Well, I am on my way.
I have a job!!!
It has nothing to do with aging or calorie restriction.
I am very excited about it, despite those details.
I am doing something related to what I did before grad school and in undergrad. It is funny how much of that I still remember. I start the job November 1!
It took me a bit to get excited. But I am fully on board now. I have 6 weeks to turn in my thesis to my committee. That fact is making me crazy. I feel like a chicken without a head. Running around aimlessly, too many things needing attention, nothing actually getting adequate time or focus. I am repeating myself, forgetting who I have talked to about what, forgetting meetings and plans... etc.
So to all my family and friends out there who have suffered because of my chaos, I promise to be better-- in November :)
So for now, I will be cutting myself off. Or trying to. So far I have been unsuccessful at being productive (I needed to celebrate, right?!). But my experiments are ending. Whatever is done is done. Whatever is not, will not get done. And now the writing really begins. First the paper. That is getting sent out the week of labor day. That will also be a (the) major chapter of my thesis. Then I will focus on the rest of the thesis. The more I do, the more I feel like I have to do. I never feel like I get any closer to the end. But the end is coming whether I like it or not....
But how are my eating habits you wonder??
Terrible! I have to get myself back into some old CR habits. I have been drinking too much, sleeping too little, and stressing out way more than is helpful (which in turn causes me to eat too much junky food). I need to get back to my standard meals.
Breakfast: I need help with this one. I can not do cereal (I really overdid it...), PB on toast is getting old although I can eat it occasionally, I have not wanted yogurt and granola, and it is too hot for oatmeal. Maybe eggs will have to do. Egg white omelets. Ideas?
Lunch: I am getting back into the Amy's burrito phase again. Thankfully I recovered quickly from overdoing that one. Also sandwiches are good too. Change up the mustard and it all tastes different :)
Dinner: It has been wayyy too hot to cook and I bought stuff for salads the other week and never used them. I need to get over that and eat salad again. My vegetable intake has gone into free fall mode. Luckily I have a lot of friends who have been cooking for me lately and they cook vegetables for me and TE. I think a rule of one salad/day needs to be implemented.
Well- that is it for now. I am sorry for the absence recently. I will try to keep you all posted on my progress and keep thinking of meal ideas for me, I need all the help I can get right now!!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
CR Can Change Your Life!
Boy, I have been busy, and not posting! Honestly, I can not think about food in this stage of the game. I am working a ton and stressing even more- so that really cuts down on my food enjoyment. I have been maintaining my weight, which is all I want right now. I will pick up the counting and measuring again when I can think and plan. But for now, just eating...
Things are not bad though. I am writing (my committee said I can be done "when I am done" which means I am really pushing for August- keep your fingers crossed!) finishing up experiments, and.... applying for jobs!!!
Yesterday I sent out 2 applications (which now makes my application grand total = 3, 2 postdoc, 1 actual job) and have since heard "something" from both. The first response appeared to be an accident- I think they meant to forward my application to someone, instead they hit "reply-all" but it was short and positive so I think I will be hearing back from that soon.
The second application was for a postdoc in a lab studying diabetes, and how maternal nutrition affects diabetes risk (so cool!!). The lab PI has already called me and wants me to meet the lab members ASAP. She said she got in touch with me so quickly because she was very interested in my letter where I talked about how I became interested in nutrition and how it plays a role in disease prevention and treatment-- by participating in the CALERIE study!
That bit of information really helps me stand out as an interesting candidate, I think. Not many people can say that they ate 25% less food for 2 years to benefit science! And people love to hear about this study!!
I really did not know how participating in this study would really change my life when I signed up to do this. It not only changed how I eat and how I feel, but changed my whole professional goals! I feel like it has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself (grad school is very far down on that list right now- haha!). And I am so thankful that this research is ongoing and I can continue to be a part of it. Happiness :)
Things are not bad though. I am writing (my committee said I can be done "when I am done" which means I am really pushing for August- keep your fingers crossed!) finishing up experiments, and.... applying for jobs!!!
Yesterday I sent out 2 applications (which now makes my application grand total = 3, 2 postdoc, 1 actual job) and have since heard "something" from both. The first response appeared to be an accident- I think they meant to forward my application to someone, instead they hit "reply-all" but it was short and positive so I think I will be hearing back from that soon.
The second application was for a postdoc in a lab studying diabetes, and how maternal nutrition affects diabetes risk (so cool!!). The lab PI has already called me and wants me to meet the lab members ASAP. She said she got in touch with me so quickly because she was very interested in my letter where I talked about how I became interested in nutrition and how it plays a role in disease prevention and treatment-- by participating in the CALERIE study!
That bit of information really helps me stand out as an interesting candidate, I think. Not many people can say that they ate 25% less food for 2 years to benefit science! And people love to hear about this study!!
