Summer Slip and Slide

Summer Slip and Slide: Have not posted here in a while… partly cause of summer busy syndrome but also because… while I have not gone totally nuts I have been taking liberties and vacations from my millet/tofu food plan… adding a few things to my menu... and tomorrow is my day at the county fair… I won't be entering a pie eating contest but I do plan to have something tasty. A reckoning will come. (I have not gained weight but also not lost any this month) Next month… I have signed up to take an online course in Mindful Eating… more about that later!

Portion Control… damit...

My transition period took longer than I thought it would but still, for a little over a week now I've been eating according to the Yogi Millet plan (almost)… in terms of WHAT… but have not worried much about proportions. Cottage cheese, olive oil, and dried fruit are my likely culprits. Cottage cheese is suppose to be a substitute for tofu not in addition. The plan says to use Pam, spray oil or none at all. That seems gross to me so I'm still using Paul Newman olive oil… and OK it actually glug glugs and does give the tofu a nice toasty edge… Then I've been eating dried fruit kind of like candy… I do feel better but for all my dedication and efforts have only lost one pound. OK at least that is the right direction but in light of my goals… Oh yes, and I'm still flirting with caffeine… I may never give up green tea and still have my Lady Grey. Sigh…

So now that I have the WHAT (+ a minor caffeine issue) I guess its time to work on the HOW MUCH. This is I think where the mindfulness of eating comes in. I'm well prepared… I have Buddhist teachings, books on mindful eating, and Pema Chodron, the Buddhist teacher who always helps us look those compulsive distractions in the eye… stay tuned...

Temperance and the Devil

My sister Judy was here yesterday and we read our cards. Here are a few I got…

Temperance and the Devil…. seems apropos for my endeavor to lose weight… Temperance suggests moderation. The Devil warns me to face my shadow side and transform it. I see the Devil as the purveyer obsessions and compulsions… Temperance as the Buddha's middle way. 

Good thing I also got the Empress and the Queen of Wands… From the Empress: creativity, nurturing, and sustenance… real world phyicality. Queen of Wands: More nurturing, she is the most nurturing of the Queens. May these nurturing archetypes assist me in truly nurturing my body with good healthy food and avoiding the tempting Devil of compulsion.

Delays and Distractions

Painterly Selfie with Clock

This week was not what I thought or expected it to be. I'm here at Thornbush looking after a sweet poodle named Suzie and some gossipy chicken in an environment so lovely, warm, and at least today humid, I can almost pretend I'm in Hawaii. I usually try to clear my calendar when I stay here and kind of thought that's what it would be like so I planned to fully implement the Millet Food Plan this week while I was here. (note: I'm using "food plan" instead of "diet" because I absolutly hate the word diet). Instead it was a busy week, I was ill-prepared, and so this has been another week of "transition" with even a few wild departures. But today is a new day and I'm here until tomorrow. I still have time to complete my transition, cook up some millet, and commit to the plan… and stay away from those fruit, nut, and seed bars with the cane syrup! 

But fresh strawberries are more than OK…

Vanquishing Sugar

Still transitioning toward the Millet diet I've taken on elimination of sugar as my first step toward healthier eating. My theory is that once I get over that hump my cravings for other foods will diminish. Cravings like… last night fantasizing about a pound cake with lots of gooey coconut frosting… its a good thing I did not have access to such a temptation. As for caffeine, I've decided that as long as my whole milk holds out I'm going to have a half cup of coffee a day with that lovely creamy substance… but when that whole milk is gone, and I can probably do that two more times,… that's it…

Thwarting Sugar

The Millet plan calls for just fruit for breakfast. Feeling like I needed something a little more substantial my solution is to put that fruit into a smoothie with a cup of unsweetened almond milk and a scoop of green superfood. With blueberries and a banana that's a tasty and super healthy beverage. Not that I couldn't sit down five minutes later to scrambled eggs, bacon, sourdough toast with real butter, and hash browns 10 minutes later… but… I won't… 

Super Smoothie

Whatever you may think of Governor Christy...

Whatever you think of New Jersey's Governor Christy, he was on Jimmy Fallon this week where he danced with Jimmy. Jimmy Fallon has made fun of Christy a lot both for political scandal, and with fat jokes. Jimmy did apologize but still resorted to a fat joke and Christy slapped him down for it. I thought that was kinda good.

See the whole episode: Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Governor Christy Dancing with Jimmy Fallon

Yogi Bhajan's Millet Diet

"I know that with millet in my diet, my temperament,
my blood sugar, my blood pressure,
and myself will be peaceful and calm,
able to fly high like a white pigeon,
symbol of peace, against the vast blue sky."

Yogi Bhajan

Millet and Tofu with Veggies

It's not for everyone and that's for sure but I'm gearing up to get down with Yogi Bhaja's Millet Diet as my food plan. I have tried it before and I felt great eating this way. The first week is tough though because you eliminate sugar and caffeine… yes… I said… you eliminate sugar and caffeine. When I did it before I confess I cheated a little on this part and had Twig Tea with Sweetened Soymilk.

"The Millet Diet not only balances out the body's metabolism and blood sugar but it is very relaxing as well."

Bibiji Inderjit Kaur, author: The Siri Singh Sahib's Weight Loss Diet a.k.a. The Millet Diet