I had a great conversation with a colleague and fellow Christian today on the idea of free will. He, being a closet-Calvinist (what I call all Christians who do not yet realize that they are Calvinists), reasoned, as most pre-Calvinists do, that he chose God, and must have chosen God, for forced love is not love at all. Therefore, his un-forced love for God must mean his will is free to choose heaven or hell. There were more good points to his argument, but that was the thrust of it.
I completely agree that all people have the responsibility to choose whom they serve, just as it is our responsibility to keep all of God’s commandments. However, the built-in problem is that we are sinners unable to follow all God’s commandments, unable to choose what is good. I agree that I chose (and choose everyday) to follow Christ, but my question is: What made me choose Christ?
That’s where we get to the heart of the free will argument: no will is truly free. Every single choice I make, from the clothes I wear to the food I eat, I chose because of some other factor beside myself. Example: I wore a skirt today because I must look professional for my job, the weather is nice outside, I bought the skirt for ½ price, knee-length A-line skirts are in style (tho’ when are they not?), it looks good on me, it goes with the shirt color I feel like wearing, etc…… And the same list of prescripters could be given for the shirts I wore, the food I ate, and list goes on. For every decision I make.
Leo Tolstoy, in his masterpiece, War and Peace, (which I finished, finally, a week ago, yay!) discusses at length the notion of free will, though not from a theological standpoint (he makes that clear in the epilogue), but solely an historical one. He uses the same line of reasoning I demonstrated above, though much more pointedly, that though people FEEL that they are free to choose whatever they wish, their choices are actually governed by countless outside agents. His main analogy is of a person dropping his hand to his side, as if saying, ‘See, I just chose to do that of my own free will.’ Tolstoy argues that you dropped it in the direction you did because it was free of obstacles that might hurt your arm, because that way was most comfortable to you, and because you don’t have a prior arm injury that would’ve prompted you to otherwise drop your other arm, foot, or anything else. And let’s not forget that fantastic law that you’re depending on to make your “choice”: gravity.
I’m pretty sure that this line of reasoning is what made his novel so controversial: he quite adamantly downplays Napoleon’s impact on his own reign, going so far to say that Napoleon wasn’t that great of a general/emperor/war expert/whatever, but that really he was just in the right place at the right time and the people under him would surely have done the same things no matter who was leading. Quite a scandalous notion, having written this about a generation after Napoleon’s career, but the ideas are very logical, in that by the time the one general (the farthest removed person from the battlefields) hears of what is going on with the millions on the various battlefields, synthesizes the various reports, figures out a plan of action, and orders it of the various messengers who then take it back to the various battlefields to the millions, the time would have already passed for the necessary decision and Napoleon’s decrees would be moot. So therefore Napoleon really didn’t lead his troops when they were in battle; he was just an observer, being (as Tolstoy puts it) a pawn of fate or God.
If even the greatest (or the perceivably greatest) among us do not have a truly free will, then how much less do we normal people have one. The last words of his last epilogue frame the reason why people invented – and why they cannot let go of – the notion of free will: we trust our feelings more than our reason. Reason clearly tells us that every decision we make has a cause; it’s not just generated within us at random. Likewise, the Bible clearly shows God to be a God who chooses, from Jacob (“… whom I loved and Essau I hated…”) to Israel (“Mine elect” to Christ (“chosen before the foundations of the world” as the way to salvation) to each Christian. The theological idea of free will was invented long after the scriptures were written and considered heresy by the Christian Church many many times. And yet, for some reason, people would rather hold firm to an extrascriptural philosophy that elevates man and belittles God, and quite frankly all but claims salvation to be a work of man. Why do people do this? Because it fits with their feelings.
