Diet Challenges Again

Mission Level
Fail-ish

A while back, I stated I was going to try three separate diets to expand my horizons. I succeeded in being a vegan for 7 days - you can find that in my Vegan Challenge post.

Why Fail?
I originally wanted to try three types of diets. I really struggle figuring out the two others ones I stated I was going to do. If you remember, they were:

• Vegan: No animal products or by-products allowed.
• Locavore: Food only can come from the local area where you live.
• Islamic: Diet derived from commandments found in the Qur'an, the Hadith and Sunnah.

Throwing in the Towel
I'm just giving up on this. It's lent and I guess I lost a lot of steam when I comes to doing these things. I haven't been eating as much as I have been (I actually lost about 5lbs) so trying to fit into one of these diets would actually be pretty easy. The vegan thing was the hardest.

Being Healthy
The original challenge was to "eat a normal, healthy diet." I did re-join with MyFitnessPal with a couple friends, so, I have been tracking my food and making some good choices.

A not good choice was eating an entire box of Caramel deLites aka Samoas. I call them Samoas which I believe is not considered offensive. I never mean to offend - I just always knew them as Samoas. Anyhow, I would like to say I won that battle but I did spend a little time in the bathroom that night. Yep. Awesome.

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Diet Challenge - Alterations

I posted these three challenges a bit ago, my Diet Challenges - Three Times the Charm post in which I said I would do the following diets in 7 day stretches:

• Vegan: No animal products or by-products allowed.
• Locavore: Food only can come from the local area where you live.
• Islamic: Diet derived from commandments found in the Qur'an, the Hadith and Sunnah.

I did the vegan thing which you can read about in my Vegan Challenge post, but, I am going to have to take a rest. I need to make sure I am using my resources correctly and doing proper research. So far, I found I basically live a very locavore life which would just take some minor tweaks. 

Unless I am doing the one when you pretend you lived like 100 years ago and need to research what exactly the land offers at this time of the year - winter - and eat only that. That's going to be hard and costly. 

I don't want to give up on these things, however, I will be moving them as a monthly challenge instead of doing them one right after another. Before go tweaking my diet for about a month, I would like to spend some time building up some context.

Besides, gives me time to enjoy the life I do live and the foods I can eat and like to eat. Like cheese.

And I have to figure out where and how I can do this zorbing and zip lining.

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Vegan Challenge

Mission Level: Success
I was a vegan for 7 days. I ate no meat and almost nothing with animal bi-products.

What Is Vegan?

My daily intake

Most people know what a vegetarian is – someone who doesn't eat meat. Vegans take this to another level and do not eat anything that comes from animals. This includes all dairy (butter, cheese, milk), seafood and items that contain trace amounts of animal products like Lucky Charms cereal and Jello.

I failed because some of the supplements I take are not vegan. I wasn't going to give them up or buy something new just for this challenge. I was aware I would have to if I went totally vegan, though. I have a feeling some of the items I ate might have had animal bi-products in them but were under some chemical that I didn't know.

Beyond that, vegans adopt a lifestyle that involves not wearing or using items that are derived from animals – no leather, no wool and certainly no fur. I didn't go out and buy a new wardrobe, I just was aware of this situation. For example, my shoes are made of leather. Mostly everything else I wear is cotton or rayon or something.

Becoming Vegan

Smarties - Vegan candy

First, it was not as hard for me to get into being a vegan as I thought. It’s an ok place to visit, but, I wouldn't want to live here. I do eat a lot of fruits and veggies. However, I'm very much an omnivore and I like my meats.

I also buy my food on a weekly basis so I just didn't buy any meat. I did have bacon and eggs in my refrigerator and a pack of frozen chicken tenders. Most people make a joke about, “How can you give up bacon?!” but, the chicken really got to me.