I really did not know how participating in this study would really change my life when I signed up to do this. It not only changed how I eat and how I feel, but changed my whole professional goals! I feel like it has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself (grad school is very far down on that list right now- haha!). And I am so thankful that this research is ongoing and I can continue to be a part of it. Happiness :)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Still Here
Yes, yes. I am still here!
I have a big meeting tomorrow to discuss my future as a graduate student (graduation dates?). Thus, my nerves have kept me from wanting to think about food. I am working a ton and thankfully TE, our families, and our friends have been amazing and supportive throughout my dramatic roller-coaster of moods. Which I am sure will not end tomorrow...
The Woods family made us an amazing meal on Sunday night and forced me to stop freaking out for a few hours (not a small feat!). I have never had BBQ chicken that was so good. Really. I would eat it everyday. :) Maybe we can coax a guest recipe out of them!!
I have big plans to relax this weekend. "Relaxing" will involve scouring our apartment (we will be hosting my little brother and his girlfriend and pup next weekend- I think the King is going to be more excited than I am- he LOVES his cousin pup!), drinking tequila and tonics out in T&S's back yard (T made homemade tonic!! AND calculated the calories in a drink for me!! He is so sweet!!), some yoga and some running. Annd... very minimal work. Maybe only 5hrs or so!
So with that, I promise to return with stories of food and nutrition and hopefully some good news on the graduation front...
I have a big meeting tomorrow to discuss my future as a graduate student (graduation dates?). Thus, my nerves have kept me from wanting to think about food. I am working a ton and thankfully TE, our families, and our friends have been amazing and supportive throughout my dramatic roller-coaster of moods. Which I am sure will not end tomorrow...
The Woods family made us an amazing meal on Sunday night and forced me to stop freaking out for a few hours (not a small feat!). I have never had BBQ chicken that was so good. Really. I would eat it everyday. :) Maybe we can coax a guest recipe out of them!!
I have big plans to relax this weekend. "Relaxing" will involve scouring our apartment (we will be hosting my little brother and his girlfriend and pup next weekend- I think the King is going to be more excited than I am- he LOVES his cousin pup!), drinking tequila and tonics out in T&S's back yard (T made homemade tonic!! AND calculated the calories in a drink for me!! He is so sweet!!), some yoga and some running. Annd... very minimal work. Maybe only 5hrs or so!
So with that, I promise to return with stories of food and nutrition and hopefully some good news on the graduation front...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Why CR?
In my attempts to re-motivate (counting is not going as well as I would like...) I am going to dedicate the next few posts to why I want to maintain this seemingly (to me) labor intensive diet.
1) Weight loss/maintenance.
Really what more is needed to say? I lost 20lbs throughout the study and I would like to keep it off, and keep my body in a negative energy state. Good things happen when you are in a negative energy balance. Like what, you ask?!
2) Improved health functions.
If we can correlate the animals studies to the preliminary human studies*: if one were to maintain a CR diet for life (all benefits lost once you stop dieting- not that you would get unhealthy immediately, but the "protection" is lost) you would
*None of this has been proven in humans, but the evidence is clear in animal studies.
3) Awareness.
It is a good thing when you know how much food you actually need on a daily basis. And anther good thing when you can look back at the end of the day and know you ate what you needed. It may seem strange, but awareness and control can be a good thing. Self control is one of the hardest things I am still learning...
1) Weight loss/maintenance.
Really what more is needed to say? I lost 20lbs throughout the study and I would like to keep it off, and keep my body in a negative energy state. Good things happen when you are in a negative energy balance. Like what, you ask?!
2) Improved health functions.
If we can correlate the animals studies to the preliminary human studies*: if one were to maintain a CR diet for life (all benefits lost once you stop dieting- not that you would get unhealthy immediately, but the "protection" is lost) you would
- Not get sick as often-- when I did get sick it was never that bad
- Be more protected from getting diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, immune diseases, and cancer
- Have improved muscle and bone structure
*None of this has been proven in humans, but the evidence is clear in animal studies.
3) Awareness.
It is a good thing when you know how much food you actually need on a daily basis. And anther good thing when you can look back at the end of the day and know you ate what you needed. It may seem strange, but awareness and control can be a good thing. Self control is one of the hardest things I am still learning...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Bad First Day
So I went over my calories yesterday. Way over.
What went wrong? Where to begin!?
Poor food planning (lunch/snacks), evening delays (the King Pup), and reduced kitchen access (all of our porch furniture is in our kitchen while they paint/stain the decks) all led a "starving Liz" to order Chinese food last night (oh, the drama!).