Tolstoy compares this to Copernicus’s discovery that the Earth moves around the still Sun. People refused to accept this because “the difficulty of recognizing the motion of the earth lay in abandoning the immediate sensation of the earth’s fixity and the motion of the planets, so in history [and theology] the difficulty of recognizing the subjection of personality to the laws of space, time, and cause, lies in renouncing the direct feeling of the independence of one’s own personality. But as in astronomy the new view said: ‘It is true that we do not feel the movement of the earth, but by admitting its immobility we arrive at absurdity, while by admitting its motion (which we do not feel) we arrive at laws,’ so also in history the new view says: ‘It is true that we are not conscious of our dependence, but by admitting our freewill we arrive at absurdity, while by admitting our dependence on the external world, on time, and on cause [and in theology, the work of the Holy Spirit], we arrive at laws.’
“In the first case it was necessary to renounce the consciousness of an unreal immovility in sace and to recognize a motion we did not feel; in the present case it is similarly necessary to renounce a freedom that does not exist, and to recognize a dependence of which we are not conscious” (War and Peace, 1306).
Don’t trust your feelings, for they often tell you what you want to be so, where as your reason, through meditation on scripture, will tell you what God wills to be so.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Week 3: No turning back now... halfway there!!!
Until I logged onto the blog, I seriously thought I had completed week 4... and now I'm a little perturbed. :( If I could only fast-forward to the Shake's Frozen Custard at the end of this long, dark tunnel... Oh well.
Week 3 did have some surprising highlights: I wore a pair of capris Mom had bought me that had never fit loose enough to wear in public! I felt like sharing that info with everyone I saw at the high school girls JV golf tournament, Tuesday, but realized that would be vain, braggy, and weirdly irrelevant. So I'm sharing with you now! I confirmed when I stepped onto the scale at the gym today that I'm 4 lbs lighter than 3 weeks ago. Note (more to myself than you): I'm not in this to lose weight; that's just a side-effect of not eating ice cream every night. To tell you the truth, I thought I'd lose more just from that life-style change. Maybe all the RIce Cream and rice milk chocolate bars are holding me back from skinny jeans. Which is a fine trade-off, if you ask me.
Being such a creature of habit, I noticed today how this really isn't too hard, now that I've somewhat got the hang of it. On Sunday, I boil eggs for my lunch salads, I boil rice for dinner throughout the week, and brown turkey for the turkey/rice/black beans/salsa dish. I have chicken in the freezer that only takes 25 min to bake, sweet potatos, fruits, asparagus, snacks (rice cakes w/PB & honey are my fave), and I'm good to go! Planning and cooking for Chris as well gets a bit tricky for me, especially since we've been on different schedules lately. Thankfully, he's laid back and understanding, though I'll have to coax him into making his own Hamberger Helper every once in awhile!
When I returned from Whole Foods today and glanced over the receipt, I noticed (since there was no price tag) that the GF bread is $6 a loaf! Yikes! And this bread is about 1/2 to maybe 2/3 the size of normal bread. For now, I keep a loaf and sliced turkey in my fridge at school (beats the tar out of making a lunch every day!), along with salad (to supplement for the mini-ness of the GF sandwich), but that might have to change due to the recession and all. Just kidding, my overall stinginess.
I also noticed that I really do miss ice cream. Bad. I may have mentioned this before, but this emotional addiction is a tough habit to break. I wonder how soy milk pudding is??? I had (until this moment) forgotten that I have GF cookie mix. I'll have to whip that up tomorrow and try'er out.
Subjective Outcome Measurement: this week, I've felt a little below average on the energy scale. Granted, there's been a lot going on: subs to prepare for, golf tournaments, crazy kids, etc., but the main thing that's weird is my energy while working out has been pretty low. Doing the stairmaster (a.k.a, the gauntlet) has been much harder than usual, forcing me to lower the level at which I climb (humiliating, even if I am the only one who sees me doing it). This morning, after 20 minutes at a fairly low level, I got side stitches and had to demote myself to the treadmill. Ouch. Where I walked for 10 minutes and then ran till I needed to stop. Five. Minutes. Later. Double ouch. Definitely going to inform the doc of this. Clearly ice cream feeds my muscles the nutrients they need to perform at their peak.
