2 weeks down, 2 more to go

Wow, can't believe we are at the halfway point of the Engine2 challenge.  Both my hubby and I are doing great on the program.  We are helping each other through those tough moments when one of us is feeling weak.  I would never have been this successful without him.  
A few friends have been asking if we are going to continue eating Plant Strong after the 28 day challenge ends.  I honestly don't know what to tell them.  I feel great, I am enjoying the food and I really don't miss the meat or dairy...  well most of the time, and I haven't really been put in a situation where I had to see, smell my old favorites.  I suppose only time will tell.

Caved in to my Cravings....

I am a woman, I have special needs.  Needs that can be fulfilled with something known as chocolate.  I gave in and searched the internet for a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  Something without eggs, oil or butter, something with whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats.  Bingo!  I whipped up a batch, adding my own flair.  I crushed up some shredded wheat cereal, ground up some walnuts, added a tablespoon of fresh peanut butter, who knows what else I may have added?  I baked up this gooey batter into gorgeous, chewy, thick cookies.  YUM~O   And then I realized, chocolate...  isn't vegan!  Fuckity, Fuck, Fucker!!!  Duh, how stupid of me not to realize they have dairy in them.   Oh well...  I read that Trader Joe's make a vegan chocolate chip and I'm sure Whole Foods will have them too.  Guess I'll be taking these cookies to work, I'm sure my Lushies will love them!

7 days down, 21 to go...

Wow, an entire week of eating plant based, mostly vegan, whole foods!!!   I can't believe that it was that easy, seriously it was really easy.  I'll give you an example of a typical day.

Breakfast - 1-1/2 cups of shredded wheat minis with a sliced banana, 3 sliced strawberries and a handful of blueberries with about a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Lunch - a huge salad with romain and spinach leaves, a couple slices of cucumber, 3 sliced strawberries, a handful of blueberries and a drizzle (1tbsp) of Walden Farms (no oil) balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner - fajita veggies cooked without oil served over a bed of quinoa
Snacks - 2tbs of (oil free) hummus with baby carrots and 1 Wasa flat bread cracker
I'm drinking water and green tea

I do occasionally feel hungry, but not ravenous, when I get hungry, I snack or have something to drink and that takes away the hunger.  As far portion sizes go, if it's a fruit or veggie, I eat it.  I don't pay any attention to how much I eat, I just try to be mindful of when I start feeling full.  If it's a carb like pita bread, pasta, or cereal, I measure out a proper sized portion.  I haven't had a lot of cravings for meat or cheese, it's more about the bread.  We went to The Olive Garden, I wanted the garlic bread.  We went to Costco and they were sampling a pretzel bread roll, I wanted that too.   It's not that I can't eat bread, but I am trying hard to ensure that it is 100% whole wheat and low in oil.  MMMmmmm bread!

Well, on to week 2, wish me luck.......

Stress test results....

Got a phone message from the nurse at our Dr's office...  "your stress test results came back and it was okay".   OKAY?  Seriously?  What exactly does that mean?  Do you think I could get something just a bit more descriptive?  How about, the tests show no blockage or your heart and arteries look healthy.  I'm sure the test is gonna run like $1000 bucks and all I get in return is "it was okay".  I'm very happy to hear that they don't have any immediate concerns, but frustrated with the lack of communication.
Oh and in other news...  while at the hospital getting my stress test, I had them do a lumbar back X-ray too.  Turns out I have a pinched nerve in the L3 /L4 region.  I've been having some killer back pain for months.  Doc said try taking an anti-inflammatory and heat therapy.  Glad to know that I'm not crazy and that I do have an actual issue with my back.

Edit...  and the bill for the stress test???  If I didn't have a heart problem before the test, I bet I do now.   It's over 8 Thousand Dollars!!!  Yes I am lucky, we have a good insurance plan, but I am even more ticked off at the complete lack of communication about the test.  Ridiculous

This stress test is stressing me out

No caffeine for 12 hrs, dry toast is okay up to 3 hrs before the test, nothing to drink in the morning, don't take your medications, no perfume or lotion, be there 15 minutes early, don't forget your insurance card, and your Dr's orders....   Oh my.  If I wasn't stressed before, I certainly am now.  Actually, it really wasn't all that bad.

I arrived early, checked in (of course, forgot my insurance card) and was taken back before my scheduled appointment time.  A nurse put in an IV, added the nuclear tracer and had me chill in a quiet waiting area.  As a mom, I cherished those 15 minutes of silence and read a few pages of Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close, on my Kindle Fire.  Next up, picture time, aka nap time.  I had to lay down on a table and this giant thing rotated around my chest for about 15 or 20 minutes.  I had to keep my arms over my head and try to remain still, I opted to close my eyes and just relax.

