Phat Tuesday
I've had a sore throat for most of today. And, just now, my nose is starting to join in. The joy, the rapture.
I'm tired, I'm achy. I had three cups of tea, which is the only thing I have found to soothe my throat. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow.
(I give up lots of food and food-related items for Lent, including drinking anything but water. This has not been a problem in past years, including last year, when I was surrounded by little kid germs.)
I *did* manage to stay off the downstairs computer today. Mom still managed to break it. ;)
Man, I can't think of anything to say.
Oh, yeah, so it's Fat Tuesday, so I had my last hurrah of food. Oh, crap, I forgot to grab a couple Hershey's Kisses from work. Oh well.
It's weird. I'm such a lapsed Catholic--I don't go to church, because I despise church--but I follow Lent. It blows my parents' minds. For the past few years, I've given up food. I do love food. It's a test of willpower that, strangely, is shaped like a diet. I've done it for a while, and for a few years I added new foods to the list. I had to stop that, as all I'd be down to would be water and lettuce.
What I cannot eat, starting in less than three hours:
Bread
Dairy
Meat (just tomorrow, and Fridays)
Sweets
Liquids other than water
What I can eat:
Unlimited fruits and veggies
Nuts
Pasta
There's plenty more; I just can't think of them.
Reasons:
Bread. Yeah, okay, it's kind of a copy of all those stupid fad diets. But *years* ago, supermodels would talk about how they wouldn't eat bread 'cause it goes straight to their asses. True enough: The first year I cut out bread, I lost several pounds like *that* (snaps fingers). I was eating sandwiches every day for lunch, too, so it made me get creative in thinking of meal options. Ever since, I've eaten a lot less bread, and it takes me a while to go back to eating it after Lent. (That goes for everything on the list.) Dairy, well, I'm lactose intolerant, so I shouldn't be eating it anyway. That was one of the first ones to be put on the list. Meat is self-explanatory. I've considered going meatless during Lent, but we eat a lot of meat (sans bread, natch) for dinner, and that would a) involve far too much creativity on my part, and b) probably piss off my parents, as they'd either be stuck eating some of my creativity, or they'd make food that would go to waste. Maybe if I live on my own I'll try it, but not while I'm still here. Sweets, well, I have a sweet tooth; what can I say? (We had paczkis again. :P) I just have to remember that, come Easter, I absolutely cannot have tons of candy. I've done that. After going multiple weeks with little to no sugar, putting more than a little into my system causes me to immediately gain five pounds, plus it, well, runs through me (ewww!!!). It's not pretty and makes for an unpleasant holiday. Sorry, should have warned you about the TMI moment. And, the liquids; they just add extra calories (mostly from sugar) that aren't needed. By now, most of what I drink anyway is water. I really can't drink pop anymore. Caffeine makes me ill. And more than a small cup of dark-colored soda, no matter what it is, does the same thing.
The okay stuff:
Fruits and veggies are just healthy for you. There are sugars in them, so it's not like I have no sweetness whatsoever. I also tend to like the starchy ones, so I'm still getting carbs. Oh, and pasta, same there. I can't cut carbs out completely because that's just not healthy. Plus, I like to make tuna surprise (I think I mentioned that a few weeks back) because it's great on Fridays. It's tasty, it's filling, and there's no red meat involved. My parents aren't so big on fish fillets, so I have to toss them a bone, so to speak. :) Nuts are good for protein. They're an awesome snack. Jewel sells this good-sized container of fruit and nut mix, so that's great--grab a handful and go. It's even good on meatless days, because I can grab a bigger amount and just eat that in place of one of my "meat" dishes. For lunch, typically, I'll have a frozen fake meat patty (like a Boca burger or something from Morningstar Farms...but no Gardenburgers. Ick) and two or three frozen vegetables, like a homemade frozen dinner; a granola bar; and a piece of fruit. Even though they're not real meat patties, I still feel odd eating them on a meat-free day. Maybe I'll make a fruit salad tomorrow...