Week 3 did have some surprising highlights: I wore a pair of capris Mom had bought me that had never fit loose enough to wear in public! I felt like sharing that info with everyone I saw at the high school girls JV golf tournament, Tuesday, but realized that would be vain, braggy, and weirdly irrelevant. So I'm sharing with you now! I confirmed when I stepped onto the scale at the gym today that I'm 4 lbs lighter than 3 weeks ago. Note (more to myself than you): I'm not in this to lose weight; that's just a side-effect of not eating ice cream every night. To tell you the truth, I thought I'd lose more just from that life-style change. Maybe all the RIce Cream and rice milk chocolate bars are holding me back from skinny jeans. Which is a fine trade-off, if you ask me.
Being such a creature of habit, I noticed today how this really isn't too hard, now that I've somewhat got the hang of it. On Sunday, I boil eggs for my lunch salads, I boil rice for dinner throughout the week, and brown turkey for the turkey/rice/black beans/salsa dish. I have chicken in the freezer that only takes 25 min to bake, sweet potatos, fruits, asparagus, snacks (rice cakes w/PB & honey are my fave), and I'm good to go! Planning and cooking for Chris as well gets a bit tricky for me, especially since we've been on different schedules lately. Thankfully, he's laid back and understanding, though I'll have to coax him into making his own Hamberger Helper every once in awhile!
When I returned from Whole Foods today and glanced over the receipt, I noticed (since there was no price tag) that the GF bread is $6 a loaf! Yikes! And this bread is about 1/2 to maybe 2/3 the size of normal bread. For now, I keep a loaf and sliced turkey in my fridge at school (beats the tar out of making a lunch every day!), along with salad (to supplement for the mini-ness of the GF sandwich), but that might have to change due to the recession and all. Just kidding, my overall stinginess.
I also noticed that I really do miss ice cream. Bad. I may have mentioned this before, but this emotional addiction is a tough habit to break. I wonder how soy milk pudding is??? I had (until this moment) forgotten that I have GF cookie mix. I'll have to whip that up tomorrow and try'er out.
Subjective Outcome Measurement: this week, I've felt a little below average on the energy scale. Granted, there's been a lot going on: subs to prepare for, golf tournaments, crazy kids, etc., but the main thing that's weird is my energy while working out has been pretty low. Doing the stairmaster (a.k.a, the gauntlet) has been much harder than usual, forcing me to lower the level at which I climb (humiliating, even if I am the only one who sees me doing it). This morning, after 20 minutes at a fairly low level, I got side stitches and had to demote myself to the treadmill. Ouch. Where I walked for 10 minutes and then ran till I needed to stop. Five. Minutes. Later. Double ouch. Definitely going to inform the doc of this. Clearly ice cream feeds my muscles the nutrients they need to perform at their peak.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Week 2 Complete and Waiver-Free
Week 2 of my gluten and dairy free diet is almost over, which leaves me with 4 weeks to go. I've somewhat figured out my eating ruitine, which has naturally morphed into a healthy 5 small meals per day. My snacks have gotten bigger (rice cake with PB, apple with PB, celery with PB, or Cliff Bar), and my meals (I'm guessing anyway) a bit smaller. I've concocted a new staple: rice, ground turkey, and salsa, that I will add some kidney or black beans to next time. Yum. Other than that and the Barnezy Tacos I made tonight, I'm A-okay with blandness: chicken and rice.
I tried some soy protein power in a fruit smoothie the other day, which was disgusting, but Chris informed me that the kiwi I added or the rice milk was more likely the culprit, so I'll try again tomorrow for lunch.
The energy level is returning and so are the spirits; Dr. Iodice told me I should start really feeling changes during week 3, so hopefully this week will be big for me! The traps and hip flexors have still been really tight, but that's most likely due to shrugging while I sleep. I think it's been better the last few days, since we've added a huge wedge-pillow under my knees.