Now time for the exercise portion of the test. This is the part I dreaded the most, not the whole being radioactive for a few days....   nope, that didn't even phase me.  I hate to exercise, when I do...  I don't push myself very hard.  If Bob Harper was my trainer, He would be yelling "PUSH, HARDER, FASTER, COME ON GIRL OR I'M GONNA GRAB YOU BY THOSE CURLS AND RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"  If Chef Ramsey was my coach, it might sound like this "YOU FAT DONKEY, MOVE YOUR FUCKING ASS, YOU FUCKING LAZY PEICE OF DOG SHIT!"  Get the idea?

I must admit, it wasn't as awful as I thought it was going to be.  The nurse hooked up a bunch of electrodes, took my BP laying down and again standing up.  We waited for the Cardiologist and the radioactive lady to show up and then began walking on the treadmill.  If I were to guess, i would say they started with a 4 incline and a 2.5 for speed.  Did I mention that I hate inclines?  It didn't take too long till I was feeling it in my calves and starting to breathe a little faster.  Then they increased the speed and incline, whew I was starting to wonder how long I would be able to make it.  They took my BP a couple of times while I was walking and they even inserted the radioactive tracer right there while I was huffing and puffing.  Just a few more minutes the nurse said...  but the Dr interrupted and said, nah she's good, you can stop now.  So that was it, sure I will admit that I was breathing pretty heavy, but I never even broke a sweat.  Woot woot, go fat girl, go fat girl...

Next up, another nap!  20 minutes laying with my arms up over my head with a strange machine taking pictures of the radioactive goo in my heart, and that was it....    Results should be in in a day or 2, keep those fingers crossed.

Plant Strong!

Today is the 1st day of my Engine 2 diet, Plant Strong eating!  I will admit that I splurged a bit this weekend eating pizza, fries and ice-cream, but that is in the past.  The future holds a lot of whole grains, fresh veggies and fruit.  I am really excited that my hubby is joining me in the lifestyle, it will be so much easier with his support.  We work really well together, holding each other accountable and encouraging success.  I will admit that I messed up and had some dairy today.  Okay, I wouldn't really say I 'messed up', I made a bad choice, I knew full well what I was putting in my mouth.  (it was a Velveeta, rotel cheesy queso dip, totally not worth it!)  But, I didn't let that one moment define my day, I got right back on track and did great the rest of the day.  Looking forward to tomorrow, stress test and lumbar x-rays, keep your fingers crossed that all is well....

A New Direction....

I am 38, a young woman still, I am a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a co-worker, a day care provider, a PTA member.  Needless to say, I am a busy woman.  I am able to walk freely, I can touch my toes, I have great cholesterol numbers, my blood pressure is decent, and yet, I have been fooling myself for 20+ years pretending that I am healthy.  No one can be 5'8 and healthy weighing 300+ pounds.   Back in January, I had a bunch of blood work done.  My hubby's company offers a yearly screening to their employees and this time they opened it up to spouses.  When I received the booklet of results, I was pretty impressed,

BP 112/83 - slight risk
Glucose 85 - optimal
Total cholesterol 150 - optimal
HDL 60 - optimal
LDL 74 - optimal
Triglycerides 82 - optimal

Not too shabby for a morbidly obese woman right?  Pat myself on the back, for a fatty, you're doing pretty damn good!  But wait....  what's this CRP test?

CRP stands for “C-reactive protein” which is made by the liver in response to infection, tissue injury or inflammation. Even low values, previously regarded as normal, have been shown to be a risk factor for atherosclerosis (fatty deposits lining the walls of blood vessels). Results of this test can help predict your risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease. Build up of these fatty deposits can cause chest pain, called angina, and eventually lead to a heart attack. Your risk increases with increasing levels of CRP.

CRP 8.2 - high cardiovascular risk, anything over 3.1 is considered high, and I am 5 points over that

(I re-did this test in April and it was still very high at 6.2)

But wait a minute, my cholesterol levels are great?  How is this possible?  I don't really understand the science, but I do know that I am scared.  Remember that list above?  I am a wife, a mother...   these people depend on me to be there for them, and I WANT to be there for them, for a very long time!  So what to do?  Well, my Doctor wants me to have a stress test, so that is on the agenda, but what else?  How can I prevent or possibly reverse heart disease?   Initiate a Google search.... 

  

http://howtopreventandreverseheartdisease.com/esselstyn-diet/    

http://forksoverknives.com    

http://engine2diet.com/

Hmmmm, sounds interesting, Netflix has the documentary Forks Over Knives on their streaming site,   they also have The Engine 2 Diet Kitchen Rescue.  Watch them both with the Hubby and think, We Can Do This....    We are both just crazy enough to think that we can really do this! 

No Meat

No Dairy

No Oils

On Monday April 16th, we are starting the Engine 2 / 28 day challenge, here is a video to check out.

I am really excited to see where this leads and I can't wait to share my experiences with you.  Please follow my blog and check back often to see my progress.