are like sisters from different parents. I liked her right away, but we really bonded when discussing our past relationship with food. I have struggled since early childhood with being an emotional eater. If I were hurt or sad, my mom’s response was, “Have a Twinkie” or “Here’s a cupcake”. Most shocking perhaps, was that I used to drink watered down Pepsi cola in my bottle. *Cringe* Keep in mind folks-far different times. I was born in 1973. *Cringe again* The result-when I get stressed out now, I want a soda. It’s a comfort mechanism. One thing I want to make abundantly clear is this-I absolutely adore my parents. They have always loved me and supported me and they are amazing parents. I am blessed in that respect. What we have to keep in mind is that even the best parents aren’t perfect. I watch myself like a hawk to ensure that I don’t offer my son food when he is upset. I do not want to install that program, so to speak, in him because it will affect the rest of his life. At any rate, as someone who struggled (and still struggles) with emotional eating, it was really important to me to find someone who understood my dysfunctional (toxic, really) relationship with food. In our first meeting, Sherree told me that she was an emotional eater and struggled with weight gain for most of her life. Like me, she had tried numerous diets, exercise and other forms of healing. Like me, she worked out six days a week to stay thin but struggled to maintain the weight loss.
Sherree is passionate about health and healing. She came to realize that food is only one part of the equation. One must look at the whole person-mental, physical, etc. to determine where the glitch is in that individual’s ability to function. Sherree learned her body did not process certain foods and that her inability to process those foods affected her body as a whole. Once she understood what she could and could not eat, she found that she had more energy, more time to exercise, and, most importantly, more time to pursue her interests and spend more time with family and friends. As a result of eating whole, healthy foods in as close to their natural state as possible, Sherree lost forty pounds with dieting or depriving herself.
Sherree received her health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone and raw foods. One of Sherre’s teachers was none other than Deepak Chopra. Totally blew me away! What an honor to learn from him! In July 2009, she received her certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY) and Board Certification from AADP (American Association of Drugless Practioners). In June 2010, she received her graduate counseling certificate from the Immersion program.
In addition to being a certified Health Coach, she is also a Reiki Seichim Master/Teacher, an Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner (holding Certificates of Completion for EFT-CC and EFT-ADV) and a trained herbalist. The beauty of it is that with Sherree, you receive SOOOO much more than just health coaching. She truly treats the whole person. She wants to know how you are doing emotionally as well. During my last session with her, I expressed that I was feeling a considerable amount of anxiety, being recently divorced (my session with her was right after my final divorce hearing), a mom, self-supporting, and self-employed. In short, I was freaking out about money. We had an EFT session and what an amazing difference it made! I started out with my anxiety level at about a 10. I was literally tight in the chest and completely flipped out. When went through the first EFT sequence and my anxiety level was a 6. We went through a second sequence and my level dropped to a 3. We then went through a final sequence and my anxiety was non-existent. EFT involves gently tapping certain points in the body (for example, your temples, the center of your forehead, under your nose, etc.) While you are going through the sequence, you say things such as, “Although I am self-employed and have no idea when I will get paid again, I still truly and deeply love and respect myself.” At the end of a sequence, Sherree asks what you are feeling at that moment. Inevitably something else comes up. For me, it was a control issue. I like to control everything (it’s my nature) and I was freaked out by the uncertainty. Then it went to a food issue. Whenever I felt powerless in my life, I could always control what I ate. Yikes! At any rate, it was tremendously helpful and I left there feeling so relaxed and refreshed.
I am rapidly starting to get incoherently sleepy so I will be signing off soon, but I am excited for the next blog-coming this weekend. I am going to talk about some rough spots I’ve had this week. I was diagnosed with a pretty lengthy list of food allergies last week and made my first trip to the grocery store since then. I left the grocery store, hungry, grumpy, and angry. Instead of focusing on all of the wonderful food I could eat, I was focusing on the things that I couldn’t eat. At any rate, I called Sherree and she talked me down off of the ledge. The title of the next blog-“It Isn’t Always Sunshine and Lollipops.” All is well folks-don’t fret-but I want to make sure I am completely honest with what’s going on because to do otherwise would be a huge disservice. Everyone has their off days, off weeks (PMS + hungry, grumpy woman=meltdown) and that’s okay. You have to learn how to roll with it.