As far as temptations to cheat go, I'm not going to lie: I've had a few. I keep Little Debbie snacks in my class (for reward jar Fridays), and yesterday that Nutty Bar called out to me. I'm proud to say that I resisted its little chocopeanutbuttery voice. And tonight while Chris and I were walking, we passed by Sarpino's Pizza... ooohhhh pizza. How I miss you! I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather give up dairy than gluten. Cutting out my beloved ice cream is probably the best change I could ever make for my heath. And besides, I've found many chocolaty substitutes! I've already mentioned Rice Dream ice cream, but today at Whole Foods, I found a rice milk chocolate bar on sale for 79 cents. After eating a bite (and then a few more!), I'm heading back tomorrow to buy out their stock! Tastes just like Dove milk chocolate. :)
There's only one more full week of golf, and then hopefully I can get back to the gym... or even more hopefully, the running trail (as my new in soles should be coming in soon!). I weighed myself this afternoon at the gym, and though I'm not in this to lose weight, and though I'm not sure how accurate the gym scale is or how good it is to weigh in the afternoon, I weighed 3 pounds less than the day I began the diet. My jeans fit the same (which is the only way I normally gage weight), but my tummy stays about the same size throughout the day (whereas it formerly would bloat). So that's nice. Other changes: the first week or so, my complexion actually worsened, which was very frustrating, but now it's getting better. I'm not sure if that was due to the increase of estrogen in all the soy I'm intaking now. Interesting.
This week's going to fly also, with 2 golf tournaments and 3 dr appointments, so unless I briefly blog about War and Peace (which I'm hopefully finishing tonight!!!), I'll recap the week next weekend in between laundry loads! :)
I tried some soy protein power in a fruit smoothie the other day, which was disgusting, but Chris informed me that the kiwi I added or the rice milk was more likely the culprit, so I'll try again tomorrow for lunch.
The energy level is returning and so are the spirits; Dr. Iodice told me I should start really feeling changes during week 3, so hopefully this week will be big for me! The traps and hip flexors have still been really tight, but that's most likely due to shrugging while I sleep. I think it's been better the last few days, since we've added a huge wedge-pillow under my knees.
As far as temptations to cheat go, I'm not going to lie: I've had a few. I keep Little Debbie snacks in my class (for reward jar Fridays), and yesterday that Nutty Bar called out to me. I'm proud to say that I resisted its little chocopeanutbuttery voice. And tonight while Chris and I were walking, we passed by Sarpino's Pizza... ooohhhh pizza. How I miss you! I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather give up dairy than gluten. Cutting out my beloved ice cream is probably the best change I could ever make for my heath. And besides, I've found many chocolaty substitutes! I've already mentioned Rice Dream ice cream, but today at Whole Foods, I found a rice milk chocolate bar on sale for 79 cents. After eating a bite (and then a few more!), I'm heading back tomorrow to buy out their stock! Tastes just like Dove milk chocolate. :)
There's only one more full week of golf, and then hopefully I can get back to the gym... or even more hopefully, the running trail (as my new in soles should be coming in soon!). I weighed myself this afternoon at the gym, and though I'm not in this to lose weight, and though I'm not sure how accurate the gym scale is or how good it is to weigh in the afternoon, I weighed 3 pounds less than the day I began the diet. My jeans fit the same (which is the only way I normally gage weight), but my tummy stays about the same size throughout the day (whereas it formerly would bloat). So that's nice. Other changes: the first week or so, my complexion actually worsened, which was very frustrating, but now it's getting better. I'm not sure if that was due to the increase of estrogen in all the soy I'm intaking now. Interesting.
This week's going to fly also, with 2 golf tournaments and 3 dr appointments, so unless I briefly blog about War and Peace (which I'm hopefully finishing tonight!!!), I'll recap the week next weekend in between laundry loads! :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
One Week Down, Five to Go...
