Nutribullet dreams

I bought a Nutribullet yesterday and I can't wait to try it out!!!

Lat year right around New years I saw a documentary called Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. Joe Cross decided to take his health matters into his own hands and try juicing, and ended up starting a whole Reboot movement. Well, he was so inspiring that I went out and bought a juicer and started adding fresh juices in to my own diet. I did try a juice fast, I think I lasted one weekend. I did make juice every day for a while, but the challenge of getting all the veg in the dead of winter, the noise and cleanup up of the machine didn't boost my desire to pull it out and make juice.

I've learned to adapt the recipes to what I like - I will NEVER like celery. In a juice, stew, as a snack, it tastes terrible, and it ruins anything you add it to, so why add it at all? It is in juices mainly for extra volume.

One thing that bothers me about juicing is that we are stripping out the fiber. I understand that we are making a super concentrated glass of nutrients, but it's hard to get enough fiber in a day. I recently lowered my daily target from 30 grams to 25 grams a day, so I can stop feeling like a failure.

Now imagine if I was pureeing some of those same vegetables - well I'd be keeping the fiber content and more of the nutrients in those foods.

I was also experimenting with additions to the juice, such as spirulina (blue algae), flax seeds, and chia seeds. Even using my stick blender I couldn't get the fine spirulina powder completely incorporated.

I had been on the fence about buying a Magic bullet for a while and decided that I would buy one with part of my year end bonus. Then I heard about the Nutribullet - more power, more benefits, and double the price. I've done about a month of research - reading reviews, checking prices, watching user videos on YouTube, and when I saw a saw at Target (it rarely goes on sale) I leapt up and got one for myself.

I'm hoping that I can make some more nutritious and satisfying drinks with the Nutribullet.
Concerns about using the Nutribullet:

• having to add liquid - I am concerned that in the infomercial, user You Tube videos, and recipe list coconut water or almond milk into the mix. If you're blending the same vegetables you were juicing, wouldn't you have enough liquid? A cucumber is mostly water. I don't want to add extra calories or sugars to my drinks. Searching for Almond milk yesterday (I'm going to try it before I rail against it) I noticed that may brands have added sweeteners and filler ingredients.
• additional prep - I need to cut things up more to fit them into the cup for processing, no more leaving carrots whole. I don't think this will take a lot of extra time, but I'll keep track and see.
• Will I actually use it? I plan to keep on the counter in place of my juicer, which will go into my outbox (see Apartment Therapy's awesome January Cure). That should keep it at the ready and in my thoughts when I go to the kitchen for a snack.
• Will it hold up? Only time will tell. I've read a lot of reviews that say it leaks, stops working, etc., but I read all those warnings about my juicer too, and it's going strong after a year. I bought it at Target and also bought their 2-year replacement plan for $7. What a steal! I need to read the fine print this week and make sure I keep whatever paperwork is required together with the policy.
• Will the noise make me not want to use it? I didn't find many reviews that mentioned the noise level. Hopefully that's a good sign, and this will be answered pretty quickly once I use the machine.

Head up, young person

Last week was a good week. I am finally feeling better after being knocked out by an intense sinus infection for a week and missing Easter with my family.

Last week I:
-planned a visit home to visit with family and friends, and to say goodbye to my high school, Nazareth Academy, which is closing after 139 years of educating young women. I will get a chance to reconnect with people I haven't seen in almost 20 years. Friends that I wish I had been closer to in high school that I will hopefully forge a better connection with now.
-worked out at the gym. Finally! I have been trying to stay on track with being active, but having that sinus issue put me right off of life, never mind working out.
-cleaned the top of the stove. Doesn't seem like much right? I took the top of the stove OFF and put it in the bathtub, and scrubbed it with all my might using cleanser with bleach and a scrubby sponge. There is still one spot that is a bit stained, but it had built up over time so hopefully now that I have the stove top 99% clean I can remove that stain over time.
-gotten a new kitchen counter set up and picked up the kitchen - BIG project
-cast on for Emmaline, a bulky knit short-sleeve top
-washed 5 loads of laundry. Yes, I live alone, but I hate doing laundry and it builds up, and I had a big pile of towels and rags that I had used to mop up the leaks in my apartment when we had the bad storms a few weeks back, and yes, I'm just getting to them now.
-started back on the whole eat healthy, live healthy thing. Counting calories, counting everything, really, because I don't have a sense anymore of what I eat or what it contains. It's back to basics while I relearn what my body actually needs. I use the tools at SparkPeople, but if anyone has suggestions of other free tracker and community sites, I'm listening.