Alrighty then, beautiful people, until next time peace, happiness, and blissful eating,
Shelley
(S)hell’s Kitchen (aka My Little Shop of Horrors)
28 Aug 2010 2 Comments
Greetings and cyber hugs beautiful people! What an adventure this week has been! As I sit on my couch grooving to some killer Blues, thinking about the days gone by since I last blogged brings a smile to my face. It’s been a bumpy, but oh-so-rewarding ride. Let me set the stage for you. This Monday, August 23rd, I became a single woman. I had my final divorce hearing. Even though I am an attorney, and predominately practice family law, it was still an event. It is much different to walk in there, stand behind the podium, and help other people get divorced. Props to my now ex-hubby for being decent. We walked into our hearing together, sat together, and walked out together. Has it been all sunshine and roses? Nope. Things were tense and unpleasant for the week or two after I left, but then we were okay with minor hiccups. We are learning together what the next phase of our relationship will be. So, I had that stressor, in addition to the realization (I knew it before, but it was crystal on this day) that I was a self-employed, single mom in a dicey economy (see below for my section on daily affirmations and how I keep myself positive. It’s good stuff.). Now that I’ve set the tone, let’s get down to business.
I coined a new term for myself this week-“Food Safari”. What a rush I get from the thrill of the hunt at Whole Foods. I used to sit safely in my crappy little food world, not trying new things, turning my nose up at “rabbit food”. Amazing what a few weeks can do! I can literally spend hours slowly strolling the aisles of Whole Foods reading labels and looking at new and different things. I’ve tried more new foods in the past few weeks than I have in the past few years! And I am cooking more (that would be where the title comes in-I am not the greatest cook but I’m working on it). I’ve had some spectacular successes this week and some down-right gnarly failures. Well, not failures (because I don’t believe in failure), but super duper gnarly nonetheless. I’ve got to quit doing that to my kiddo or he will never try anything new! So, let’s look at successful dishes. I made this absolutely incredible (the most yummy thing I’ve ever made) chicken dish with red quinoa and greens. (Trying not to short out my laptop with the copious amounts of drool-it was damn good I tell ya!) I sautéed the chicken in some organic chicken stock and coconut milk (drooling already aren’t you?), to that I added some diced onion, red bell pepper, red quinoa, spinach, collard greens and rainbow shard. I put that delicious concoction over organic brown basmati rice. I ate it for two blissful days. It was like health food for the soul-the food equivalent of putting on your favorite jammies and curling up with a good book. My second big success-I made a scrumptious bowl of greens and red quinoa. More specifically, I sautéed various greens with onion and red bell pepper (I like ‘em people, don’t judge!), and a touch of salt and pepper. With that I made some red quinoa in the simplest of ways. Whole Foods carries this delish stuff called “Better Than Broth” in mushroom flavor. I let the quinoa get done and put about two teaspoons of the BTB, stirred and ate. So easy, so healthy, and so darn good!
Now, if you are like me and like a good train wreck, you want to read the not-so-successful (that’s what we’ll say instead of that “f” word that ends in “e”) cooking fiasco. This train wreck was sound in theory but oh so horrific in execution. I decided to make mac ‘n’ cheese out of quinoa pasta. I figured my kiddo loves mac ‘n’ cheese, so I would make him something that didn’t make me cringe at the thought of it going into his little body. Again, all fine and good-in theory. I am still working on the practice portion. I cooked the quinoa pasta and rather than making a cheese sauce in another pan, I just threw the hemp milk and cheese (havarti and cheddar) in the pot with the pasta and it turned into a ginormous, gooey, blob-like mess. “It’s ucky” my son rightfully declared, and so the Frankenstein mac ‘n’ cheese went into the trash. It could not be salvaged. God rest its gooey soul.
So, back to the super duper positivity that is my blog…
Drum roll please…Here’s the quick and dirty version of my week.