So it's Sunday, and that means I've survived one week sans-gluten and dairy. Quite an accomplishment, if you know me even somewhat. You know, I think I can do this thing! Mom and I played in a golf scramble, and together we fired a 7 under! I'm tellin ya, we were pretty impressed with ourselves! I'm now wishing I would've gone to Dr. Iodice about 5 years ago, my body felt so good on the course, but I guess I'd be on the pro tour or something instead of teaching kids, which has far more significance; so I take it back I guess.
The OSU football game was depressing enough, but the brisket, chicken, rice, chips, and salsa were fantastic; though the free ice cream snacks were tantalizing. I did try the new vitamin water with 10 calories. Blahhhhh. I remember that vitamin water itself didn't have enough flavor for me (why everyone doesn't just drink Propel baffles me). My energy level was pretty low for the most part, though I'm not sure how much of that can be attributed to the 1500 miles I've driven in the last 3 days and how much of that's due to the diet.
At Whole Foods tonight, I picked up so GF cereal!!! We'll see how it works out; I still got some oatmeal, as that's working pretty well for me now.
The hardest facet of this challenge seems to be all the planning that goes into meals where Chris is concerned. Do I make the GF stuff for him to (depleting all my GF resources)? Or do I make 2 seperate meals (who wants to do that?)? I made a big o'pot of rice tonight and baked chicken strips (non-breaded), but we ate almost all the chicken, so that'll have to be a per-nightly thing I guess. I've also got some sweet and regular potatoes, with the inevitable question: what the heck am I supposed to put on a potato if I can't eat dairy?!? I'll ask the doc that tomorrow. Also thinking I can brown hamberger meat and put it on top of the rice for me and make hamberger helper for Chris? Is that lame??
The really frustrating thing for me right now is that I haven't been able to exercise at all since this started. With teaching, golf practices and meets, and 3 dr. appt's per week, I'm not sure how much better my body's going to feel if I'm not working out. hmmm...
In other (more 6ish) news, I listened to 3 REALLY good Mark Dever sermons on Luke 12, 13, & 14, and am thus encouraged to love my wonderful Savior much more ardently and to love my brothers and sisters much more actively. My goal is to encourage and pray more fervently for others, encouraging them to seek Christ with everything.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day 4: Things are looking up!
God answered my prayer from day 3 and day 4 was a lot better! I slabbed some peanut butter on a rice cake thingie for my planning period snack and added some boiled egg to the salad with crab meat for lunch. Much better. Also, I think the dark chocolate Chris and I picked up at the store last night helped curb my craving (and keep my attitude up) for the afternoon.
Golf practice was rained out, so I munched on some apple slices with PB before going to the chiro. The exercises he's giving me are training my core/scapulas/shoulders/hips to function as they should, utilizing stabilizer muscles instead of straining weaker muscles (which is apparently what my body has been doing to itself).
Upon leaving the chiro office, we ate at Chipotle (I've actually come to enjoy the chicken burrito bol) and drove down to Tulsa. We're attending a memorial service for Chris's uncle who is now in the presence of the Lord due to cancer. It'll be great to spend time with family and celebrate his life and what God did for him.
Being the OCD person I am about food, I brought an entire bag filled with GF snacks in case the catered lunch is sandwiches or something of the sort. After the memorial, we're headed back to KC. Chris has his board exams Friday and Saturday; I'm teaching school Friday, and then driving back down to Oklahoma to spend the weekend with my family: playing in a golf tourney that benefits a college ministry and going to the OSU/Houston football game. The football game is the only thing that concerns me - I hope they don't confiscate all the Cliff Bars I try to smuggle in!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Day 3: Hunger Pangs of Death
Today my tank was on low. I guess that teaching a full day takes a bit more out of me than a Labor Day off, and my body didn’t like the different (or lacking) energy source. Anyway, I’m praying that it doesn’t get worse than this, or else I’m going to have to figure out ways to keep my stomach from eating itself. My oatmeal and eggs carried me until about 10, when my tummy started to squeal out of desperation. I usually eat a few almonds and sip some tea on my plan, but today I scarfed a handful and another fistful of GF (gluten-free) crackers as well, probably simultaneously.