So, here is a list of the items I ate for the week:

• Apples.
• Bananas.
• Blackberries.
• Blueberries.
• Bread.
• Broccoli.
• Butternut squash.
• Carrots.
• Coconut.
• Coconut milk.
• Diet Coke.
• Flax seed.
• Garlic.
• Kiwi.
• Lightlife Smart Ground - Veggie ProteinCrumbles
• Onion.
• Pears.
• Pita chips (with VEGAN on it).
• Popcorn.
• Potato chips.
• Quinoa.
• Raspberries.
• Rice noodles.
• Rum.
• Smarties.
• Spinach.
• Strawberries.
• Sweet potato.
• Tomato.
• Walnuts.
• Water.

Really, in the right mind-set of opening food-doors, being a vegan is the way to go because you are limited and have to branch out. I set my brain in the mode of embracing rather than enduring. Obviously, there are a lot of foods I don't eat and this was a good time to eat them – or eat more of stuff I forgot I liked.

Week In Review

I did cry a little in my soul at Whole Foods when I walked through the cheese department. I do love some good cheese. I don't eat dairy too often, maybe twice a month. I like to get my dairy in cheese form. I do have a love of La Tur cheese and a nice bleu cheese.

Just a little. . .

I did actually eat better dinners this week than I had before this process. Normally, I eat some popcorn or bacon for dinner and call it even. This week, I made up some rice noodles, Trader Joe’s tomato basil sauce and the protein crumbles for a nice little pasta dish.

I also cooked for my boyfriend. I made a really pathetic vegan chili – it was pathetic because I don't eat beans and I don't like spicy (as in hot) foods. He ate it like a champ.

I have a Nutribullet so I got a variety of fresh fruit (and frozen) for a nice smoothie. The Nutribullet is an emulsifier so you don’t need to add any dairy to make it creamy – it breaks down everything you put in there into a nice, thick consistency. I like to add a touch of spinach to everything (I go through two bags of spinach a week because of this) for some extra goodness.

New Stuff I Tried

I never had coconut milk, so, that was new. It's very watery but has a nice sweet kick. It's also suppose to be pretty good for you. I got these like boxes of it, each were 60 calories. In my Nutribullet, it added a nice hint of sweetness – almost made my berry blend taste like a tart. It was delicious.

I also tried the protein crumbles. I'm not into fake stuff. Since I was giving up animal products, I wasn't going to go try to find a replacement product. What the hell is in “soy cheese?” Crap. That's what. I am not into tofu, either. I think it can be over-processed. I like my food to be food. Why dress edamame up to be fake cheese – it's perfectly great as edamame.

I just don't trust high amounts of soy or tufu. I couldn't get over this during the week.

However the protein crumbles were pretty tasty and well seasoned. In reviewing the ingredients, I think I might try them again because they are packed with protein. It's a bit if a mind-shift for me, but, what's life without a couple mind-shifts.

Issues

One of my main issues in finding foods to eat was my inability to eat canola oil. Sure, a little isn’t going to kill me, but, I’m not going to buy products with canola in it.

Canola, by the way, is pretty healthy. No reason for anyone not to consume it. It did create an interesting problem as I toured through Whole Foods to find some vegan-approved foods to eat. Even the hot bar marked with “VEGAN” I couldn’t have. Bummer.

I did crave the normal foods I enjoy - I really wanted some chicken. I think part of it was because I could not have chicken. The other part was because I normally make myself a couple plain chicken strips for dinner.

True

I did not plan the first couple days that well when I was at work. I was hungry because I packed some fruit and nothing else – and not enough fruit. I could not go out because the closet café didn’t have vegan stuff. I also couldn’t go to the vending machine because I couldn’t read the back of the labels to see if the item was vegan or not.

I’m going to admit, I’m not the best vegan when it comes to getting the calories I need. I think it would struggle more if I was in training for a cycling event and I would have to rely on others to help me find the foods I need to keep going.

