I can't believe we're nearly halfway done with our fast, and I haven't even had a chance to write about it. One of the bad things about this diet is that it is very difficult to buy ready-made meals or go out to eat without compromising or having to pay a hefty premium. There are a couple of all-you-care-to-eat places around that have decent salad bars, but you are paying over $10 per person for the opportunity to also have access to the meats, sides, and desserts.
This means we have been cooking. A lot. And when I say "we," I mean "me." Not that my hubby doesn't like to cook, or is a poor chef. He doesn't have a lot of experience with veggies, so he's a little unfamiliar with many ways to prepare them. Steaming or microwaving cans of green beans and corn are his most popular ways of getting his foliage, and the occasional baby carrot slips its way into his lunchbox a few times a week.
Cooking takes time. I've enjoyed trying new recipes and digging out some old stand-by's we tried when I was a little more adventurous with my cooking (and had the time to do it!). I've had a little luck finding modified "vegan, gluten-free" recipes that don't require quinoa, potatoes or tofu, and if they do, I just omitted it. I've been spending so much time cooking, washing dishes, and thinking about what we're eating next that I haven't had time to write about it.
So here it is: the Fast Update. Part of the reason I started this was to stop myself from thinking about food all the time, wondering what I would eat next, walking by the pantry 6 times a day, trying to find things to eat, and making lists of all the food we have that needs to be eaten (to finally clean out our freezers from before the baby was born!). I can't say that it has been a complete success. I am eating more fruits and way more veggies, but I am still constantly thinking about food, what to cook next, how to cook it, if we have all the ingredients, and what I can eat in the meantime.
I am glad the fast is half over (as of tonight), because I want to use the skills I've attained so far to really kick my snacking habit. Instead of making sugary baked goods like I did the last couple of months, I've been filling up between meals on dried fruit (most of which contain sugar) and salty nuts and cashews. I should be reaching for apples or the grapefruit that have been sitting on top of the pantry, but the other things are so much easier to just grab a handful of, instead of peeling or cutting and scooping the fruits. We've also gone through 2 Costco-sized bags of the Veggie Straws since the end of January. I know they've got salt and they're mostly potato, but it is nice to have something salty and crunchy with a soup or salad. I want to eliminate those items from my diet over the next 2 weeks, and go for the carrot sticks, celery and peanut butter, or whole fruit that I intended from the beginning of this fast.
I think that will help with my weight loss as well. I was 295 the morning we started, and as of last Wednesday, I was only down 7 lbs. I think at my weight, I should have lost a lot more than that. I've not lost any since then, either. I think the salt and sugar content of my snacks have been the main cause of that.
I did the math the other night and figured out that if I want to make my goal of weighing 190 (or very close to) by Sam's 2nd birthday (18 1/2 months from now), I will have to lose nearly 3 pounds a week! I've got to do better than I have been.
I will update again soon with some of my favorite recipes (they've all been pretty fantastic!) we've been eating. Until then, happy Valentine's Day!
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