1) I, a self-professed meatosaurusrex, no longer have much interest in meat. Say what? Shut your mouth!!! Yep, too true. I’d rather munch on a bowl of yummy sautéed or roasted veggies. Just too weird people. I can’t explain this one-Sherree, my food yoda, thoughts please? I am not saying I’m going vegetarian or vegan. If my body wants meat, I’ll eat it, but I’ve let go of my steadfast belief there must be meat at every meal. Not only is this great for my body, it’s done wonders for the ol’ grocery bill! I have quinoa (a super food for those of you who didn’t know) or beans for protein and a big ol’ salad or pile o’ veggies. Good stuff! No, scratch that. Great stuff!!!
2) I no longer crave the pure sugar cane soda as a substitute for my once beloved diet soda. I haven’t had a soda for nearly a month now and I am SO proud of myself. That is major people! This comes from a gal who could easily put back 7-9 diet sodas per day. My liver will be around for centuries (aspartame turns into formaldehyde in the liver)! I woke up one morning this week and cracked open an organic, pure cane sugar cola only to realize after two sips that I didn’t want it. (Mental image of Rocky reaching the top of the stairs here. Cue Eye of the Tiger. Yeah baby!!!)
3) What other craziness? I LOVED, I mean LOVED the flourless chocolate cake at Green Acres Market. I used to office five minutes from there and would frequently slip out for a piece of cake on a rough day. (Hi, my name is Shelley and I am an emotional eater) I moved my office to Merriam and was pretty distraught about being so far from my pacifier (sad, yes I know). Last week, I was up that way for an appointment and thought, hey, I’ll pop in there for lunch (wonderful curry chicken salad sandwich) and a piece of cake. I took two bites of it, and it tasted so uck! Not because they had changed it. It was still as beautiful and perfect as ever (not unlike myself-hey, if you don’t honk your own horn folks, who will? Honestly). I simply just did not want it. Instead, I went back to my office after my appointment and tucked into some fresh pineapple (note to self-must get more pineapple tomorrow). It is like candy to me. I just love it!
4) Taco Bell. Did she say Taco Bell? Yep. How is that remotely healthy you ask? Short answer, it isn’t. I got a bug up my backside last week for a Taco Bell bean burrito. Taking Sherree’s advise, I allowed myself to have one and oh, the horror that ensued! I ate the burrito. Enjoyed it enough to finish it even though I knew it would destroy my GI track. Did it? Hells yeah! Man, I puffed up like a toad, felt like I ate a rock, and lived in the bathroom the next morning. TMI, I know. Sorry ‘bout that. Will I ever have another one? Not in this freakin’ lifetime man! As the delightful Sherree told me, unsoaked beans are very hard to digest. I am going out on a limb here, but I’m beating that T-Bell doesn’t soak its beans. Not only that, but some of the beans were undercooked and still a bit hard. I will spare you the hideous mental picture, but dude! Ugly scene. I’ll think we’ll just leave it at that.
5) What has changed in my pantry? EVERYTHING! My advice, and Sherree’s as well, is that you do not go nuts and throw out or give away everything in your pantry that is unnatural, full of junk, etc. Sherree advised me to simply replace the not-so-healthy things with the healthy things as I used them. Now, me, being an all-or-nothing kind of gal, I couldn’t do that. I took three bags of stuff over to my sis (I’m not about to waste or throw out food-sinful) and hauled arse to Whole Foods. The beautiful thing is, I have an amazing pantry stuffed with healthy foods. The downside, an empty wallet and sticker shock. People ask me all the time, “Isn’t shopping at Whole Foods and eating healthy expensive?” It really isn’t once you get the essentials in place. It is absolutely true that you eat less, which means you have to buy less. However, buying healthy substitutes for staples you keep in your pantry is costly if you do it all at once. I totally advise Sherree’s method of replacing as you go, but you have to do what is right for you. I just didn’t feel right putting that junk (preservatives, etc.) into my body after learning what it does to us.