Thoughts

I knew one vegan but I think she used it as an excuse to hide an eating disorder. Others I have met in passing were often more concerned with evaluating food choices than having a non-weird conversation. Walking a week as a vegan (in non-vegan shoes) did offer me some time to think about food choices and people as individuals.

NOM!

I always said, it is truly a luxury to live in a world where you can choose what you want to eat and you can choose not to eat certain foods since everything is abundant. The flip side is respecting that just because we live in a world where we have access to more than enough doesn't mean it's fair to judge those who exercise that choice.

So, I had a lot of tangles with highly moralistic and judgmental vegans. Do they have a leg to stand on?

While I can't comment on morality, I can see where this lifestyle can wear on you and make you more defensive.

It’s not easy being a vegan, it takes some time, research and work.

I did not attempt to go out to a restaurant this week – I know only of one a bit of a hike away that is a vegan/vegetarian place. Otherwise, I am not sure where I could go. Vegetarian, sure. Vegan, no. I also have to be careful due to my beans and canola oil situation.

I felt a little bad when someone offered me food this week or there was an event and I was like, “Damn, can’t eat that.” How many times can you say, “no thanks, friend,” before someone starts asking you why.

I can see where frustrations can emerge if someone made a nice dish and I started questioning everything about it. I can see how both sides might feel challenged or insulted. 

I know I get scared and frustrated in just explaining to people I can't have vinegar.

Mom: I made you some chicken salad.
Me: I can't have mayo.
Mom: Why not?
Me: It has vinegar in it.
Mom: Oh dear, I didn't think of that.
Me: Sorry.

My boyfriend, might I add, was really supportive. At one point, I said I could just break down and make something that was non-vegan, like pizza with cheese. He said it was ok and I said he wasn't going to let me give up because it was “easier.” I appreciated that support.

I don’t think the vegan lifestyle is for me but I think I will try to incorporate it more into my current omnivore lifestyle.

I would like to think I was never mean or insulted by someone with a special diet or food allergy. I think I am always curious about it and I will think more carefully about how I ask my questions before I do.

Then, well, this also happened.



On the list. . .

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Diet Challenge Research

Me eating a pear

First of all, the vegan thing is going pretty good. I am not sure, but, I am toying with the idea of maybe trying this for two weeks - I have a couple ideas I think I want to explore with the whole food thing. I'll let you all know on Monday.

The point of this post is to sort of outline what you should be doing and thinking about if you decide to change up your eating habits and diet.

When you are going to engage in some type of new diet, it’s important to get some of your facts straight.


What Is A Calorie?
I think most of us think calories are bad – unless you are trying to gain weight or you are in some type of training and know you need more fuel. Then calories are little bits of fear and evil, but, rather important building blocks of success.

In fact, that is what calories are – fuel. So much like fuel for your car, you want to make sure you have a nice, full tank but you don’t want to try to overfill it.

Calories aren't bad. You need them to live. The problem is getting enough or getting too many. This is over a long-term but can be managed short-term. After all, if I end up eating 2000 calories at an awesome party or in front of the TV, it’s not going to impact me that much. Doing it every night is.

Keep in mind, we only know the value of calories in food by setting the food on fire. In the case of very watery foods (like watermelon) scientist dehydrate the food then set it on fire. A calorie is then the approximate amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 kelvin.

Goooo science!

Nutrition
Beyond calories, it’s important to get good foods in you. Good fuel, good calories – yum. I could easily eat all my calories in potato chips and ice cream, but, that’s not the best diet. It’s important to eat nutritional dense foods with vitamins and fiber and protein and carbs and all this good stuff your body needs for energy, tissue regeneration and, of course, pooping.

I also happen to take a good amount of vitamins because my body sucks those things up like a Dyson.

Calories, You and a Diet
Before you pick a diet you want to try or stick too, you want to make sure you know how many calories you need to function. You can find calculators online to help you – just make sure you know this is purely an estimate and nothing is set in stone. It’s a good place to start, not the end-all-be-all of your world. Things can change if you decide to workout more.

