Selective Willpower?

Believe it or not, I had no trouble refraining from eating any of my daughter's french fries today at Micky D's. Truly. I didn't even have to implement the 4 bites rule, though I was prepared to. And I didn't even mind having the Southwestern Salad with grilled chicken--sans dressing and tortilla chips [while my hubby had a burger and patted himself on the back for not super-sizing the fries!] I didn't even eat all of my meal and I was satiated. Of course, I had plenty of Diet Dr. Pepper to help wash it all down.

Unlike my esteemed friend Chris Fabry [do yourself a favor and check out his blog - http://chrisfabry.blogspot.com - THIS is a man who has something to say!], I haven't kicked the "soda habit" - nor do I pretend to have the strength or desire to do so.

Heck, if it wasn't for my cholesterol #'s, I wouldn't have the desire to be making the changes I'm making now! But it's a powerful motivator - hoping to stay healthy so you can be around to watch your kid grow up. And wanting to establish some better eating habits to instill in her, for her own good, as well. I know, I know - McDonald's french fries for her, not really a great start. But it is an occasional indulgence. Like bread and pasta will now be for me.

You know, since all of this started (the THINKING about every morsel that is going into my body) - I haven't had one bite of chocolate. No ice cream. No cookies. The day I came home from the Dr., I actually had no appetite, even after over 14 hours of fasting. So I 'forced' myself to eat some leftover peach cobbler. I think that was my last bite of 'sweets' in almost a week. I'm not missing them. And, again, I'm prepared with my 4 bites plan should a dessert craving overtake me.

But the bread...the pasta...the toast...the crackers... They're calling to me! In my way at every step. And they even seem to be a necessity - not just my justification, here:  Need to eat fish--gotta have crackers for my tuna. [no, lettuce will not cut it.]  Need to eat a hearty breakfast--gotta have toast for my egg white omelet. A turkey burger for lunch - no problem...just let me have one slice of whole wheat bread, and I'm good.

Seriously - set a steaming porterhouse steak in front of me or a warm loaf of crusty bread - and the bread wins, every time. And somehow I think I'd figure out a way to make those the 4 biggest bites I could possibly take. [Though I've been holding the standard to "average bites"...not "Manny-sized bites"! ; ) ]  I've actually thought about it--and if I had to request a last meal, I believe it would be bread and pasta. [okay, and probably some chocolate, too!]

So, what's a girl to do? I've purposed to make significant dietary changes--and not set myself up for failure. I have good motivation and determination to create new life habits...but I feel my resolve wavering when it comes to my starchy favorites. And it doesn't help any that those are the two items my doc specifically named as no-no's for me! [gotta find a way around that absolute...] 

For now, I'm trying to have only whole grain bread products whose labels also tout all the the right heart-healthy stuff (all the good and none of the bad). And I bought some crazy looking pasta, too (gotta be okay if it bears the American Heart Association's stamp of approval, right??), though history tells me I'm not gonna love it. (I just don't think pasta was meant to be healthy, whole grain.)  And I'm trying to use these in moderation--not always defaulting to the quick and easy pasta dinner or grilled sandwich, or 2-3 pieces of toast for breakfast. I'll even use the 4 bites rule in this area maybe when it comes to things like dinner rolls or crackers, no matter if they are whole grain. And I'll run it by my doc when they call to give me the results of their tests later this week.

But don't ask me [or TELL me] to give them up altogether. I admit I just don't have the willpower for that. At least not yet. And I think I already have enough on my plate...or rather OFF my plate...for now.

Breakfast (...oatmeal and Fish Oil anyone?)

Okay, I'm not going to bore you everyday with what items I'm consuming---really! But this is actually one of my other 'elements' in this plan to attack the weight and cholesterol.

Quickly: I've never done well with breakfast - usually skipped it altogether. Pregnancy and now having a toddler changed my habits some - but this whole process is about THINKING about what, when, how you're eating, I suppose. Better to do it once on the front end - make my determinations - then try to form habits. No--not a "diet plan"...life habits. [Doesn't THINKING burn calories?? It sure seems to wear me out...] So committing to a somewhat hearty, healthful breakfast becomes a must.

