First 7 stories for Spiritual Guidance Diet with Portion Control Kid

To read the introductory stories, please read:

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #1: Introducing Portion Control Inner Kid

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #2- See myself as Jesus would see me

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #3- Getting Down to Brass Tacks

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #4: A Healthy way to start your day with Healthful Breakfast Muffins 

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #5- Celebrate Each Sign of Success Along Your Path

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #6- Can you turn healthy food into comfort food?

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #7- The Rapunzel Diet Adventure

Introducing the Spiritual Guidance Diet

Meet the imaginary inner child named Portion Control Kid. I am composing a series of articles based on following the 1600- to 1800-calorie diet using the Food Pyramid model. Added to this will be what I feel is the missing component, the Spiritual Guidance component.

Here are links to the first three articles:

Spiritual Guidance Diet #1: Introducing Portion Control Inner Kid

Spiritual Guidance Diet #2- See myself as Jesus would see me

Spiritual Guidance Diet #3- Getting down to brass tacks

Based on these ideas, I plan to blog here about my personal strategy for following this model in a balanced way.

For today, December 13, 2010, my goal is to exercise at least thirty minutes, drink at least 8 glasses of water, and strive to have 5 to 6 ounces of grains, 2 to 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 1 1/2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk or milk products, 5 ounces of foods from the meat and beans category, and 4.6 to 5 teaspoons of oils.

Since snow is covering the ground outside, I will do my exercising inside. I will burn calories by doing laundry, using my Walk Away the Pounds DVD with Leslie Sansone, and using my 5-pound Shake Weight for Men (both by shaking it and using it as a bar bell). I have laundry going right now.

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water is an easy task for me as I am a drink guzzler. I keep a 64-ounce jug close by and drink from it occasionally. As long as I empty the jug by bedtime, I’ve at least got in my 8 glasses.

So far, this has been my menu for the day. Using My Food-A-Pedia, I am able to roughly calculate the results of how closely aligned I am to the Food Pyramid model.

My Food-A-Pedia - http://www.myfoodapedia.gov/Default.aspx

For a late brunch, along with my vitamins plus low-dosage chemo tablet that I take daily, I had one oatmeal raisin cookie that also has cranberries and nuts in it. Looking up oatmeal raisin cookie, My Food-A-Pedia calculates it this way:

Oatmeal Raisin and Cranberry Cookie = 89 calories

a. Grain group ½ oz.

For lunch, I made a Cream of Mushroom and Turkey Vegetable soup. The ingredients includes homemade turkey stock, cream of mushroom soup, 2% milk, shredded turkey, zucchini, broccoli, and asparagus stems. I also added a little Corn Starch to the mix for thickening. Here are the calculations:

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup made with Milk

a. Grain group ½ oz. (times 2)

b. Vegetable Group ¼ cup (times 2)

c. Milk Group ½ cup (times 2)

The closest equivalent was 1 cup of Chicken Vegetable Soup.

d. Vegetable group ¾ cup (times 2)

e. Meat & Beans group 1 oz. (times 2)

This is 299 calories per serving. I had two bowls of this soup as it was so tasty. So the calorie intake would certainly be more than that listed above.

Since I began craving a dessert after that tasty lunch, I waited for about twenty minutes. Then I grabbed one piece of Dove Dark Chocolate. It takes 5 pieces to make one serving. I nibbled on that one small piece for a couple of minutes. That totally satisfied that chocolate craving. That piece of Dove Dark Chocolate did not fit the Food Pyramid at all. Five pieces equals 210 calories. One piece, therefore, would have 42 calories.

So far, I have had the following: 

* 1.5 ounces of grains out of 5 to 6 ounces

*2 cups of vegetables out of 2 to 2 1/2 cups

* No fruit yet

* I’m certain I will more than fulfill the oils category without even trying

*1 cup of milk or milk products out of 3 cups

*2 ounces of meat, beans, & protein out of 5 ounces

Before the day is out, I know I will also be having:

* Fresh frozen peaches ground up mixed with 2 tbsp of ground flax and about ½ cup of fat free plain yogurt = 192 calories
a. 1 cup of chopped up peaches
Fruit group = 1 cup
b. 2 tbsp of ground flax seed = 80 calories
Meat & Beans Group 1 ½ oz.
c. Oils group = 1 tsp
d.  ½ cup of Food Club fat free plain yogurt = 45 calories
Milk group = ½ cup

* Turkey dinner with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas = 641 calories

a. Turkey
Meat & Beans group = 1 oz.