Lunch was probably my biggest mistake of the day. I meant to bring apple and celery slices to dip in peanut butter, but forgot them, so all I had was my wimpy salad with some crab meat. Oh yes, and some more GF crackers. My crustacean friend wasn’t too appetizing, and I didn’t get my usual chocolate bite, so my kids saw me in rare form today. I think I snapped at one unsuspecting (though totally deserving) little twerp for rocking in my seat, then leaning over my podium, then sitting on his desk and rocking it back and forth. Not to mention that he must weigh 180. I don’t even know what I threatened him. But I then apologized, explaining that I hadn’t had chocolate in 3 days.
On the way to the golf course, I began stuffing all I could down my throat, but since all I had were GF crackers and rice cakes, that didn’t amount to much. My golfers figured out the weird taste of the GF crackers: burnt popcorn. Bingo. The munching continued throughout the round – I was fiercely hungry!
When I finally got home to the 2nd-time’s-a-charm rice spaghetti, I felt a little better, though tired. However, I’m becoming quite fond of the Rice Dream ice cream stuff. Wish I could haul that sweet chocolaty goodness with me all the time!
When I told the chiro at tonight’s appointment about my troubles, I think he dismissed me as an addict who’s undergoing necessary cleansing. I think he’s right…
Lunch was probably my biggest mistake of the day. I meant to bring apple and celery slices to dip in peanut butter, but forgot them, so all I had was my wimpy salad with some crab meat. Oh yes, and some more GF crackers. My crustacean friend wasn’t too appetizing, and I didn’t get my usual chocolate bite, so my kids saw me in rare form today. I think I snapped at one unsuspecting (though totally deserving) little twerp for rocking in my seat, then leaning over my podium, then sitting on his desk and rocking it back and forth. Not to mention that he must weigh 180. I don’t even know what I threatened him. But I then apologized, explaining that I hadn’t had chocolate in 3 days.
On the way to the golf course, I began stuffing all I could down my throat, but since all I had were GF crackers and rice cakes, that didn’t amount to much. My golfers figured out the weird taste of the GF crackers: burnt popcorn. Bingo. The munching continued throughout the round – I was fiercely hungry!
When I finally got home to the 2nd-time’s-a-charm rice spaghetti, I felt a little better, though tired. However, I’m becoming quite fond of the Rice Dream ice cream stuff. Wish I could haul that sweet chocolaty goodness with me all the time!
When I told the chiro at tonight’s appointment about my troubles, I think he dismissed me as an addict who’s undergoing necessary cleansing. I think he’s right…
Monday, September 7, 2009
Day 2: The Blues Strike
Today was a bit harder. I don’t know if the lack of serotonin-producing foods I’m used to is playing with my emotions or if other stresses are more to blame, but this afternoon I was in a pretty bad mood for me. I’d describe it as being on edge, on the verge of crying, what most of us women would call PMS symptoms (the emotional ones, anyway). Weird, and needless to say, I’m ready for this feeling to be over.
After talking to my mom, it could be the lack of control I’m feeling over my diet. Chris, his friend Alan, and I didn’t eat lunch till 2:30, because we were shooting a video of exercises and techniques for my chiropractor’s website. We went to Chipotle, where the chicken burrito bol is lacking bread, though Chipotle has some spice that always makes my stomach feel funky. Then we went over to a friend’s house for a cookout, and I felt kind of rude asking to see labels of all the foods they had (I’m still not sure what all is in things). Steak, salad (I had to pick out the feta cheese!), apples, grapes, and almonds were great, but then I started to feel anxious about getting home.