To-DO this week: (yes, I know it's already Tuesday but I forgot to post this entry Sunday night, so I'm modifying it, alright?)
-repot seedlings
-plant more seeds - lettuce, sage, (first ones seem to have died) tomatoes, and a few other things.
-go to the gym. Yes, AGAIN.
-keep tracking
-go to bed by midnight most nights
-do some yoga
-maybe get around to putting my laundry away
-read The Little Stranger for my book group meeting on Sunday (352 pages to go)
-oh, and knit

I'm trying to be productive today, I really am. It's a Saturday morning and what am I doing? Going to have some bloodwork done that I was supposed to do before my physical in March. I've been either sick, busy, or forgotten until now, since I have to fast the night before and I tend to be a night owl. Just routine checkup stuff, like cholesterol. Then it's off to COmcast to return the cable box and modem. I switched to RCN two weeks ago and I've gotten 3 prerecorded phone messages about returning my box. Sheeh! I'm going already!

On the craft front, I've now cast on three times for the Lace Ribbon Scarf, and I thnk I've got it. The first time was when I was still working on the baby gifts, and I wanted to have a new project to carry around. Part of the cast on got stretched out, and it still bothered me 4 rows in so I ripped it out last night. Cast on again, went along merrily, and realized that my cast on was waaay too tight. RIP. Now I have 8 rows, can see the pattern emerging, and the yarn is even getting soft. Amazing! I'm using Plymouth Yarn's Sockotta, which I bought a year ago for socks, I think. Now that I've started this scarf I have found a sock pattern I want to try this year, but it needs a self-patterning yarn that makes a clearer stripe pattern so the stitches will show up better. Broadripple by Rob Matyska

I thought that I would spend this entire week cross stitching, since I felt I needed a break from knitting after cranking out baby gifts one after the other. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed making them. I would think about the parent(s) and baby to be and try put my love into the piece. It all turned out beautifully and is posted on my Ravelry, and I've put the finished pictues below. I did end up working on a hibernating cross stich, the 18th Century Band Sampler (or Long Dog Mystery Sampler). I really like the colors in this piece, and someday I'll get this one finished and framed. I'll post a picture this weekend.

And the Most Beautiful Nasal Passages Award Goes to...

Me! This morning before work I had an ENT appointment to recheck my sinuses. In March 2005 I had sinus surgery to repair my deviated septum and widen the nasal passages. Immediately after surgery I felt improvement. During 2008 I seemed to ahve a lot of sinus issues, with 4 bouts of sinus infection needing antibiotics, and numerous colds or lingering issues in between. I felt like it was time to get the schnozz checked out again, see if there was scar tissue or perhaps polyps growing.

Today when I saw Dr. Diamond she said I had been worked on by one of the best in the biz, and that she has always admired his work, even back when he was an intern. Nice to know he's got a good reputation. Apparently there are 6 different areas of the sinus, and she could only see 5 of the 6 with the scope since the last one is pretty far back and ultra sensitive, with an extra cluster of nerve endings. He worked on all of them, sculpting wide passages and taking a large chunk out of my septum. I have no scar tissue, no polyps, no pools of fluid, no excessive swelling or irritation. It's finally time to take the allergy test. I've been seeing doctors about my sinuses since I was 14, and this is the first time a doctor has recommended that I take the scratch test. Whoopee! I doubt we'll get any answers from that, but it's worth a shot.

