Did you know that optometrists can see into your brain?
I think that's true.
God. That is so terrifying.
Ah well. It's been a good day and lunch at Japanica was terrific, as it always is. I am wanting to start eating all healthy-and-shit again and I think about that- that period of time in my life when I actually did that- and I can't even remember what I ate.
I know what I didn't eat:
Processed food. This includes chips and crackers and nearly all breads and anything that comes in a box almost, and even veggie burgers and so forth and almost everything that makes life worth living.
Pork. Mostly. I still had a pork chop about once a month.
Cheese. Life without cheese is so fucking sad.
White rice, white flour, white sugar. Or any sugar for that matter unless it came wrapped up in the original fruit in which it formed.
No chicken skin, no bottled dressings or mayonnaise or sour cream or any of those delicious foods.
Again- is this life?
As I recall, once I got used to it, it was all fine and it was glorious, not worrying about how much I was eating because honestly, I had no desire to overeat things like quinoa and lentils or whatever the fuck it was I was eating.
Oh Lord. But something must be done.
I've let things slip to an intolerable degree and am paying the price and hate the way I look with a burning passion. Let's not even talk about what this extra weight is doing to my knees and joints and poor little old feet.
Age is insult enough, must I add to it?
So. Food. Real food. (Oh, you've heard this before, have you?) Food that is close to the dirt. I need to get out the cookbook that Rebecca sent me with it's heavenly sounding bean and vegetable recipes and not just read it, but make lists and buy ingredients and cook these dishes because I know they are delicious. I can tell just by reading them. And good for me, too. And for my husband.
I've gotten so sloppy with it all. We still eat good food. But I've had sort of a live-until-you-die attitude about it all lately, grabbing a Cuban sandwich at the Publix deli far too often when before I would not even have considered such a thing with all of that processed meat and the cheese and the white bread.
The soft, white Cuban bread. The Swiss cheese. The ham, the pork...
Oh shut up. Shut up.
Do you know I think I saw exactly ONE Cuban sandwich on a menu in Cuba?
I am not surprised.
When I went to the store with Jessie after we had our lunch today I didn't know what the hell to buy. For one thing, I was so entranced and distracted by this little guy that I could hardly keep my lips off his face.
I mean- who wants to look at fruit when you can look at that?
He loves to do his stand-up trick wherein he puts his feet in his mama's hands and rises up big and strong like a man.
Hurray, indeed!
But anyway, tonight I am cooking a recipe with chicken that Lily has fallen in love with. A slow-cooker Adobo thing although I bought my chicken without skin and so it looks nothing like this recipe.
Nothing at all. Still, it should be good. And I'm going to make some rice and a green bean and other vegetable dish. From Rebecca's cookbook. I shall ease into this.
We live in a culture where there is so much food that we don't know what to do with it all and so we break it down and add all sorts of crap to it and fry it and pour sugar and/or delicious chemicals on it and if we don't eat that shit we feel deprived.
Or at least I do.
Not that I buy Doritos or anything but I will admit that I did for sure and for real buy a bag of Lays Kettle-Cooked potato chips a while back and over the course of a week or so I ate every one of them.
40% fat less than regular potato chips! the label promised.
Which is still 60% too much fat and I know it.
I am not a fool.
I just play one in real life.
My glasses are driving me insane. Have my ears gotten lower on my head?
Oh wait. I just figured this out. Even my head has gotten fat, thus my glasses are stretched out.
There you go.
Off to cook some vegetables now.
Love...Ms. Moon
Does your Costco have a resident optometrist? I'm pretty sure they can't see into your brain. What they can do is provide a good exam and new glasses for not too much money and time. Think of it as shopping.
ReplyDeleteThey do. And honestly, the last optometrist I went to was fine and he figured out a problem that I'd been having with my prescription forever and I would want to go back to him. It's just...the making of the appointment?
DeleteIt's being a little crazy.
It's all too much -- the food thing.
ReplyDeleteIt's obviously too much for me. Sigh.
DeleteIt is okay to "slip up" once in awhile....plus, you were on vacation/getaways for some of that time, right? So that does not count! Any bad stuff we eat on vacation is cancelled out by the excersize of lugging all the gear and luggage and all the stuff we need back and forth between cars or boats or whatever! I do think you eat quite well, with your meals coming from vegetables and pots of lovely stews a whole lot of the time. You are doing way better than me! My local Costco eye exam was very reasonably priced and a ton less hassle than the fancy optometrist guy who took FIVE tries to get my glasses correct, no kidding. I love Costco!
ReplyDeleteWell, it's pretty obvious that my "slip-ups" HAVE counted. I mean- my fat, fat, FAT clothes are becoming less wearable. My body just wants me to be a large woman. I've struggled with this my entire life. Throw in the fact that food is very important to me and that I not only love to eat but love to cook and well...there you go and here I am.
DeleteMy son Hank just got his glasses via Costco. I think he was quite happy with the experience.
It is a struggle at our age. Metabolism slows as we age, and we expand a bit. I am from a family of large women, in their later years, and all of them were the most happy and loving and wonderful people I knew. They didn't diet, they enjoyed what they could afford, and they cooked the best healthy meals for their families, and they all lived happy lives until their late 80's and 90's. Life should be enjoyed cuz we will all die anyway, was a recurring theme. Sure, being somewhat careful is optimal, but here in my early 60's, I am going to enjoy the crap out of life. Occasionally buying bigger clothes, but that's ok. I am a good person inside, and that's what counts. Yoga is good, stretching too, but the creaky bones tell me my age.