6) What are my favorite healthy substitutes for unhealthy foods? My absolute fav-discovered this week is Almond Dream Bites. I call them my sanity keeper. They are bits of almond milk ice cream dipped in chocolate. They sell them by the pint. I find that I can go to the freezer, pop one in my mouth, stand there and savor it, and then I’m good to go. This coming from a woman who holds the land speed record in devouring a pint of ice cream (Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra). I obvious can’t and won’t eat B&J’s so I looked for a substitute and found a great one-Nada Moo (love the name) coconut milk chocolate ice cream, but I still ate the whole darn pint (damn PMS). So finding the bites was a big deal. I keep a pint of them in my freezer and have one every now and again when I want one.
7) My dear, sweet, well-meaning but misguided mother. Mom came over for a visit last weekend and brought with her a can of Best Choice Apple Juice (my dad inadvertently bought it thinking it was tomato juice-funny guy that Papa of mine) and a zip lock bag full of croissants (they bought a jumbo pack at Costco). God bless her. She was trying to share and be helpful, but seriously? Freakin’ seriously? How unnatural could you get? Still and all, I smiled politely and thanked my mama. As soon as she left, I pitched them. Yuck! Mom hasn’t quite grasped the concept of “as close to its natural state as possible”. She was trying to get me to buy canned veggies at Aldi. When I explained to her that I don’t eat canned veggies-fresh or frozen only-because they pump a bunch of unhealthy crap in the canned stuff, she was stumped. You can take the mom out of the ‘50s but you can’t take the ‘50s out of the mom.
8) Positively positive. I knew squat of these things called daily affirmations before my dear friend, Dr. Mindy Brown-AMAZING chiropractor-of Innate Family Chiropractic shared her daily affirmations with me. In a nutshell, daily affirmations are based on the premise that we get what we seek-we create our own reality. If we seek things that are good and put that good energy out into the universe, then good will come to us. If we are negative and focus on the bad, then unfortunately, that will come to us. As I said, I am a self-employed, single mom so money is always a concern. Not that I love money. I could care less. All I need is enough to provide for myself and my son, and I’d love to have extra to help others less fortunate than myself. Near the end of last month, I actually made myself sick worrying about money. Rent was coming due, car payment, you name it. How the hell was I to get the money? I couldn’t go mug people or take a baseball bat to my clients’ kneecaps (which I would never do-I love and appreciate each and every one of them). I made myself nauseous, couldn’t sleep, etc. And you know what happened? Two days before my rent and other bills were due, I got a new client. Bottom line is that if you believe that God/the universe/insert deity here will provide for you, then it/he/she will. I tell myself all the time that the universe will provide me exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. It has done wonders for my peace of mind and well being. I would love to share with you a few of my favorite daily affirmations. I got these affirmation from a website based upon the book “Creating Money” (which is about SO much more) and I tweaked them to suit me. Affirmations are a personal thing and the more powerful and meaningful they are to you, the better. Here are my favs:
I create the reality that I want. I am the source of my abundance.
I choose to live an abundant life and trust in my ability to make it so.
I invite and allow good to come into my life.
I love myself unconditionally and accept myself for who I am.
I have the spiritual power to know and be who I am.
I believe in myself and my path.
I radiate self-esteem, inner peace, love, well-being, and happiness at all times.
I release the need to learn my lessons through pain. I now choose to learn through joy and well-being.
I take time for myself today and every day.
I have the energy, enthusiasm, and inspiration to create my dreams.
I am naturally drawn to food that my body needs to be healthy.
I choose foods that bring me health, energy, and vitality.
I deserve to have my ideal body and I give it to myself now.
I lose weight easily and effortlessly.
I embrace all humanity with unconditional love.
With each breath out, I exhale negative thoughts.
I give back to others any burdens that are theirs to carry.
I honor my magical child. I have fun and play.
I have these affirmations framed and hanging in my bathroom so that I can read them as I get ready for the day and at bedtime. I also have them in my office right over my computer so that I can pause to reflect on them periodically throughout the day. Since I’ve been doing that, I have to tell you, I have never been so peaceful and zen in my life! I am very much a person that is type-A, workaholic, high strung, and hyper, but not anymore. It’s amazing. Yes, my parents think that I am off my nut, and that’s okay. It works for me. “That’s okay” is my mantra. Anytime I say something negative (such as I feel fat today), I say, “That’s okay” and counter the negative thought with something positive. The affirmation (above), “With each breath out, I exhale negative thoughts” is a great one for this!