The day before going back to school always riles me up; I guess it’s the feeling of being unprepared. I got a lot of grading done this weekend, and have the next two weeks planned out, so the feeling is a bit absurd, but nonetheless it’s always there. Maybe someday, when I’m a seasoned teacher, it’ll go away? Hope so?
Tomorrow, I have FCA at 7 a.m., and I’m bringing the donuts… I can’t imagine rice-donuts. That’s got to be the grossest thing ever! Then after school my girls have a golf meet at the local par-3. And then I have a dr. appt. Busy day! Lord, help my attitude to be glorifying to you!
After talking to my mom, it could be the lack of control I’m feeling over my diet. Chris, his friend Alan, and I didn’t eat lunch till 2:30, because we were shooting a video of exercises and techniques for my chiropractor’s website. We went to Chipotle, where the chicken burrito bol is lacking bread, though Chipotle has some spice that always makes my stomach feel funky. Then we went over to a friend’s house for a cookout, and I felt kind of rude asking to see labels of all the foods they had (I’m still not sure what all is in things). Steak, salad (I had to pick out the feta cheese!), apples, grapes, and almonds were great, but then I started to feel anxious about getting home.
The day before going back to school always riles me up; I guess it’s the feeling of being unprepared. I got a lot of grading done this weekend, and have the next two weeks planned out, so the feeling is a bit absurd, but nonetheless it’s always there. Maybe someday, when I’m a seasoned teacher, it’ll go away? Hope so?
Tomorrow, I have FCA at 7 a.m., and I’m bringing the donuts… I can’t imagine rice-donuts. That’s got to be the grossest thing ever! Then after school my girls have a golf meet at the local par-3. And then I have a dr. appt. Busy day! Lord, help my attitude to be glorifying to you!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Day 1: Rice Cream, Anyone?
So far, so good! The scrambled eggs and organic oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and cinnamon on top kept me full all through church, Sunday school (& teaching those 3rd graders sure does take it out of you!), and grading some papers afterwards. My decently-sized salad with 2 boiled eggs was nothing to write home about and had to be backed up with a midafternoon banana.
For dinner I made regular spaghetti for Chris, and boiled some rice spaghetti for myself… ick. Maybe, if absolutely necessary, I could get used to the weird, soupy texture of it, but I’d be happy to get some alternative solutions.
The highlight of the food day was the Rice Dream Chocolate Caramel Chai (non-dairy ice cream). Definitely worth the $4 pint, since I don’t need much to get my chocolate fix. I think I’ll get some Silk chocolate milk tomorrow for when I finish my tiny little pint of chocolate gold.
I received some encouragement from Chris’s study partner, a collegiate trackster, who said that his coach wouldn’t let them drink dairy. Apparently I’ll run like the wind blows when I get all the cow out of my system. Makes sense, seeing as cows aren’t the fastest mammal. I went for a speed walk tonight, and whew, I was cruising! Now I’m off to some speed reading!
For dinner I made regular spaghetti for Chris, and boiled some rice spaghetti for myself… ick. Maybe, if absolutely necessary, I could get used to the weird, soupy texture of it, but I’d be happy to get some alternative solutions.
The highlight of the food day was the Rice Dream Chocolate Caramel Chai (non-dairy ice cream). Definitely worth the $4 pint, since I don’t need much to get my chocolate fix. I think I’ll get some Silk chocolate milk tomorrow for when I finish my tiny little pint of chocolate gold.
I received some encouragement from Chris’s study partner, a collegiate trackster, who said that his coach wouldn’t let them drink dairy. Apparently I’ll run like the wind blows when I get all the cow out of my system. Makes sense, seeing as cows aren’t the fastest mammal. I went for a speed walk tonight, and whew, I was cruising! Now I’m off to some speed reading!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Last Day of Comfort Food…
Tomorrow I begin my quest toward health, so I ate my last bowl of cereal, my last piece of bread, my last slices of pizza, and my last bowl of ice cream for 6 weeks (or maybe more if this does the trick). And I enjoyed every bite of each.