DeleteOh dear lord, you are singing my song. I have been thinking back to when I used to "eat clean" and my desire to go back to that is not as strong as my craving for chocolate covered peanuts. That baby is insanely cute. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteFor me it's more like just plain old peanut butter. I wouldn't even buy chocolate covered peanuts because I know where that would lead...
DeleteIsn't August completely and utterly gorgeous? Okay. Yeah. I'm his grandmother.
Oh what a good lunch!! And thanks for kissing my baby (he doesn't get enough at home, I'm afraid). But for real, thanks for documenting his cuteness and tricks. Those tricks make him (and me) so proud.
ReplyDeleteHis tricks DO make him so proud! I love that about him! He's completely aware that he's doing something new and cool and it makes him happy. And you know why? Because you and Vergil give him feedback every second of the day and oh yes...the kisses. He kept looking so put-upon when I kissed him. Like, "Why is this old woman kissing me so much?" Ah well. It's the grandmother tax.
DeleteLunch was DELICIOUS!
Every word about the dratted goddamned food overweight old age issue resonates with me. I hear you all on this one. Am crushed down by this one sure as she is eggs. Doomed defeated and beyond self. And The stinking Great British Bake Off is back. The way They go on about in this country UK makes me give up all hope! State of the nation and that is the biggest news. I need saving from this madness. xxxx
ReplyDeleteEggs is eggs Sorry. Any offers of salvation considerd. Have you got link to hanks blog please. Thought l book marked it but you known what thought did!
ReplyDeleteMaggi
Found Hank x
ReplyDeleteYep. Hank's right over there on my sidebar.
DeleteWell, bread and circuses have always kept the masses at bay, don't you think? The Great British Bake Off is a sweet and quiet circus, at least.
Hank rocks! I loathe the GB Bake off. Not only do they go on and on about it everywhere here in the UK. They tell us that it is to be on PBS USA and when etc. I like PBS Some great progs but GBBO! I don't think it is sweet. I think it is irritating! Very popular with many Brits. Might just be me. I do like the GB Sewing Bee though. You are right about the masses. Am watching Celeb Big Bro in order to distract self from the horrors of the state of country. We have 3 Americans left in last 6 A mob wife Renee. Yes I watch Mob Wives and Real Housewives Of....I know I need to get a life. There is also a woman who I still don't know who she is Aubrey? and a flamboyant gay guy called Frankie Grande. Can't believe I just wrote all that tripe! Should delete it but hey this is my life. Love to ya.
DeleteI have been known to overeat lentils, believe it or not. It's not a good feeling. As for pork chops, I adhere to the belief that they're fairly healthy as long as I cut off the fat. Whether that's actually true or not I don't know.
ReplyDeleteYes. Overeating lentils could be downright painful.
DeleteOne can possibly rationalize eating a pork chop now and then but then there's bacon and ham. Why do I love the pig so much? We spoke with a friend the other day who's doing a project, letting pigs forage in forests before slaughter. I told him to bring me a pork chop. I sure hope he does.
I think break makes people fatter than chicken skin, I'm afraid. You want your body to get its energy from fat, not glucose. But if it worked for you before, it's worth getting over the hump - stop eating the carbs and sugar, and it only takes a week or so before you stop craving them. So desperately (sob).
ReplyDeleteOptometrists can detect a lot about health from your eyes, it's true. But I'm pretty sure they can't actually see your brain :) Heh.
Well, that's one theory. If I was to count all of the theories about weight gain and weight loss that have been touted as the final truth since I was a girl, I'd need my computer calculator. I'm sorry but I still think it's mostly calories in, calories out. And I do believe in fiber being a very good thing.
DeleteOphthalmologists can see into the brain in a way that involves pressure against the back of the eye if there is a tumor. I was in my ophthalmologist's office once when he found a tumor in a little boy's brain. Mary you eat healthier than anyone I know. I truly believe that happiness and weight are closely related. That and not giving a shit about what anyone else thinks. We get old we hurt. That's it. I love you.
ReplyDeleteYes. Exactly on the eye-doctors. The Surfer had a tumor? What??!!
DeleteLord, Rebecca, you should see how Vergil's mother eats! Talk about healthy! She makes me feel like a junk food junkie. We do get old, we do hurt. You are so right. And I love you too.
Not The Surfer. Just a little kid. I only found out because my ophthalmologist became so upset he had to leave. Watch your mail! xxxooo
DeleteNot The Surfer. Just a little kid. I only found out because my ophthalmologist became so upset he had to leave. Watch your mail! xxxooo
DeleteOh. I misread. Which I frequently do. How horrible for that little boy and whoever his mama was.
DeleteLife. Dammit.
I check my mail every day almost at the Lloyd post office in the old train station which I enjoy so much, just for the experience. Now I will do so with even more pleasure.
all things in moderation. it's OK to eat crap now and then. confession...I eat potato chips. I love potato chips and eat them almost every day. no moderation there. but I don't eat most everything else sold in a grocery store. I don't eat sugar mainly because I lost my sweet tooth when I went though menopause. Though I will eat pie. I do like pie. as for the performance of the body, I do yoga, have done yoga off and on for about 40 years and pretty regularly for the last 15 or more. I can twist and turn and do all kinds of wonderful things but even so by the end of the day I'm stiff and creaky when I get up to go to bed. oh look, on your live traffic feed you had a visitor from Bay City TX which is about 30 minutes from here.
ReplyDeleteAt least you CAN get all bendy. I have lost my flexibility to an alarming degree in the last few years. I mean- like night and day. I think about going back to yoga all the time.
DeleteUnfortunately, thinking ain't doing. I admire you so much for being so faithful in your yoga practice.
Potato chips are the food of the gods. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth either but savory and salty get me every time.
now that I think about it, that visitor from Bay City was probably me.
Delete