Well, I’ve been a chatty pants! Let’s wrap this critter up. Very soon (I am shooting for tomorrow night) I am going to write a blog about what it means to be a holistic health coach and share some more information about Sherree Ross, my food Yoda. I had my second session with her on Monday right after my divorce hearing and it was so incredibly amazing and mind-blowing. I love ya woman! I talked to her today too after learning that I am allergic to 21 different foods and/or spices. (I was allergic to everything I ate for breakfast. Nice, huh?) Sherree asked me to email her my allergy list and the info provided by my doctor and she is going to help me find tasty substitutes for the things I can no longer eat. I will write a blog about my allergies and how they’ve affected my body. It is pretty darn profound! I suffered from what the doc’s called an “undiagnosed autoimmune disease” and suffered a lot in the past four years. Turns out that much of what I am suffering is caused by allergies. Who knew? Thank God I found the right doctor. So, stay tuned for that one too kiddos! Yep, I’m dangling the carrot people.
Have a magical weekend! Love to you all!
Until next time, peace, love and blissful eating,
Shelley
BTW-You are welcome to email me at Shelley.Patterson@SSPatterson-law.com if you have questions, comments, whatever. I am happy to hear from everyone and LOVE reading your comments.
Lessons learned and “up yours” to thinking like a dieter.
21 Aug 2010 5 Comments
in Healthy eating, Nutrition, Organic foods, Weight loss
Greetings beautiful people! Here I sit reflecting on the week that has mercifully ended as my son watches Blues Clues and the storm rages outside. What a week it has been! It’s been rough but there are many successes to be celebrated. Note no mention of failures (until just now-doh!). That is because I don’t believe in “failure”. What some people perceive as failure, I perceive as an opportunity to learn, improve, and grow. So let’s talk about these learning opportunities and successes….
To a degree, I started the week behind the eight ball. I suffer from horrible PMS (I sense a communal cringe among the male readers-sorry guys but I have to go there). When I say horrible, I mean it! I could happily rip someone’s arm off and beat them with it just for grins (let’s just say, I get a wee bit grumpy and somewhat aggressive-ya think?!), and I want to eat anything that is not nailed down. Seriously, if it isn’t moving or capable of eating me, it’s fair game. And let’s not talk about bloating, tight pants, etc. In short, it just completely and utterly sucks with a capital S. Okay guys, as Forest Gump said, “that’s all I’m going to say about that.” (*Big sigh of relief among the guys*) In spite of the hideous bloat, I am proud to say that I have lost 11.5 lbs to date. Would have been more, but that darn bloating. Argh! Sorry guys. I’m done, I promise. So on top of this unpleasantness, I received three calls from three different clients within four days about domestic violence. One of my clients had been badly beaten by her husband. I spent four and one-half hours at the courthouse with her getting a protection from abuse order for her and watching that creep of a soon-to-be ex-husband of her’s squirm uncomfortably as the judge gave him the stink eye after he saw my client’s poor battered face and arms.
So where the heck are you going with this, Shel? Well, I’ll tell you. I’ve made no bones about the fact that I am an emotional eater. Always have been but certainly won’t always be. At any rate, with the week I’ve had, I am sure it wouldn’t surprise you if I told you that I curled up in a corner rocking back and forth in horror while I snarked down on pint of Ben and Jerry’s, a bag of Dove milk chocolate, a bag of Oreos, and a pitcher (or two) of Margaritas. But did I do that good people? Hells no! Did I crawl into a bottle of Xanex? Nope. What is this sorcery you ask? Nothing fancy folks. Just eating as nature intended and *drum roll please* not depriving myself. Did I eat chocolate? Oh yeah buddy! For my mental well being and the physical well being of all around me, it was a must. Chocolate?! What the h-e-double hockey sticks? Yep, chocolate. How can that be “allowed”, you ask? Simple enough. I had 90% pure dark chocolate. And here’s the kicker-I had only two small squares of it and I was satisfied. The urge to kill passed and I got on with my day. Sure beats eating an entire bag of unhealthy, chemical laden milk chocolate, huh? Yeah, it shocked me too. When Sherree told me that would be the case, I once again thought she was so full of it her eyes were brown. Well, let me tell you, her eyes are brown but she is not full of it (at least not when it comes to food. Lol. Love ya Sherree!). I have finally come to realize that this crazy, wonderful woman knows her stuff. Thank you Sherree! I am just in awe of the changes I’ve noticed in my body so far. I feel fabulous. I don’t run to the bathroom the moment I eat something. Probably TMI, but the doctors told me I had IBS. I didn’t have irritable bowel syndrome. I had a different form of IBS (I’ve been eating shit syndrome). That is gone! I’ve suffered from that for years!
