Top 10 Miss List

Someone asked me what I'll miss while I'm on my challenge so let me think of the top 10 things I'll miss eating:

Burgers - I already mentioned my favorite is Carl's Jr.'s Steakhouse burger that they recently discontinued.  I also like Y-Not chili burgers, In and Out burgers and even McDonalds. 

French Fries - French fries are my #1 comfort food and I'm not picky about where they come from.  Y-Not has some chili cheese fries that are killer.

Chocolate -  See's is my favorite and it's always a bad idea to stick a box in front of me since they will stay by my side until the box is empty.  I recently discovered TJ's dark chocolate caramel sea salt bars.  I'm always looking for chocolate.

Coffee -  You'd think this would be at the top of the list, but since I gave up caffeine, I know I can get by with hot water.

Diet Soda - I crave having that bubbly stuff as a pick me up.

Greek Yogurt - I like having this as a snack with honey and walnuts.  Sometimes with berries and sometimes with jam.

Ice cream - Who wouldn't miss ice cream?

Cakes and Cookies - If they are in the vicinity, I eat them.

Potato Chips - To relieve salt cravings.

Chicken Maison - People who know me know that recently I've been a regular here and can't get enough of it.

So as you can see, most of it is stuff I shouldn't be eating anyway.  For some reason, I don't think I'm going to have a problem being without them for a month.

But we'll see..

Waist not...Waste not

My eating binge continues as I count down to June 1st.  The result?  No more waist.  Really, I don't have a waist anymore.  You know, the part on your body that's supposed to be smaller in the middle?  Don't have it.

Do you know what happens when you don't have a waist?  Your pants won't stay up so you are constantly pulling them up.  This is a pain.  Take my word for it. 

Now I understand why fat guys wear suspenders.

I'm really, really, really looking forward to June.  Because in my mind, I will finally be motivated to eat right.  Meanwhile, I only have a few stretchy pants I can fit into.

I will take my measurements and weight on May 31 and keep track of it through the month. 

Speaking about waist...or waste, in June I don't think one bite of food will be wasted.  As opposed to today.  After working hard in the garden, I felt like having a burger so I went to Carl's Jr to get my favorite "Steakhouse Burger".  But alas, they discontinued it, so I got their newest burger, the "Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger".  OMG.  This thing is definitely heart attack food.  I didn't like it.  It was a burger smothered with gooey cheese and mayo on grilled buttered bread.  I mean it was oozing out all over.  I ate half and THREW THE OTHER HALF AWAY.  WASTE, WASTE, WASTE.  I know there are ancestors turning in their grave watching me throw food away, but that burger was a serious health hazard.

Besides that, I throw a lot of food away when I'm cleaning out the fridge.  Right now I buy a lot of take out for dinner so I don't have to cook, so there are Styrofoam containers of leftovers that get thrown out, vegetables from the garden that I didn't utilize, and fruit that didn't get eaten.  There are condiments and dairy products that are expiring and on and on and on. 

So much waste. 

But not in June.  I don't think one bite is going to be wasted.

And then by July...I'll have my waist back...

Carb Love

Yes, I love my carbohydrates.  Especially french fries.  They make me feel good.  Carbs give us energy.  Quick energy.  But then after a while, it all turns to sugar and makes us feel tired.  So then, we crave a pick me up of more carbs.  And so the cycle is continued and the excess calories builds up into fat.  And that's when the thighs start rubbing together.  Not a good image, I know.

I find that if you eat carbs by themselves, it makes your brain foggy.  And when your brain is foggy, you feel tired and crave more carbs.  That's why you should have protein with your carbs and stop eating so many carbs in the first place. 

So you see, I know the score, I'm just not following my own advice.  But that's all going to end on June 1, because I'm not going to be able to afford french fries, chocolate, donuts, maybe not even bread. 