For example, at least 2 weeks a month I am in a classroom standing, pacing and doing some occasional soft shoe at work. The rest of the time, I am pretty much sitting at a desk. When I am biking in the warmer months (and going to pick it up again soon, now that the snow is off the trail) I’m going to be burning more calories.

I used this Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator to figure out how many calories I burn in a day just living.

So, as of right now, I am 5’6 about 140lbs. In the morning I weight about 135, by night I weigh about 137. It’s a normal flux, but, I call it 140.

Using the calculator, (and claiming I live a remarkable sedentary lifestyle right now) I estimate I need about 1710 calories a day to maintain my weight. In whatever diet I choose, I need to eat this 1710 calories in order to maintain my weight. I can break it up anyway I want, for example:

• Breakfast: 174.
• Lunch: 592
• Dinner: 542
• Snack: 402

Obviously, if i wanted to lose weight, I have to eat less than 1710 calories or I need to burn off calories through physical activity.

My Food Story
I have been fat and skinny – I actually weight the lest I ever did right now. I normally was in the 145-150 range but I have weighed as much as 185-195. Eating and food has posed extensive problems from me while sick.
Weight gain issues:

• My thyroid crashed a few times.
• Medications caused me to gain weight.

Weight loss issues:

• I puked. A lot.
• I developed OCD - I could not eat certain foods without anxiety, so, I avoided them.
• I lost the ability to feel hungry.

I learned the importance of food as fuel when I could not eat a lot. I found quinoa was easy on my digestive tract and packed full of good nutrition to keep me going and support my system.

In bike training, I ate more than I ever ate before. The idea that foods that people said were bad (pizza, Poptarts, etc) actually had a real and important place in my diet amazed me. I went from eating anything and everything to learning I could use this hunger to create better rides for myself. I discovered paella and my life changed.

Conclusions
Whatever you reason for trying out a new diet or taking on a challenge to learn something, be sure you are safe about it. Visit a registered dietitian or nutritionist to help you come up with a plan. Make sure you know what you need to keep you going, make sure you try new things when you can and find things that are delicious and good for you.

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Diet Challenges - Three Times the Charm

Chips in the back!

Someone who knows me probably suggested this one.

Eat a normal, healthy diet.

Yes, this is from someone who knows me. I suppose a pot of coffee and bag of potato chips is not "healthy."  I @#$%ing love potato chips.

Define Healthy
The question this request begs is, "what is healthy?"

I actually also have friends who choose to be vegan or vegetarian - and even some friends who are more militant about it than others. I happen to eat pretty much anything, just not a lot of processed food, fast food or prepackaged food.

An appetizer, if you will, of World Eats

In my travels on the Internet, I did find the What the World Eats which shows families around the world with the amount of food and types of foods they eat in an average week. I don't tend to look at it as if everyone must have access to certain foods in order to be happy, I look at it as how "normal" is different for everyone. It probably isn't a bad idea to learn from others.

Science and dietitians still struggle to find out what is the "perfect" diet. It changes yearly, monthly - daily? Carbs, no carbs. Meat, no meat. More of something, less of another. Diets - complicated. And I am not even talking about "diets" just to lose weight, I'm talking about diets as in the habit of eating.

My Diet
I boiled down my average weekly food consumption - the items I eat and quantity if memory is correct.

• Almonds (rarely).
• Apples (daily).
• Bacon.
• Blackberries/strawberries/raspberries (frozen).
• Beef (rarely, not by choice).
• Butter (for cooking and popcorn).
• Cheese.
• Cheese doodles.
• Chicken (breast meat, strips/roasted).
• Eggs (2-3).
• Flaxseed.
• Ground turkey or beef.
• Green beans.
• Pears (daily).
• Pineapple (frozen, rarely)
• Potato chips.
• Potato.
• Popcorn (air popped).
• Onions.
• Quinoa.
• Rice noodles.
• Sea salt (helps adrenal fatigue).
• Smarties (candy, rarely).
• Walnuts (rare).
• Wine.
• Vodka (woo!).

