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September 17, 2007
The Leftist Pizza Resistance Movement
Or: Don't leave the meeting without your lunch.
Do you ever have a Monday morning when you just don't want to get up? I woke up today a little before five and I was SORE! It occurred to me that doing 50 mins on the treadmill followed by weights when I'd barely worked out in a week might have been a tad over-zealous. So I stayed in bed, till I started thinking about bills I needed to pay. Then I got up and paid said bills online, and started getting ready for work.
I knew the gym wasn't going to happen so I just let it go.
Got to work, had wild and crazy day (what's new???) and went to negotiations. Rode over with Edward, the most amazing contract negotiator who ever lived. Working with Edward is like living with MR: I spend every day understanding that I am in the presence of perfection. I can whine about it, or I can just try to learn from the master. Luckily, Edward gives me just as much respect about my organizing as I give him about his negotiating skill. Makes me feel better. But sometimes I am just so in awe of him that I want to sacrifice burnt offerings, or at least hand him a Diet Pepsi when he's doing a meeting and he's really thirsty but can't stop to pour himself something. It's the least I can do.
We had ordered lunch for our committee to arrive at 1:30, and while my preferred lunch feeding time is earlier, I thought I'd wait till lunch arrived and eat the lunch I'd brought (quotidian salad, cottage cheese, almonds) with the committee when their food arrived.
At 1:15 Susie walked out to gather the food and I followed her to help.
At 1:30 we started waiting for the negotiations to take a break, since we didn't want to barge in and interrupt.
At 1:45 I had to scare away an aggressive cockroach who made a run at us... the joys of negotiating in a hospital basement.
At 2, we were dying of starvation and started to pick at a grilled chicken Caesar salad. We both ignored the dressing, Susie ate most of the chicken, I ate a bite of chicken and proceeded to mainline Romaine lettuce. My lunch, mind you, was locked in the negotiations room; Susie and I were sitting outside.
We were sitting there with three full, hot pizzas from one of the best pizza shops in Philly. Susie has been watching her calories and has lost about 10 pounds... she looks awesome. We kept talking each other out of eating the pizza.
At one point she even opened the box and looked at it. "Don't do it, dude," I said. And we resisted. Social support is so good... the two of us together can wait to eat our healthy lunch. Separately, or with a bad influence instead of good, we might have gorged on pizza.
At 2:30 they finally called a break. I put Edward's sandwich in his hand cause I knew he was getting hungry and grumpy. Susie and I ate our salads.
Finally I got home close to dinner time and ate a wonderful soup that MR made for me of shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and shirataki noodles and flax oil. I had so many noodles that I am over stuffed! Two glasses of a wonderful dry French rose... perfect for the last days of summer, before it goes fall and red wine only.
Still many thoughts from California... and very happy that my angel is home at last. Tomorrow morning I have to hit the gym early cause we have a staff meeting first thing. So I'll find a way to drag myself out of bed shortly after five. It's the only way I can reliably work out.
Got a call from VLC today that she'll be in town Friday, so we're going to meet up for a CR-friendly dinner! Yea!
Social issues and CR will never cease to be difficult. But it's so much easier when the people I spend my time with are on program. We have so much fun together, whether we're organizing, negotiating, resisting the pizza or sampling California wine. I want us all to be together for a long, long time.
Posted by april at September 17, 2007 7:38 PM
Comments
April,
Love the "Don't do it, dude!" part. Now you're talking my language.
Glad to hear the pizza didn't do you in. I had my own pizza scare tonight, but thanks to reading your blog before dinner....
That's right; social support helps. Even if that support comes from reading someone's blog that I have never even met (but adore!)
Thanks, April!
Posted by: calyb at September 17, 2007 6:01 PM
NOODLES? MR now eats noodles? Holy moley! They must be special. Could you/he give us just a little info? :-)
Posted by: Judith at September 17, 2007 6:21 PM
Hello again,
Thank you so much for the advice...On a daily basis when I don't care...my caloric intake would be 2000 calories a day on average. I'm the type that gains very easily. Anyways, here I am trying to get back on track again not only to physically look better, but also for my health since I know I'm not doing it any good by slacking off. Here is what I had today...please tell me what you think about it.
Breakfast- Salad w/vinegar&olive oil, 1 scrambled egg, a slice of whole wheat bread, lemon water, a cup of black coffee sweetened with splenda
After Workout- Protein w/water
Lunch- Oatmeal, salad w/vinegar&olive oil, miso soup, lemon water
Dinner- 1 can of sardines w/1 tsp olive oil, salad w/vinegar&olive oil, miso soup
Snack- 1 Pear
Workout- I'm out of shape right now so I can't really do anything crazy. So as a starting point...I start off with a 10 min speed walk on the treadmill, I do different types of crunches adding up to 400. Then I do a light jog (at 5.0) for 10 minutes.
Sorry for such a long post..I'm just curious if I'm on the right track. Thanks so much though, and sorry for the inconvenience. Take care and good luck with all your goals! Keep it up!
Posted by: Hollie at September 17, 2007 6:33 PM
Hi Hollie,
Here is an entry that gives some good start up tips:
http://www.mprize.org/blogs/archives/2006/01/how_to_start_cr_1.html
I found the basics of increasing protein, cutting out or cutting back on grains, and being sure to get some unsaturated fat at every meal really helped.
I haven't crunched your day in software, but it looks low on calcium to me unless sardines are a calcium powerhouse, which they may be... I've never tried them. I strongly suggest that you get some nutritional software and begin tracking your nutrients.
Good luck!
april
Posted by: april at September 18, 2007 4:57 AM
Do you get your shirataki noodles at miraclenoodle.com ?
Posted by: Jonathan at September 18, 2007 7:18 AM
I'm eating something right now that I think CRONers would find really great: skyr.is. It's Icelandic cheese with the texture of greek yogurt, fat free, only 150 calories per 170 grams, has 17 grams of protein and a good amount of calcium.
Posted by: Sa at September 18, 2007 2:28 PM
Hi April,
Thanks so much for the response. You're right I'm probably lacking calcium...well what I'm also taking along with my meals are daily vitamin capsules, fish oil soft gels, garlic oil soft gels, green tea capsules, and psyllium husks capsules. I have another question for you though. Could it be possible for me to have too much protein and are high-protein diets harmful? Sorry for questioning so much, and thank you again for your generous responses.
Posted by: Hollie at September 19, 2007 7:21 PM