optimistic
boyziggy doing almost all of the grocery shopping. I bought: yams, russet potatoes, baby carrots, romaine lettuce, grapes, celery, oatmeal, brown rice, frozen spinach and broccoli. I would have gotten more but that was all I could reasonably carry home, and I figured Ziggy would probably do more shopping tomorrow on his day off.For dinner tonight I nuked a yam and spinach, the latter with some vegetable broth and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. It was absolutely delicious, and far more appealing to the eye, with the lovely contrasting orange and green color, than all the cheese and candy crap I've been eating. I'm going to try very hard to stick to simple foods like this, with an emphasis on unrefined starches, vegetables, and fruits, just like in my shopping list above, and moderate amounts of beans.
This is basically the McDougall plan that I've been following on and off over the years. His normal diet allows breads and pastas, and I'll still eat those when I go out, but especially for bread I need to keep it out of the house. Not because of carbohydrate content or glycemic load; I have absolutely have no interest in any diet that limits such things. I just have no willpower when it comes to bread; especially if there is margarine around to spread on it, I will eat nothing but bread until it is gone. Pasta I'm better with, as it takes more effort to make and eat, so whole-grain and combined with some veggies it can still be a healthy meal. But unrefined grains and starchy vegetables are healthier still, so I will concentrate on those.
I don't have a specific weight loss goal - well actually I do, but I'm not going to keep a weight chart this time. My pants and belts will tell me when I've lost weight. And hopefully my energy level will improve. Thank goodness I've kept up the walking most days, or I would have gained back even more weight.
I am also rescinding my silly "24 hour rule" that allowed me to eat whatever I wanted once I "violated" veganism for the day. This originally was designed to stop me from agonizing over every morsel I put in my mouth, but has evolved into an excuse for all manner of gluttony.
I am very fortunate to have supportive sweeties in this endeavor. Ziggy of course, who has already been doing a partial juice fast in an attempt to regain control of his own health. But also
the_ogre, who doesn't share my diet but readily offered to support me, whether in restaurants or cooking at home, when I told him of my desire to renew my commitment to a lowfat vegan diet. That means a lot to me; I need all the support I can get. 