But back on point… So was I “good” you ask? In what sense? Did I eat something unhealthy and junky this week? Yep, and you know what? It tasted like crap and made me feel even worse than it tasted. My body was like, “oh no you didn’t”. I paid for it for hours-feeling like I ate a rock and was going to throw up. You are probably thinking, “she fell off the wagon”. That’s what I thought too right after I ate the unhealthy food (it was Chinese by the way-combination fried rice and egg rolls) Let’s address this whole concept of “falling off the wagon”, “being good”, and all those other ridiculous dieters terms that have been pounded into our head throughout our lives. They are all complete and utter B.S. Yep, I said it. What I am doing isn’t about “dieting”. Diets do NOT work, and I know. I’ve tried every one of them and I’ve taken ever “miracle” pill the fitness industry has invented. It’s a miracle that I don’t have three heads and a tail. Oh wait, I do have a tail (and horns if you talk to my soon-to-be ex mother-in-law. Takes a devil to know one I say!). Just kidding-about having the tail, not the mother-in-law. She really is the devil. One day I will throw holy water on her to see if she starts melting and screaming in pain. Odds are that she will. But, I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, the fitness industry. Does anyone really think the fitness industry wants us to lose weight and be fit? Heck no! No more chunky monkeys means no more money for those fat cats (dig it-fitness industry fat cats-I amuse myself). Let’s all take a pledge to reframe our thinking starting now! Like I said, this isn’t a diet. This is a life style change. I am making a conscious choice to eat healthy, whole foods and I want to sustain that for the rest of my life. Diets are not sustainable. They just aren’t. This is about reprogramming my brain to reject a lifetime of defective thinking. Food is not my enemy. It is my friend, my medicine, my joy. And I don’t “fall off the wagon”. I may make a bad choice and boy howdy does my body let me know it. But you know what? No biggie. I just make a better choice the next time. I can still have Chinese, but it is going to be Chinese Shel-style. By that I mean, organic meat and veggies over organic brown rice-no junk. And I guarantee it will be delicious!
Well, Oliva is almost over (Nick, Jr.) and that means my kiddo will cease to be hypnotized by the “piggy show” as he calls it and demand my full attention. So it is time to wrap up. But before I do, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has read my blog and offered words of encouragement. I’ve even had requests to write more and more often. I am humbled and so thrilled. And I will do my utmost best to write at least twice a week, but I am shooting for three times. Thank you all!
Until next time…
Love, peace and blissful eating,
Shelley
Welcome! This blog chronicles my journey of getting healthy through eating natural, whole foods and the pearls of wisdom I learn along the way.
14 Aug 2010 9 Comments
Greetings all! Let me give you the “skinny” on the not-so-skinny me. My name is Shelley Patterson. I am a 37 year old mom of an amazing little boy. I am a life-long resident of the Kansas City metro area and a licensed attorney with my own law practice. I have been overweight since age 3. I have an amazing family and adore my parents, but I come from a family of “food pushers”. By food pushers, I mean that food was the answer to everything. If you were upset, have a Twinkie. If food was offered, you ate it even if you were not hungry. The result-I became an emotional eater and was “morbidly obese” (as the medical community defines it) by the time I was in first grade.