What carbs will I have?  I will need carbs for energy and to meet my minimum calorie requirements.   Here's my list of things I can afford:

brown rice
dry beans
corn tortillas
bananas (maybe 1 a week)
potatoes (maybe only 1 for my chicken soup)

The rest of the carbs are going to come from my home grown vegetables and gleaned fruit.

Again, the vegetables I'm expecting to have available in June are broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, stir fry greens, daikon, zucchini, and tomatoes. 

The fruit I expect to have are oranges, avocados and strawberries.  I'm hoping I can find someone with a lemon and apple tree.  Also, peaches and plums should be around somewhere if I can find them. 

All of this is what I consider the "good" carbs.  Unprocessed carbs.  High fiber carbs. The ones I should be able to eat without restriction on a healthy diet.  The ones I should replace over the bad carbs I'm eating now.

Wouldn't it be nice if at the end of June, I only crave the good carbs and change my eating habits?  Hmmmm...

I am thinking about making some home made bread.  I'm not sure if it's actually cheaper to make bread or buy it from the discounted Oroweat store.  I might run a test just to see which is more cost effective.  Stay tuned...

Let's talk about protein

If you knew what my diet was like right now, you'd be appalled.  I like hamburgers and french fries, chocolate, diet soda, potato chips, cookies, cakes, and host of other bad food choices.  And, it seems like I'm trying to get into the most pitiful condition by June 1 so that I can see a lot of positive results from the challenge.  Maybe since I won't be able to eat this stuff in June, I'm shoveling it all in now. 

On the other hand, I want June 1 to roll around ASAP so I can get off this insane eating train.  My weight is at an all time high and my physical condition is at an all time low.

For now, let's talk about protein.  We need them to help build strong bodies and bones.  They help to curb hunger and keep your mind sharp.  It's good to eat some protein first thing in the morning to get your engine started. 

So what's the best protein money can buy?  And that's the problem.  Protein costs money.  It's hard to just find protein if you are foraging unless you come across a nut tree.  And how often does that happen?  We get the bulk of our protein by eating meat and fish.  What are you vegetarians doing?  I bet they have to subsidize their protein requirements with protein powder.

Since I can't grow my own protein in my garden (although veggies do have small amounts of protein), I'll have to buy it.  This has never been a problem until I am challenged to spend $1 a day.  True, dry beans do have protein, but they are not a complete protein.  Soybeans are a complete protein, but I'd have to have a lot more garden space to have a decent crop and they don't grow that well in this area anyway.

Now I read that someone my size needs about 45 grams of protein a day.  I have no idea if I get that much now, but based on the number of hamburgers I eat, I'm sure I don't have a deficiency. 

What has 45 grams of protein?

A chicken breast + thigh + 1/2 a drumstick
7 oz of fresh fish
A can of tuna + a little more
15 slices of bacon
7 1/2 eggs
6 cups of milk
6 oz cheese
1 1/2 cups tofu
3 cups cooked beans
12 tablespoons of peanut butter

So looking at this list, it is easy to see that it will be hard to buy 45 grams of protein a day.  That's 45 * 30 days = 1350 grams of protein for the month.  So, I will do my best and buy the most cost effective protein available while providing some variety and I have narrowed my list down to this:

1 whole chicken for the month, and it will take up a good chunk of my budget.  I want a whole chicken because I'm going to utilize the carcass and make chicken soup.  One whole chicken will provide approx 250 grams of protein. ($5)

2 pounds of dry beans.  Not sure how I am going to cook this yet, but expect I'll be eating this in a bean burrito.  192 grams protein ($2)

2 dozen eggs.  150 grams protein ($3, thank you TJ's)

16 oz Pnut Btr. 126 grams protein ($2)

8 cups uncooked brown rice, 170 grams ($1.16)

36 oz tofu, 84 grams protein ($2.58)

42 oz oatmeal,  80 grams protein ($3)

1/2 gallon soy milk, 48 grams protein ($3)

This is where the bulk of my protein costs are coming from.  And look how healthy!