Which in theory is fine, since I have my favorite healthy order now: hot and sour soup with steamed mixed veggies (you get 3 meals out of that order and it is pretty low calorie. High salt, low calorie) with a side of scallion pancake (you have to have some fried yumminess!). But then I also ate some lo mien and a few pieces of General Tso's chicken (very small amounts but still calories add up quick in fried foods!). AND then(!!) ice cream!! I was insatiable yesterday.
I will blame the half marathon. Yep, that's it :) the blame game which got me into trouble before CALERIE. I know better now.
Usually when I get back "on the wagon" after a blow-out day-- I like to have a few very high fiber days (45g). I feel fuller. I am less likely to have starving fits that go out of control like that. But that requires planning, which I did not do yesterday. Today will hopefully be better. I have my leftover soup, bran buds for my yogurt, fresh berries, and some fiber one bars on hand. Many better choices to keep me satisfied throughout the day.
Here's to a better day today!
What went wrong? Where to begin!?
Poor food planning (lunch/snacks), evening delays (the King Pup), and reduced kitchen access (all of our porch furniture is in our kitchen while they paint/stain the decks) all led a "starving Liz" to order Chinese food last night (oh, the drama!).
Which in theory is fine, since I have my favorite healthy order now: hot and sour soup with steamed mixed veggies (you get 3 meals out of that order and it is pretty low calorie. High salt, low calorie) with a side of scallion pancake (you have to have some fried yumminess!). But then I also ate some lo mien and a few pieces of General Tso's chicken (very small amounts but still calories add up quick in fried foods!). AND then(!!) ice cream!! I was insatiable yesterday.
I will blame the half marathon. Yep, that's it :) the blame game which got me into trouble before CALERIE. I know better now.
Usually when I get back "on the wagon" after a blow-out day-- I like to have a few very high fiber days (45g). I feel fuller. I am less likely to have starving fits that go out of control like that. But that requires planning, which I did not do yesterday. Today will hopefully be better. I have my leftover soup, bran buds for my yogurt, fresh berries, and some fiber one bars on hand. Many better choices to keep me satisfied throughout the day.
Here's to a better day today!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
I am baaack!
Yes!
Finally!
I had a nice two month break from thinking about calories. I ran a half marathon. I did a lot of yoga. And I gained about 2lbs...
Not terrible. But if I keep gaining 1lb/month I will be back where I was in less than two years! Not something I want. I want to keep up with the CR. I like how I feel when I am restricted. It is cheaper to eat less (usually!). If I eat what I know/standards there will be no room for questioning and I won't have to think too much about food while I am over stressed writing my thesis. Packaged foods. The same favorites. This will keep me going for the next 3-4mo until I graduate!!
So I will get back to blogging and keeping track of my calories. Either on CRON-o-Meter or on the Calorie King website. I have not decided yet. I think I am going to try out the CK website, since I can do it on any computer. Or maybe Google...
Today is Day One!!
I am going to attempt a comical Bridget Jones diary format. We will see if I can pull it off :) It may get back to the boring same old.... I am thinking about not retelling everything I eat here (for the sake of my readers) but to highlight things that went well or not so well.
Let's start this journey again!
Thanks for sticking with me--- if there is anyone left out there reading :)
Finally!
I had a nice two month break from thinking about calories. I ran a half marathon. I did a lot of yoga. And I gained about 2lbs...
Not terrible. But if I keep gaining 1lb/month I will be back where I was in less than two years! Not something I want. I want to keep up with the CR. I like how I feel when I am restricted. It is cheaper to eat less (usually!). If I eat what I know/standards there will be no room for questioning and I won't have to think too much about food while I am over stressed writing my thesis. Packaged foods. The same favorites. This will keep me going for the next 3-4mo until I graduate!!
So I will get back to blogging and keeping track of my calories. Either on CRON-o-Meter or on the Calorie King website. I have not decided yet. I think I am going to try out the CK website, since I can do it on any computer. Or maybe Google...
Today is Day One!!
I am going to attempt a comical Bridget Jones diary format. We will see if I can pull it off :) It may get back to the boring same old.... I am thinking about not retelling everything I eat here (for the sake of my readers) but to highlight things that went well or not so well.
Let's start this journey again!
Thanks for sticking with me--- if there is anyone left out there reading :)
Monday, March 1, 2010
It's all over now, baby blue
I know I have not had any time to blog about the sad ending of my role in the CALERIE study. Things have been crazy with being at the study, getting ready for a conference, and getting ready for a vacation.
So the short version of the story is that I am/was very sad to be finished with the study. The last morning was a grueling one --I think that I have to claim the biopsies are the least fun part of the study-- but as I told the doctor performing them, I entered the study because I saw the impressive pictures of the calorie restricted mouse muscle- so I should have to participate in this part of the study for that reason alone! But as I was done, and eating breakfast, I started sobbing. I did not know why I was so upset. I would think most people would have been thrilled to be finished with the study- but no- there I was blubbering over my English muffin and peanut butter.