Nothing unhealthy there, right? I mean, sometimes I throw in some other stuff, but, not to bad. If you remember the Egg McMuffin challenge, this might answers some questions on what I can handle.

My Edit

My fridge

First, there are certain things I cannot or should not consume because I have sensitivities to certain foods. A sensitivity means I will not die if I eat them, I will just want to die. An allergy would mean I would have to go to the hospital if I ate these things. Anyhow, the items I don't eat are:

• Canola oil (I avoid fried food and most processed food).
• Vinegar (no sushi or condiments).
• Beans (you know, beans).

I did some research (I went to the Wiki) and chatted with some friends who have different diet types. Since I can't really demand a meal plan, I decided to divide this challenge into a couple weekly chunks. I think it's a good span of time that includes weekends and weekdays.

I also decided to add some flair to this diet challenge by including a range - here it is:

• Vegan: No animal products or by-products allowed.
• Locavore: Food only can come from the local area where you live.
• Islamic: Diet derived from commandments found in the Qur'an, the Hadith and Sunnah.

Stay tuned for my report on this! I will be starting with the vegan diet today - report to follow in a week!

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Image Credit

Cornucopia from emilyinthekithen.blogspot.com

World Eats thumbnail from cominganarchy.com

Eat and Egg McMuffin

Mission Level: Success
. . .but really a fail

McDonald's (USA) serves 27 million people every day and on December 14, 2012, I became one of them. The last time I even tried McDonald's was probably 2005, well before I was diagnosed.Since I have had a couple items as a child from McDonald, it was decided I need a breakfast item.

It was also 8:00am.

People seem shocked by the fact that I do not eat fast food – I can’t even describe the shock on their faces. I actually think maybe something happened behind me, like someone grew horns – when I say I have never been to Burger King, ate at Wendy’s once, have never driven through any drive-thru (minus the bank) and haven’t had McDonald's since 2000.

"Manda," they cry. "Manda! Are you a vegetarian? Are you super healthy?" Or something more like, "Wow, what's wrong with you?"

I did not grow up eating fast food – maybe once in a blue moon – and I certainly did not eat a lot of fast food in my adult life. I enjoy the occasional Taco Bell, don’t get me wrong, but, I prefer to whip up my own tacos because I can eat more for less.

But, back to this adventure - as a bonus, I was delivered the Sausage Egg McMuffin variety of breakfast do-hicky. Just imagine my coworkers chatting, "eat it, eat it, eat it!"

I took those bites

How Did It Go?

I was surprised, actually, that it seemed like a real English muffin. Real cheese, maybe. It wasn't like it was real meat in there. The cheese was processed, you could tell. The muffin part seemed ok, the normal chewy-cheapness (and I love English muffins).

This seems to be. . ok?

Yeah – by 8:36, I decided this was a bad choice. My tummy was on fire. ON FIRE. In fact, just like the last time that I ate in McDonald's (circa 2000) the food stayed like a rock in my tummy. My probotics did not help. Nor did the apple I sent down to talk it out with the McMuffin.

What did I just eat?! I did some research which did not make me feel any better about life. After all, isn't McDonald's starting to say they are "healthy" now?

I do not feel better about my life

I didn't eat again until about 7pm that might. Then I settled for some seafood paella.

Future Plans

Never. Again.

This is a bad choice food. I’m sure one or two of those ingredients is eating through my stomach lining and a couple more are trying to claw their way out. A few others are trying to get out way they came.

If eating this stuff is “normal,” I’m going to stick to being abnormal.

My coworker did say I was a wuss because I couldn't handle the McMuffin. I mean, I handled the McMuffin - I just wasn't happy. However, everyone else in my little department agreed they get cravings and enjoy having one a couple times a month.

Never. Again.

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Image Credit

Image from foodfacts.com.