Okay oatmeal is a given. I can default to that - and keep blueberries on hand. Isa likes those, too. Her a.m. routine involves fruit, yogurt and generally a piece of toast. Today she had Cheerios in place of the toast - and mommy had a few (dry) too. Then I made an egg white omelet of sorts with red peppers, asparagus, chicken (cooked yesterday) and a bit of Parm. Doc said some white cheese was okay...I didn't use much. But here's the rub: I can rarely do eggs without bread/toast of some sort. Physically can't do it. And, I've gotten used to sharing toast with Isa in the a.m. - that was generally my b'fast routine.

So - how did I incorporate that 4 bites rule? Toasted the scant heel of the loaf of wheat bread (yep - it was about 4 bites, maybe less) and slathered it with Promise Activ - another addition to my eating/cooking habits. [more on plant sterols in a moment] I made it through the 'omelet' with just a nibble of toast every other bite or so. And it really wasn't that bad. Tasty even. Maybe satisfying?

Also - had more plant sterols in the OJ - MinteMaid Heart Wise. The plant sterols and stanols info seems legit, so I'm adding those through spreads and juice - and trying to incorporate more raw veggies. I already do lots of fruit (probably have to curb that a bit). For more quick info on plant sterols, here are some links:
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/low-cholesterol-diet-plant-sterols-stanols


http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/What_Foods_are_High_in_Plant_Sterols

Last, but not least, the supplements. Odorless Fish Oil tablets and Red Yeast Rice. One each for me in the a.m. and one each later in the day. So far I'm not burping up fish oil taste - and that is essential. As for the Red Yeast Rice, it was recommended by a friend who said this was the only thing he changed and it caused his cholesterol to drop "a chunk." Here's a starting point if you want to research and draw your own conclusions: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-yeast-rice/NS_patient-redyeast

Now, I'm already bored reading all this, but hopefully there are some tidbits here that may be helpful to some who venture to read these musings. Maybe I'm just tired again from THINKING about it all...and it's already time to THINK about lunch. **sigh** 

Plan of Attack

My basic plan:

Allow myself 4 bites of whatever may be for dinner – but fill up on veggies, salad and/or other ‘approved’ food for the rest of my meal.  

 
Why 4 bites?
Well, everyone defaults to “3” – so already that ‘extra’ bite feels like a little indulgence. (Yes, I often play such mental games with myself – sometimes successfully!)
 
Also, it’s easier to split up – if I want to have 2 bites before all the healthy filler and 2 bites after, so be it. Could be that I won’t even want the other 2 bites after all and I’ll be satisfied. If so, I’ll be able to congratulate myself on being even further ahead of the curve (all about helping me to feel good about succeeding in my goals to cut back)!
 
And, for those who know about my strange affinity for the number 8, this is self explanatory. Just look at how it balanced out my blog title! ; )

Why not just implement a strict diet?
First of all – it's not fair to my hubby to deprive him of all the things a strict “low cholesterol” diet omits. Plus, I need to be able to feed my 18-month old things like grilled cheese and pasta on occasion. So I can’t remove ALL items of temptation from our household.

Plus…well, I’ve never done well with any sort of strict rules. They always seem to be there just to challenge me to find a way around them!

Also – I truly enjoy cooking for my family. And I make a mean cobbler. Not to mention biscuits…chicken and dumplings…fettuccine alfredo…(you get the picture, I’m sure).

You think just that is going to make you lose 50 lbs. and drop your cholesterol 60+ points? [yes, my #’s are THAT high]
No. There are other elements to my plan of attack – including the other thing I’ve never done well with: an exercise regimen. Also going to incorporate some specific foods and products suggested for lowering cholesterol, after I do a little research. More about all that later. I’m thinking this is enough to ‘digest’ for now!

And so it begins...

...a new chapter in my life. Changes outside the realm of my control - and changes I intend to implement myself. All are shaping my today and my tomorrow. How much input CAN I have? That's what I hope to discover. May be interesting to see what unfolds...or it may just be that more useless blather is created in cyberspace by me blogging about these things. Regardless - thanks for joining me for the ride, if you chose to do so. This is life...and sometimes it bites...but I'm hoping I can bite back and make a difference!