Fast forward to January 2000-I was attending law school in Topeka, Kansas and was completely over being tired, overweight, and unhappy. So I decided it was time to do something about it. My solution, you ask? I went on a physician supervised (shudder that a doc would supervise what I did) low calorie diet (500 calories per day) which consisted of eating protein supplements and taking massive quantities of vitamins to make up for the lack of nutrition the diet was providing. It worked, for a while. I lost 130 pounds in eight months. I went from my size 28 (yes, size 28) to wearing a size 10/12. What was the downside you ask? Well, obviously it didn’t work because here I am ten years later unhealthy, tired, and weighing only slightly less than I did when I started that “miracle diet”. I maintained the weight loss for 2 ½ years by depriving myself, working out like a dog, and not enjoying myself because I was a slave to my body. What happens next you ask? I began to eat, and eat, and eat. Within a few months, I was up to a size 16, then 18, then a size 24, and finally, less than a year later, back to a size 28. As I gained weight, the more emotional I became, and the more I ate. What a vicious cycle!
Fast forward to the past two years-I’ve been chronically sick, always exhausted, anxious, you name it. I’ve spent thousands-yes thousands-on medical care. I allegedly (sorry-the lawyer in me) have what the doctors term an “undetermined” autoimmune disease. I had heard Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and a host of other possibilities. I had migratory arthritis in my hands and toes and suffered from chronic pain to the point that I had to take narcotic pain killers to sleep at night. If my son weren’t in my life, I don’t know that I would have wanted to continue living at that point. Frustrated beyond belief at doctors pushing pills to treat my symptoms and then more pills to treat the side effects of those pills, I began looking elsewhere for solutions. My “solution” came in the most unexpected way.
This past year, I have made some amazing, health conscious friends that eat only nutritious, whole foods. Last month, my fabulous friends invited me to a dinner party and movie night. The movie we watched was, “May I Be Frank?” and it was life changing! You owe it to yourself to see it. I began eating a little bit healthier after watching Frank and realized that I wanted more. Near the beginning of the movie, Frank talks about using caffeine like an amphetamine to keep his energy level up throughout the day and comments that it isn’t working any more. I did the same thing. I drank six to eight diet sodas a day. Only later did I find out that Aspartame turns to Formaldehyde in the liver and diet soda contains neurotoxins. Holy guacamole! It really hit home when my allergist told me that studies have shown that Westerners are far better preserved for a longer period of time after death due to the quantity of diet soda we drink. Hello?! Do we really want to put that in our bodies? Needless to say, I decided to quit drinking all soda, especially diet soda.
Within a few weeks of watching Frank, I had the good fortune to meet Sherree Ross, a holistic health coach and owner of Whole Body, Whole Food, Whole Health, LLC (www.SherreeRoss.com). I met with Sherree a few weeks ago for a free consultation during which we discussed my relationship with food (which is totally messed up btw), my family history, and my eating habits. I came away from that session jazzed! I knew right away that I wanted to work with Sherree. I believed she would be the one to help me change my dysfunctional relationship with food and find a way to make healthy eating a sustainable part of my life. Food had always been my enemy and I knew I had to learn how to make friends with my food. I had my first official counseling session with Sherree on Tuesday, August 10th. We discussed substituting the unhealthy things I was eating with healthy alternatives. For example, if I want chocolate, I should have it, but not junk chocolate. I am to eat only dark, pure chocolate because it is better for me and will satisfy my chocolate craving sooner than a bag of chocolate from the local mega mart. At this point, I had gone about a week and one-half without soda and I wanted one SO bad. I told Sherree that I would just about take someone down to liberate a soda from their hand. Sherree’s response, you ask? Have one, she said, but not a junky regular soda. She told me to have an all natural soda made with pure cane sugar. By this time, I was thinking this Sherree chick was off her nut. But was she? Why do “diets” always fail? Because, among other reasons, they are based upon deprivation-depriving yourself of those not-so-healthy things that nearly everyone wants at some point. So, rather than make yourself crazy fixating on that which is “bad”, have it, but have a healthier version of it. Huh? Seriously? Doubt if you will people, but it works! Three days in and I tell you, it definitely works! One thing Sherree said that really stuck a chord with me (well, okay, many things she said struck a chord with me) is that she didn’t want me to ignore my cravings. She said I can eat anything I want as long as it is a healthier alternative to whatever I crave and as long as I eat sitting at the table mindfully eating. No more zombie eating, as I call it. You know what I am talking about-sitting on the couch watching a movie mindlessly eating chips until you reach into an empty bag.