Oh, crap. What are we going to have for dinner tomorrow??? Dammit.
I'm tired, I'm achy. I had three cups of tea, which is the only thing I have found to soothe my throat. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow.
(I give up lots of food and food-related items for Lent, including drinking anything but water. This has not been a problem in past years, including last year, when I was surrounded by little kid germs.)
I *did* manage to stay off the downstairs computer today. Mom still managed to break it. ;)
Man, I can't think of anything to say.
Oh, yeah, so it's Fat Tuesday, so I had my last hurrah of food. Oh, crap, I forgot to grab a couple Hershey's Kisses from work. Oh well.
It's weird. I'm such a lapsed Catholic--I don't go to church, because I despise church--but I follow Lent. It blows my parents' minds. For the past few years, I've given up food. I do love food. It's a test of willpower that, strangely, is shaped like a diet. I've done it for a while, and for a few years I added new foods to the list. I had to stop that, as all I'd be down to would be water and lettuce.
What I cannot eat, starting in less than three hours:
Bread
Dairy
Meat (just tomorrow, and Fridays)
Sweets
Liquids other than water
What I can eat:
Unlimited fruits and veggies
Nuts
Pasta
There's plenty more; I just can't think of them.
Reasons:
Bread. Yeah, okay, it's kind of a copy of all those stupid fad diets. But *years* ago, supermodels would talk about how they wouldn't eat bread 'cause it goes straight to their asses. True enough: The first year I cut out bread, I lost several pounds like *that* (snaps fingers). I was eating sandwiches every day for lunch, too, so it made me get creative in thinking of meal options. Ever since, I've eaten a lot less bread, and it takes me a while to go back to eating it after Lent. (That goes for everything on the list.) Dairy, well, I'm lactose intolerant, so I shouldn't be eating it anyway. That was one of the first ones to be put on the list. Meat is self-explanatory. I've considered going meatless during Lent, but we eat a lot of meat (sans bread, natch) for dinner, and that would a) involve far too much creativity on my part, and b) probably piss off my parents, as they'd either be stuck eating some of my creativity, or they'd make food that would go to waste. Maybe if I live on my own I'll try it, but not while I'm still here. Sweets, well, I have a sweet tooth; what can I say? (We had paczkis again. :P) I just have to remember that, come Easter, I absolutely cannot have tons of candy. I've done that. After going multiple weeks with little to no sugar, putting more than a little into my system causes me to immediately gain five pounds, plus it, well, runs through me (ewww!!!). It's not pretty and makes for an unpleasant holiday. Sorry, should have warned you about the TMI moment. And, the liquids; they just add extra calories (mostly from sugar) that aren't needed. By now, most of what I drink anyway is water. I really can't drink pop anymore. Caffeine makes me ill. And more than a small cup of dark-colored soda, no matter what it is, does the same thing.
The okay stuff:
Fruits and veggies are just healthy for you. There are sugars in them, so it's not like I have no sweetness whatsoever. I also tend to like the starchy ones, so I'm still getting carbs. Oh, and pasta, same there. I can't cut carbs out completely because that's just not healthy. Plus, I like to make tuna surprise (I think I mentioned that a few weeks back) because it's great on Fridays. It's tasty, it's filling, and there's no red meat involved. My parents aren't so big on fish fillets, so I have to toss them a bone, so to speak. :) Nuts are good for protein. They're an awesome snack. Jewel sells this good-sized container of fruit and nut mix, so that's great--grab a handful and go. It's even good on meatless days, because I can grab a bigger amount and just eat that in place of one of my "meat" dishes. For lunch, typically, I'll have a frozen fake meat patty (like a Boca burger or something from Morningstar Farms...but no Gardenburgers. Ick) and two or three frozen vegetables, like a homemade frozen dinner; a granola bar; and a piece of fruit. Even though they're not real meat patties, I still feel odd eating them on a meat-free day. Maybe I'll make a fruit salad tomorrow...
Oh, crap. What are we going to have for dinner tomorrow??? Dammit.