Ho Hum

Still plugging along. Not very enthusiastically, but still going. A bit bored of the fruits and vegetables I’m willing to eat. Tried a few beans; figured out I’m not really a bean person. If they’re buried in something like chili, I can stand a few, but not enthusiastically. Finally tried roasted soy beans (soy nuts) and chick peas. They’re ok, but nothing I would have gone out of my way to eat previously. If they still have the good fiber and protein, this might be one way I can tolerate them.

I’m not a recipe type of person. I tend to want food that’s ready to go with very little preparation. While there’s nothing bad about whole foods just as they are, maybe that makes them a little less exciting? I mean, even apple slices with peanut butter takes time I’m not always willing to spend. Thus I just eat apples, which is fine. Anything that’s super fun also seems super expensive. I love berries, but they’re pricey. Frozen are cheaper, again, which is fine. Blueberries are the cheapest where I live. I’m not super bored of them yet, but still, you see the point if one of my main fruits is frozen blueberries. I do potatoes with spices, but there are only so many spice variations you can dump on them. Steamed broccoli and mushrooms are fine, but again, no longer mixing them in pasta dishes (because I can’t stand whole grain pasta) and not sprinkling cheese on them, it’s like yay, spices and olive oil if they need moisture. Flavor infused olive oils are more expensive (sigh). Do you see the pattern? Thus my initial quandary with tofu – uhm, what do I do with it? Squeeze the water out, put more water and seasoning in, gah, I don’t want to spend that much time on it. I'd eat it right out of the container if it wasn't bland. Anyone out there sell tofu that's been seasoned and baked into something that tastes like immitation cheetos or such?

Exercise is fine too, but I’m still not feeling super motivated or those happy endorphins you’re supposed to get. Thankfully youtube has lots of videos to search, since I’m still off my feet and was told to not even try chair walking because it could put too much tension on my calves, which would in turn stress tendonts into the foot. The videos I do like, I don’t want to watch too much because then they get irritatingly repetitive. But I save the links and bookmark them and make notes when to start watching if they have a 2-3 min intro where they simply yap about themselves and their workouts. So far it's slightly more motivating to stick with a whole video than to try to do a series of exercises on my own, taking frequent breaks and losing track of how much I've done and probably not doing nearly as much as I should. Yay for youtube.

Tofu is Our Friend

Friend of mine corrected me on tofu care, and I've already bought more to try again. At least the taste and texture was tolerable for me. Also need to try soy nuts.

On another funny note, apparently throwing a fit does burn calories. That is, the scale budged shortly after that post. Still, I have noted to never tell anyone in real life. I made the mistake of telling a co-worker, and they minimized my efforts even after I told them how hard I'd been working. They chalked it up to stress and said it must have fallen off without any effort. Uhm, excuse me, no. I have been eating better (whether I feel like it or not), exercising and going to bed hungry because I'm afraid I don't deserve to ingest anything else. I know I haven't made much progress, but I have been working at it. I ordered pants 2 sizes smaller and although they're snug, they pretty much fit. I realize that's a drop in the bucket. I guess I should have realized not to trust anyone in real life with anything personal too. Public Service Announcement: if someone in your life tells you they've worked really hard at something (anything) don't be a dork and tell them it's nothing. Be encouraging. Even if you aren't convinced they have. Don't insult them and tell them you know what their life is like when you have no clue. Ok? Thanks.

All Day Shoes

I love my shoes. To a point. When I get home, I want to take them off at the door. #1: germs. #2, my feet get tired of them. Don’t get me wrong – my Hoka Clifton 9s are the most comfy shoe I’ve ever had (thanks for the recommendation, Shanna!). It’s like walking on small but stable bouncey balls kids sit on. Instead of step, step, clod, clod, it’s Boing! Boing! But I have to lace any shoe up pretty right or my heels slide out. Especially with the new fasciitis inserts I got. Yes, I’ve tried the little pads you can glue to the inside of the heel. Don’t ask. Even after only 8-11 hours of wearing them, the laces are so tight, I have permanent welts/sores on my feet from where the knot ties, below the ankle. But after meeting with a valid podiatrist (and after several months of pain) I’m going to follow the recommendation to wear shoes everywhere. The good news is they aren’t pushing a night splint yet. Those look like medieval torture. I like to fidget my feet all the time anyway, especially at night. Observing me, you’d think I have restless leg syndrome (I don’t, I’ve asked). If you put me in one of those, I swear I wouldn’t be able to sleep and would be exhausted and probably crazy by morning. So indoor shoes it is! Also more icing, anti-inflammatories, stretches, and pain gel. But the constant shoes thing is the biggest adjustment. Four weeks until my follow-up appointment. Here we go.

Waiting for (Weight Loss) Results

I’ve pretty drastically changed my diet (food intake) over the last couple of months and upped my activity. I can’t help be disappointed how slowly the scale is moving. After all, I’m doing physical therapy and all the exercises would be easier if I had less weight to lug around. Plus some of the exercises are causing pain on my joints, so even if I went in for my foot, my knees are protesting, and duh, the best way you can help that is to lose weight. I’m trying!

Not sure how much activity I used to do, but doing 10 minutes moderate activity was pushing it when I started out last summer(ish). I’m up to 30 now, or minimum 25 minutes cardio-ish and weights and PT exercises in addition. I went from eating Idk, maybe 5 fruits and veggies a week to 6-10 every day, and that usually fills a person up to eat less of everything else. Nixed most meat and only have cheese maybe once a week. Before that, I was contemplating if I could even get through a day without dairy, as I’m a pretty good addict, and cheese is essentially kryptonite. Went from high sugar desserts most evenings to dessert being a bowl of light popcorn or berries. Come on. How is this not helping? No, my clothing is not significantly loser, thanks for rubbing it in. What gives? P.S. I’m still waiting for this supposed improved feeling of wellbeing that’s supposed to follow either eating better or increased activity (let alone both). How long does it take for that to kick in?

Meanwhile, I’ve been icing my foot at least 3 times a day and gulping down ibuprofen as instructed, despite the fact that neither help for pain. I had a follow-up appointment at the orthopedic place and he chastised me for easing up on that. I only stopped since it’s been months, and the last person said not to worry about it and only do PT. Whatever. He said injections won’t help, it’ll probably tear or require surgery. Finally got a referral for a podiatrist, (from when I asked my PCP last October/November) so I went ahead and scheduled that for a second opinion. I only have a couple more PT appointments, so not sure what else to do except continue those exercises at home. With my heavy self, it’s nearly impossible to do those on one leg, let alone 3 sets of 15. Guess I have something to shoot for.

Tofu Review

Mixed feelings about tofu, but overall, I think I’ll pass. I think I could get used to the taste and texture. It’s the maintenance that bugs me. Once opened, it supposedly only lasts 2-3 days in the fridge. So you’d better have big plans to use it fast. The package we got was supposedly 3 servings, but I would have split it in 4 or 6, so that’s a lot to use in a couple of days. Then if you don’t use it all immediately, you’re supposed to drain and refill it with water every 24 hours. Seriously? That’s exactly what I’d like to do – daily maintenance on food I’m not ready to eat yet. Idk, this idea is weird to me, and I don’t mean in the good way. Maybe soy nuts would be good alternative? Haven’t tasted them yet. No one sells them where I live. Sure, I can order a few pounds from Amazon.com, but I thought it would be nice to test them out first before getting a bulk bag. I can buy some dried beans, soak and roast them myself, but come on. Just to try a taste. Eesh.