Checking in

Health/Fitnes Goals -
1. Bring lunch and snacks all this week and next.
Reward - buy Soul of the Rose cross stitch kit
2. Cook dinner and right away put away portions in fridge for lunches/dinners.
3. Work out for 30 minutes each week of January.
Reward - buy mini-trampoline to further my workout progress goals.

Mini-trampoline? Yes. I'm a bit obsessed with them right now really. I've been researching 'rebounding' online and the health benefits. I have been trying to think of fun ways to exercise and I think this will be something I can do at home for short bursts along with weight training moves, yoga, and my bicycle pedaler.

I've also been reading up on Curves and their whole program design. I don't know that I want to join Curves. I've not had great luck with gym memberships, mainly because I hate working out around other people. There's a whole list of reasons that go along with that, but I won't bore you any more today with that!

Craft-wise
1. Working on Babette Blanket - consists of afghan squares in 17 different colors. Some color combinations look nautrual and other make your eyes bleed. The finished result should be a delightful mess that brightens up a room.

2. HAED Frog Prince QS3 - This is the crazy over one stitching on 25 count evenweave. So far I haven't moved out of the maroon tapestry background. I love working on this piece, but after 3 bleary eyed nights of stitching, I see progress but it's very hard to measure. I read in the newest issue of The Cross Stitcher that their formula for figuring out stitching time is this - a 1 inch by 1 inch square on 14 count Aida cloth, fully stitched, takes 1 hour. I can't fathom how many stitching hours this pattern will take - it is fully stitched, no open spaces, over one, and I think the size is 6x9, I'll have to check. Eek!

3. Floral Potpourri(hate the name - I call it Peony cross stitch) -


Started this up again Wednesday night. This is the first cross stitch project I started when I renewed my interest. I must have started it in 2001 or 2002. Not even halfway, is it? I do like the pattern, and now I am working on this alternately with Frog Prince. I see now that my stitching has improved a lot since I started this piece. I've learned a lot of stitching techniques from The Cross Stitcher, like using one long thread and doubling it for less ends on the back of the piece. Works like a charm.

Hooray for Dermatology

This morning I had my first dermatology appointment in at least 5 years. it has taken me 6-9 months to book an appointment that was not mysteriously wiped out of the computer system. Repeatedly I asked friends for referral names, called offices, and made appointments. Repeatedly I was told the doctor was:
-not accepting new patients
-on sabbatical
-on maternity leave
-not availble for 6 months, and they couldn't schedule that far out.

AUGH! I finally found an office in Cambridge with Harvard Vanguard, and made an appointment 3 months out. I called to confirm a week before the appointment, and they had no record of me. I tried again. I called to confirm a month before, and no go, no appointment. This time, I somehow managed to secure an appointment with a female dermatologist, and actually see her!

She confirmed my treatment options for rosacea, wrote me a new prescription, and told me that my painful face is most likely because of the harsh weather we are having. Right now as I type, my face feels like it's burning. It's very red. I haven't been outside for two hours, and today is a warm day 43 degrees (wind chill 35 degrees). This week I've also had a lot of break-out effect from the rosacea.

Dr. Noree also removed a bunch of skin tags for me. Hallelujah!

The flu is no fun

Today is the first day in a week that I have:
-checked my email,
-put on clothes that are not pajamas
-done any work
-stayed awake for more than 4 hours at a stretch
-worked on my cross stitch

I've been stuck at home with a really bad case of the flu since last Friday. I went to work Friday morning feeling really tired, and by noon I was sick. My coworkers told me to go home. I was sure I could manage until 3 though, and that was a BAD idea! Monday I went to the doctor and managed to throw up and almost pass out during my vsit. Yay! I've now sort of recovered, but my plumbinng is broken and my landlord is here right now snaking the drain. I'm planning on going to work tomorrow even if I don't feel any better because I'm so sick of being home!