I was getting some very good/supportive text messages though at this time. AMH helped me justify that the study was a major part of my life for 2 years and I am allowed to mourn it's end. And so I did. All day. Every time I thought I was okay, something would trigger the tears. At one point it was hearing Bob Dylan's- It's all over now baby blue on the radio.
But I could not mourn for long. I needed all pistons firing for the effort of making my poster... if any of you remember the last poster I made (October) I pulled an all nighter (nothing like the last minute- procrastination Liz). I promised my counselor I would try not to ever do that again. I failed this week in keeping that promise. So without going into any of the awful details, I made a poster, it got printed (after many hours of IT intervention), I cleaned my apartment, did laundry, packed, baked muffins, and actually slept last night :)
So we made it. We have arrived safely and pretty much without any trouble, settled into the hotel with TE, and just returned from food shopping.
Which is really the topic I want to discuss the most right now. We had to go to a gas station grocery for our food. We are trying to save money by not buying more than one meal out each day-- we wanted to take a bus to a supermarket somewhat nearby, but we are tired and did not feel like having to deal with public transport in a confusing non-city. So off we went to the gas station nearby.
We spent $56 (!?!? I know, right?! When you see the list below you will ask if we are really saving any money!)-- here is what we got for breakfasts and lunches for TE and lunch/snacks for me.
6 Bananas
6 Bagels
Raisin Bran cereal
JIF peanut butter
Strawberry Jelly
Plain corn Doritos (TE has been talking about their existence for years, no one believes him. We had to get them...)
Salsa
Beef Jerky
Bag of mixed mini candy bars
Milk
4 6oz- yogurt (not the ones I would want but at least they are low-fat)
Red Fat Cream cheese
25% reduced fat cheddar (impressive for a gas station!)
Ziploc "bowls"
Plastic utensils
Yep- so I will keep you all posted on my CR eating at a conference. I did well tonight, steered clear of any and all cheese (I can not have one piece) and just drank tea/decaf coffee and ate fruit. They only give us breakfast here so I am going to make the most of it.
So the short version of the story is that I am/was very sad to be finished with the study. The last morning was a grueling one --I think that I have to claim the biopsies are the least fun part of the study-- but as I told the doctor performing them, I entered the study because I saw the impressive pictures of the calorie restricted mouse muscle- so I should have to participate in this part of the study for that reason alone! But as I was done, and eating breakfast, I started sobbing. I did not know why I was so upset. I would think most people would have been thrilled to be finished with the study- but no- there I was blubbering over my English muffin and peanut butter.
I was getting some very good/supportive text messages though at this time. AMH helped me justify that the study was a major part of my life for 2 years and I am allowed to mourn it's end. And so I did. All day. Every time I thought I was okay, something would trigger the tears. At one point it was hearing Bob Dylan's- It's all over now baby blue on the radio.
But I could not mourn for long. I needed all pistons firing for the effort of making my poster... if any of you remember the last poster I made (October) I pulled an all nighter (nothing like the last minute- procrastination Liz). I promised my counselor I would try not to ever do that again. I failed this week in keeping that promise. So without going into any of the awful details, I made a poster, it got printed (after many hours of IT intervention), I cleaned my apartment, did laundry, packed, baked muffins, and actually slept last night :)
So we made it. We have arrived safely and pretty much without any trouble, settled into the hotel with TE, and just returned from food shopping.
Which is really the topic I want to discuss the most right now. We had to go to a gas station grocery for our food. We are trying to save money by not buying more than one meal out each day-- we wanted to take a bus to a supermarket somewhat nearby, but we are tired and did not feel like having to deal with public transport in a confusing non-city. So off we went to the gas station nearby.
We spent $56 (!?!? I know, right?! When you see the list below you will ask if we are really saving any money!)-- here is what we got for breakfasts and lunches for TE and lunch/snacks for me.
6 Bananas
6 Bagels
Raisin Bran cereal
JIF peanut butter
Strawberry Jelly
Plain corn Doritos (TE has been talking about their existence for years, no one believes him. We had to get them...)
Salsa
Beef Jerky
Bag of mixed mini candy bars
Milk
4 6oz- yogurt (not the ones I would want but at least they are low-fat)
Red Fat Cream cheese
25% reduced fat cheddar (impressive for a gas station!)
Ziploc "bowls"
Plastic utensils
Yep- so I will keep you all posted on my CR eating at a conference. I did well tonight, steered clear of any and all cheese (I can not have one piece) and just drank tea/decaf coffee and ate fruit. They only give us breakfast here so I am going to make the most of it.
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