I can’t give away all of Sherre’s nuggets of wisdom but I can sure as heck tell you how I applied them. Immediately after leaving my session with Sherree, I went to Whole Foods Market and spent two hours there-it went faster than you think. I went down every aisle looking at various foods and reading labels. I loaded my cart with the yummy things Sherree suggested that I eat. For example, lots of fresh, organic greens-Kale, Collards, and Chard. I also bought some of the pure cane sugar soda, Raw Revolution bars, Lara bars, Quinoa pasta, and so much more!
Sherree told me that if I ate only whole, nutritious foods that I would eat less as those foods and they would make me feel full faster and keep me satisfied longer. My thought-yeah right sister! Man was I wrong! I immediately began eating as Sherree advised and here I sit three days later and eight pounds lighter. Yes, eight pounds people!!! Not to mention I feel phenomenal and have loads of energy. Just think about it-if I feel this great after only three days, what I am I going to feel like in a month, a year, five years? To say that this is exciting stuff is a major understatement. And I have to tell you, at no point over these past few days have I ever felt deprived, hungry, unhappy, none of that because this isn’t a diet-it is a lifestyle change. You don’t have to become an organic food Nazi and throw away all of your non-organic food. Not at all. Simply replace those non-organic items with organic, natural foods as you use them. But you say, shopping at stores like Whole Foods is so expensive. I thought that too. But it really is true that you will eat much less if you eat as nature intended. I eat a small fraction of what I used to and I never feel like I am depriving myself of anything. I eat healthy, nutritious foods when I am hungry and stop when I am full. Our bodies are meant to do this-it is called homeostasis. Our body’s ability to self-regulate goes out of whack when we fill it with junky food and chemicals. In Ayurveda, one is taught that food is either poison or medicine-it either heals or hurts the body. If you eat only medicinal foods, your body will heal itself. Of course this isn’t true 100% of the time. Western medicine has its place but treating symptoms and not the cause shouldn’t be your go to solution.
So, what am I eating you ask? Great stuff! Burgers with Quinoa mixed in and organic sweet potato fries, huge salads of mixed greens with chopped almonds, cucumbers, and apples, healthy whole food versions of Mexican food, you name it. And when I get those “I’d kill for a soda” moments, I have one-an all natural, organic soda with pure cane sugar (Blue Sky is awesome and so is Whole Foods in house brand called 365). When I want something chocolaty, I have a chocolate and coconut Lara bar. I also make incredible smoothies using greens (Kale and Chard mostly) along with banana, coconut water, and a host of other yummy things. (Check out Sherree’s facebook page for great smoothy recipes.)
I want to share some of the things I’ve noticed from a health standpoint over these past few days- my energy level not only stays consistent throughout the day-it goes up, and my hands don’t hurt anymore. I feel SOOOOO great! I am going to save a fortune in doctors’ bills, co-pays, and prescriptions.
Give this a try and call Sherree. You will be surprised when you get to a point where you just don’t want all that unhealthy junk you used to eat. By way of example, I was in a pinch for lunch yesterday and stopped in at Goodcents thinking that it was relatively healthy option. I ordered a small sandwich and shortly after eating it, I felt like pure hell! All those nitrates and processed ingredients (white flour, etc.) did me in. I have NO desire to eat anything that isn’t natural-by that I mean food that is as close to its natural state as possible-nothing processed or altered. This coming from a woman that should have a “Body by McDonalds” t-shirt!
I look forward to sharing so much more with you as I continue on this journey. Just remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (That isn’t mine-props to Confucius) Let’s take each step together shall we?
Peace, love, and blissful eating,
Shelley
Hello world!
13 Aug 2010 1 Comment
Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!