I do feel better. I'm sitting up, checking my work email and chipping away at the easy questions. I've only taken ibuprophen today, no Dayquil. I'm still coughing a lot, and tired, and a little dizzy, so I guess it's good that I didn't go in today. That was the plan, to go to work, but when my shower and toilet backed up with water and soapsuds last night at 7pm, I knew I wasn't going anywhere today. This same problem with the drain has happened at least two other times, the last time being in October. Enough already! Time to move out. As soon as possible.

Hooray for Snow!

Yesterday we had our first big snow here in New England. The storm was talked about for two days beforehand, speculation was rampant about how many inches, if there would be sleet, if schools should be closed, etc. Well, yesterday morning I managed to find my boots in the bottom of my closet. I was hoping I could toss them out, becuase I've just ordered a pair of snow boots from L.L. Bean, which of course will get here after our bumper storms have come and gone and the snow has melted.

I spent the morning riding the subway to and from my dentist to have a pain checked out that turned out to be nothing. She said that my front tooth has tilted in ever so slightly, not enough to see, but enough to change my bite. Now when I bite down, my front tooth hits first, putting pressure on that tooth, and it hurts. This has lead to cold and hot sensitivity, and even a little bleeding around the gums at that tooth. My dentist acctually said that I might benefit from a retainer to push my front tooth out a little bit. She said the cost was minimal, then said $250. Yikes! She said a retainer would be a little wire putting pressure on the back of the tooth to push it a bit forward. I think I'll try her first recommendmation of wearing my night guard for a week to see if it helps with the pressure on my tooth. Or I could push on it with my thumb and use the night guard. Umm, I think I'll go with the free thumb option. I don't have the luxury of dental insurance that would pay for a silly retainer. And besides, I'm sure if I did have the insurance that I would have used it all up by now in the course of a year.

There was some sort of accident in the subway this morning, so when I was trying to get to the dentist I ended up taking a shuttle bus all around town to reconnect with the working subway line and then walk to where I could pick up the right street for my dentist! I got to work at about noon.

Wait, wasn't I writing about snow? Well, I got to work at noon, where I found that two people had already left early becuase of impending snow doom. Everyone else was advising me to do the same and get the heck out. The snow started around 1:30 pm and was coming down pretty fast. I left work at 2:30 and spend an hour and a half sitting on the bus, waiting for the traffic to move. If I had been thinking, I would have been smart and taken the SUBWAY! Oh well. The snow feel hard and fast, and the city was quickly buried under a heavy wet blanket. How beautiful!

Now here I am today, having fought my way through unshoveled sidewalks and unplowed streets, and I have to say that I LOVE the snow. People here get into such a panic about it, but it's not a big deal. I guess we're supposed to have another big storm tomorrow night, so that might makes things icky, but I don't mind too much. Just you wait though, I'm sure I'll be cursing the snow tomorrow when I have to walk to a holiday show on small streets with my old boots.

It's amazing what people eat (or dont')

I was poking around on SparkPeople and was reading the message board for food substitutions. You know, I love chocolate, what can I eat instead that will trick me into thinking i am eating chocolate?

This person had posted on the board, I don't remember what about, but on each post it has at the bottom the person's weight loss progess tracker. It said she was at 106 pounds, her goal. WHAT? Is she crazy? I thought I'd use the convenient link to pop over to her Spark blog and see what she was like. Runner, motivated, and geez, eating about 700 calories a day. Umm, okay...I knew eventually I was going to run into the huge number of already skinny people that are trying to lose weight. I just can't deal with them. It sounds to me like this person is doing something really unhealthy. Maybe, aybe not. But since I am one of those severely overweight people, curvy, ruben-esque, whatever yhou want to call it, I've never been veyr toleant of anyone who's under 150 or so and trying to lose weight. It's my problem, and I'm fine with it. I just can't look to those people for motivation, that's all.
But I can look at her food diary and try out what she had for lunch. It looks good. In fact, her breakfast looks good too. Now, if she had only kept on eating normally...