At Sams I stocked up on salad, fruit, asparagus, chicken, and beef, and I even found some gluten-free crackers. Tried them… hmm… different? And this is gross, but they made me burp, and I hope that doesn’t happen again.
Who knew that Whole Foods was a gluten-free paradise??? I got organic oats for breakfast (apparently Quaker Oats has some wheat in it), soy milk (of course), dairy-free ice cream, organic produce, and gluten-free spaghetti and cookie mix!!! Crazy things they come up with these days! It’s like I’m not even going to miss anything! Well, I wouldn’t go that far.
Today, Chris gave me the whole “If you mess up once, don’t just throw in the towel” speech that I’m sure most dieters need. However, I think I’ll be able to manage, especially since there are so many alternatives out there.
Things I’m looking forward to:
At Sams I stocked up on salad, fruit, asparagus, chicken, and beef, and I even found some gluten-free crackers. Tried them… hmm… different? And this is gross, but they made me burp, and I hope that doesn’t happen again.
Who knew that Whole Foods was a gluten-free paradise??? I got organic oats for breakfast (apparently Quaker Oats has some wheat in it), soy milk (of course), dairy-free ice cream, organic produce, and gluten-free spaghetti and cookie mix!!! Crazy things they come up with these days! It’s like I’m not even going to miss anything! Well, I wouldn’t go that far.
Today, Chris gave me the whole “If you mess up once, don’t just throw in the towel” speech that I’m sure most dieters need. However, I think I’ll be able to manage, especially since there are so many alternatives out there.
Things I’m looking forward to:
- Feeling better – duh
- Better complexion – I’m pretty sure the chocolate = zits thing is an old wives’ tale, but there’s probably some truth to it.
- The (hopefully) upped energy and improved athletic performance – since I’ve been aching to improve my 40 time.
- Losing a few pounds – no ice cream every night should do that by itself!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Gluten- & Dairy-Free Ali Begins Sunday...
My favorite food is ice cream. Extravagantly chocolate ice cream. And to be perfectly specific: chocolate ice cream with brownie, cookie dough, peanut butter, fudge, and caramel. But all that’s about to go. In fact, everything with milk in it is about to go. And if that’s not completely terror-striking, everything containing gluten (wheat) is going out with it.
No, I’m not trying to lose weight, though the thought of that byproduct is helping to ease the pain a bit. I’ve been seeing an amazing chiropractor, Dr. Kirk Iodice, who is solving all my body’s ailments through his House-esque differential diagnoses of anatomical and physiological motion exams. After a few weeks of observing and coming to the bottom of my many, many problems, he wants to run an experiment at the chemical level: my diet.
My chronic stiff neck, tight hips and traps, and other various ailments have many structural issues behind them, but I may also have a minor allergic (of sorts) reaction to gluten and/or dairy. When Dr. Iodice prescribed the regimen sans all the foods I basically love for 6 weeks, with no hesitation I informed him that I hated his guts. I love the cereal I eat every morning (and sometimes for dinner), I am known for my religious sandwich-making ceremony at lunch, and I never make pasta without garlic bread. Not to mention the ice cream… nightly.
So I think (this is after I’ve had time to cool off and change my attitude) that this might be a good thing. In the last month, I’ve figured out that I’m not so much competitive as self-motivated, and this is a chance for me to test that. Because it will be a test that requires all my strength of mind to overpower the addictions that I’ve created to the all-powerful force of chocolate.
Dr. Iodice gave me a few days to prepare myself mentally – mostly because I do all my grocery shopping on the weekend – so this Saturday I’m stocking up on fruits, veggies, lean meats, soy milk, and all the gluten-free products resembling bread that I can find.
Sunday begins my quest. I’ve decided to blog my way through the pain, so you can enjoy the agony of ‘health’ and hold me accountable. What kind of Ali will emerge from this milky, bready grave I’d been digging for my body? Stay posted to find out!
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