b. ½ cup of Turkey gravy (The closest they had was chicken gravy.)
Grains group – ½ oz.

c. 1 cup of bread stuffing
Grains group = 3 oz.

d. 1 cup of mashed potatoes made with milk and butter”
Vegetable group = 1 cup

e. ½ cup of cooked green Peas
Vegetable group = ½ cup

* 1 piece of pumpkin pie with Cool Whip = 279 calories
a. Grains group = 1 ½ oz.
b. Vegetable group = ¼ cup
c. Milk group = ¼ cup

* 2 cups of Hazelnut Cappuccino made with 2 % milk = 440 calories
Please note: Usually, I use 1% milk. I was temporarily out.

a. The milk alone counts this way:
2 cups of 2% milk = 260 calories
2 cups of 2% Milk = 260 calories
b. The cappuccino powder adds about 210 extra calories but no nourishment.

So, if I eat nothing else but what is listed above, this will be the final tally:

* Out of 5 to 6 ounces of grain, I will consume ½ oz + 1 oz. + ½ oz. + 3 oz. + 1 ½ oz.
Grand total of grains = 6 ½ ounces of grain out of the 5 to 6 ounce allowance

* Out of 2 to 2 ½ cups of vegetables, I will consume 1 cup + 1.5 cups + 1 cup + ½ cup + ¼ cup
Grand total of vegetables = 4 ¼ cup of vegetables out of the 2 to 2 ½ cup allowance

* Out of 1 ½ cups of fruit, I will consume 1 cup.
Grand total of fruits = 1 cup out of the 1 ½ cup allowance.

Note to self: If I need more food, I could have a small box of raisins to incorporate that other ½ cup of fruit needed. (1.5 oz. box = 130 calories)

* Out of the 4.6 to 5 teaspoons of oil, I will consume 1 tsp of oil
Grand total of oils = 1 tsp out of the 4.6 to 5 tsp allowance. However, it is possible that some of the other foods I eat will contain the rest from this category.

* Out of the 3 cups of milk or milk products, I will consume 1 cup + ½ cup + ¼ cup + 2 cups
Grand total of milk products = 3 ¾ cups out of the 3 cup allowance

* Out of the five ounces of meat and beans, I will consume 2 oz. + 1.5 oz. + 1 oz.
Grand total = 4.5 ounces out of the 5 ounce allowance. However, it is very possible that there is more turkey in what I ate than the portion mentioned above. So this category will be fulfilled.

As for calories, I probably went way over the 1600- to 1800-calorie diet. If the numbers are correct above, my total would be 89 + 299 + 299 + 42 + 192 + 641 + 279 + 440 + 130. This includes the box of raisins.

Drum roll, please. Grand total = 2411 calories. Gasp!

Well, …, uh, …, I guess I will need to do quite a bit more than 30 minutes of exercise today to compensate a bit.

This is part of why I am making this blog. I am trying to make myself more accountable. This will definitely be a work-in-progress.

Any words from the Guardian of my Body Temple? She got introduced in the 3rd article mentioned above. I ask this question with a bit of trepidation as I fully want to eat everything that I mentioned in this blog. I am committed to making the time to doing the 3-mile walk DVD of Walk Away the Pounds.

Guardian of my Body Temple: It’s time for you to eat your fruit, flax seed, and yogurt mixture. Do that first before we talk.

Me: Okay, thanks.

Please note: I have been working on this blog for most of the afternoon on and off. So several hours later, here are the words of wisdom I am gleaning from my inner guidance system that we all have within us.

Guardian of my Body Temple: This is indeed a work-in-progress for you. Go ahead and eat this delicious food. Eat slowly and savor each bite. Drink plenty of water with it. After some digestion time, do your walking via the Walk Away the Pounds DVD.

As the days go on, as you gain perspective, perhaps you can plan better food allotments so that you can more closely stick to the 1600- to 1800-calorie diet. As you keep documenting what you eat, you will figure out a better way to chart your course.

Enjoy your meal, enjoy your exercise, and enjoy the rest of your day.

Healthy Eating Tales #1: Gala Apples and other Foods

After reading the introductory tale called “Healthy Eating Tales: Introducing Tommy, Tammy, and the Food Pyramid Kids,” please read Healthy Eating Tale #1: Gala Apples and other Foods.” This will detail what happened the next morning.

Click FOOD PYRAMID to read the entire story on Examiner.com. 