Food Tracked

Breakfast	CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
Banana, fresh, 1 extra small (less than 6" long)	75	19	0	1
Multi-Grain Cheerios Cereal, 0.5 cup	54	12	1	1
milk, 1/2%, 8 oz	90	12	1	8
Strawberries, fresh, 1.5 cup, halves	68	16	1	1
Kashi Go Lean High protein & High fiber Cereal, 0.5 cup	70	15	1	7
Egg white, cooked, no added fat-1 Large, 3 serving	51	1	0	11
Lunch
La Tortilla Factory, Whole Wheat Low Carb Tortilla, 1 serving	50	11	2	5
*Hillshire Farms Deli Select Brown Sugar Baked Ham, 2 oz	60	2	2	10
Miracle Whip, light, 1 tbsp	20	2	2	0
Kraft 2% Deli-Deluxe Swiss Cheese Slices, 1 serving	70	0	5	6
Baby Carrots-14 pieces, 1 serving	35	9	0	1
Frigo Light String Cheese, 1 oz	60	0	3	9
Cucumber (peeled), 1 medium	24	4	0	1
Dinner
None
Snack
None
Daily Totals:	727	103	16	61

Salad for Lunch? Me?

I just had a great salad for lunch. It's from Au Bon Pain and has Salad Greens, Eggs, Tomatoes, Turkey Breast, Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, Carrots, Croutons, yum! With a little Light Ranch dressing, double yum.
I'm not really a salad person, but I'm trying to eat healthier. One might say a salad with bacon on it is not healthy, but I'd say as a whole the salad was a good choice.

Yesterday I signed up at SparkPeople.com. It's a community website where you can keep a log of your diet and exercise, get movtiation, read articles, etc. I'm just trying it out right now to learn how the tools work and if they would be beneficial to me.

Check-in with the doc

I met with my doctor, Dr. S. this morning for a check-in with my process of tapering off of the anti-depressant Celexa. I started the weaning process on March 12th. I've now been completely off the medication since last Monday, a whole 8 days. I am still having severe withdrawal symptoms; dizziness, inability to focus, periods of hyper affect and general fatigue. The first week of the changes in tapering (20 to 15, 15 to 10, etc) have been the hardest in this process.

We talked again about by fasting blood levels. Dr. S. had me take a 12-hour fasting blood level about 6 weeks ago. My blood sugar was normal, but my blood glucose, insulin level was very high. I am not diabetic, and she told me that I am not pre-diabetic, but that my levels are a pre-diabetic indicator. She didn't do a big scare tactic with me about me having to go on a crash diet and work out an hour a day. I was pleased to discover that Dr. S. was actually listening to me, taking my history, and planning out a method of change that I can actually do.

Today she suggested a medication to help with my high insulin level called Glucophage/Metformin. It is not a weight loss drug, but for me would act as one, allowing my body to process the insulin better and distribute what it needs to so my body's metabolism can function better. Dr. S. said that my body has probably been like this my entire life. It's not something I caused to happen. In other words, not my fault. That I could do the same things as someone else my weight to and would not lose the pounds because of the way my body holds onto things.

I mean, here is someone saying 'hey, maybe it's not your fault that your fat', and I feel so guilty about it.

Resisting Temptation

Why does it take all of my strength lately to resist buying more cross stitch supplies?

I have just started a gift project, and received the supply order I placed last week for the threads and fabric to start the 18th Century Mystery Sampler in The Gift of Stitching, but i want more. I also have some other WIPs, and the freebie kits that came with my last few issues of The Cross Stitcher UK.

Right now I'm looking at the it designed by Sheila Hudson, a vase of anemones. It's very pretty and comes with yellow aida cloth, the threads (presorted), and a needle even! Why do I think i need more projects to work on? More fabric? More threads? I also feel like I need more hoops for holding my work, but I have a tendency to want to leave pieces stretched. I know that's not good, that it'll mark the fabric, so I'm trying to avoid getting more hoops. That way, I can have a max of 3 projects stretched at once, and if I want to switch to something else, I have to take one out of the hoop. That's good isn't it?