Healthy Eating Tales: Introducing Tommy, Tammy, and the Food Pyramid Kids

This is the introductory Healthy Eating Tale detailing the competition between two fraternal twins named Tommy and Tammy and a Food Pyramid Boy versus a Food Pyramid Girl.

Click FOOD PYRAMID to read the entire story on Examiner.com.

I went to play at the YMCA 3 days in a row

10 November 2010

I sang my little ditty as I headed off to play at the YMCA today. The lyrics go like this:

I'm Off To Play At The YMCA
Alternate Title: Healing Seeker's It's Safe To Be Slender Song

© 2010 Song Lyrics by Debbie Dunn
Sung to the tune of "Hanky Panky"
learned in Girl Scout Camp years ago

I'm off to play at the Y, Hey!
The wonderful YMCA.
It's safe to be slender. Okay!
I'm losing weight the healthy way.

I'm off to play at the Y, Hey!
The wonderful YMCA.
No more excuses, come what may.
My inner wisdom I'll obey.

I'm off to play at the Y, Hey!
The wonderful YMCA.
I'm healthy and whole. Hooray!
Day by day, I pray and say ...

I'm off to play at the Y, Hey!
The wonderful YMCA.
It's safe to be slender. Okay!
I'm losing weight the healthy way.

YouTube song: I’m Off to Play at the YMCA or Healing Seeker’s It’s Safe to be Slender Song.

Now that I have completed 35 daily radiation sessions as of November 5, 2010, I have more time on my hands to go to the YMCA to “play” on the toys in the Wellness Center.

My goal is to make my weight loss efforts as playful and fun as possible. I learned the hard way that taking it all too seriously just does not work for me. I ended up self-sabotaging myself the last time I joined a fitness center.

Monday, Nov. 8th, I rode the exercise bike for 30 minutes with a resistance level of fifteen. That translated to 2.4 miles. I felt like exceeding two miles was a good start for my first time there in a while.

It kind of surprised me that when I set the exercise bike for 30 minutes and a resistance level of fifteen the next day, it only translated to 2 miles that time. Perhaps I wasn’t pedaling the bike as fast as I had the previous day.

Today, I repeated the process. This time, it translated to 2.2 miles. I think I did end up pedaling faster than the previous day but perhaps not as fast as the first day. Feeling energetic, I then got on the tread mill and walked an additional 0.8 miles at a walking speed of 3.5 and 5% elevation. I was very happy that I walked and rode a total of 3 miles today. Woo-hoo!

Afterward, I played on two additional toys: the Lateral Pull and Compound Row. After getting ten lymph nodes removed during my double mastectomy, it feels important to regain full mobility of my left arm. Those two “toys” are tailored perfectly for that purpose. I am excited to say that my arm extension feels much improved. Fourteen days of physical therapy and several days of working out at the YMCA have really helped.

Now I am back home feeling energized and ready to continue on my various writing tasks. Have a great day everyone!

Best wishes to you and yours,

Healing Seeker aka Debbie

It’s Safe to be Slender: Diet Cola Dilemma

Introduction: This is an exploration of whether cola and diet cola drinks contribute to the production of or the spread of cancer cells or other debilitating diseases.

Prior to being diagnosed with breast cancer on January 7, 2010 and going through chemo from February 4, 2010 through July 1, 2010, I drank Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, or Diet Cola for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I dearly loved this drink and felt that it made my food taste better.

Through the years, I had read that drinking soft drinks would dehydrate your body and that they were generally not good for you. I had also read that some of the ingredients in diet drinks actually promoted obesity as opposed to weight loss.

I wanted to be healthy in a vague sort of way; however, my motivation and willpower were not strong.  I am not a person who has ever smoked. Drugs and alcohol are also not a temptation for me. More than once, I had been heard to comment that drinking Diet Coke was my only chemical vice.

I knew that I was addicted to the caffeine in Diet Coke. I would get headaches if I let too many hours go by without consuming at least one glass. If I went too long without drinking a caffeinated drink, I would even develop flu-like symptoms.

More than once, I would try really hard to kick the habit and drink only water, juice, or milk. Once, I even managed to avoid drinking caffeinated drinks for two years. Then life got stressful, and I fell off the wagon once again, so to speak.

Once I discovered the large tumor in my left breast in late December of 2009, the doctor indicated that I should not drink any caffeinated drinks for 48 hours before getting the diagnostic mammogram on January 4, 2010. They stated that the ingredients in diet colas would make the breasts extra sensitive during the procedure. They hinted that diet colas could even cause breast lumps or cysts.

Click WEIGHTLOSS to read the rest of the story.