NeuroPunkNonsense

2 plant based meals now. Had rice, falafel with a lemon dill aioli, and carrot and celery sticks. Also went for my walk.

Doing well. I've had 1 plant based dinner so far this week (the last of my potato leek soup) and gone on all 4 walks.

Week 2 Summary Goal 1 - Eat Well: Had three plant based dinners this week. My ginger tofu followed by a yummy potato leek soup (not cream-based) for the past two dinners. Maintaining decent fiber intake with food like oatmeal, flaxseeds, rice, rye crackers, and whole grain breads. Goal 2 - Walk Tall: Went on 6 walks out of 7 this week. I'm slowly adjusting to our autumn. It snuck up this year. Feels like one week it was t-shirt weather, the next it was hoodie weather, and now I'm doubling up on sweaters or toping one with a rain jacket. Usually there's a more gradual change to the seasons here. Not sure if global warming is at fault or if I'm just getting old and pulling a "well back in my day..." Overall week two went better than the first. Looking forward to week three!

Almost didn't go for a walk today because it was chilly and rainy out but I managed to before it got dark (4/7). Dinner was ginger tofu over rice (1/2).

I've done 3 out of 4 possible walks so far. Food has been animal-protein heavy for the first half of this week. Need to smarten up over the next three days. Yes, I was very put out at first because I'm bad with change but this one is much better for me overall. I do miss having a clock on my coffee pot though - I used it a lot when cooking.

That's wild. I didn't realize how much genetics contributed. I mean I knew they were involved but dang.

Not really. I've always had a pretty balanced diet. Fresh fruits and veggies, mostly home cooking. Generally speaking my digestion is pretty good (which is rare for autists I've heard). The only time I've ever had GI issues was a few months back when I had to take antibiotics for a possible skin infection (the doctor said it might have just been an inflammatory response to my new tattoo but thankfully he wasn't willing to risk it). After a couple weeks of probiotics (post antibiotic completion) things went back to normal. That's honestly why I was pretty shocked about my cholesterol level in the first place. I don't eat a ton of red meat and mostly cook with olive oil. But if switching from white bread to whole grain breads will help I can't see why I shouldn't try at least.

Week 1 Summary Goal 1 - Eat Well: Only managed one plant based dinner instead of two; but, I had other plant based meals and focused on cutting back on cholesterol and animal fats. I didn't track my fiber intake everyday but I did my best to eat fiber-full things each day. Typically sunflower flaxseed toast, oatmeal, fresh fruits, and/or beans of some form. Goal 2 - Walk Tall: Managed 5 walk days out of 7 week one. I'm going to have to figure out a plan for when winter hits and the weather is too rainy and sleety and gross for walking. Since I struggle with executive function working out in my home is difficult at best. (I am always open to suggestions). Not a bad starting point.

So hunting down a coffee pot ended up being a nightmare. I got one in the end but I'll put the whole story in a spoiler in case no one wants to read it.

No worries! There's no way you could have known I'm Canadian. (And too poor to afford to travel which is why I don't have a passport).

Y'all, I have some tragic news. My coffee maker broke. I am inconsolable (until I buy a new one).

I'd have to get a passport first but I'll keep it in mind. 😁

I live in a temperate rain forest so I know what it's like being surrounded by conifers - I love it though. It's green where I live year round which makes my heart happy. Granted we have basically only two seasons though: precipitation season(s) and wildfire/road construction season. Your picture is stunning though. It'd be nice to visit somewhere deciduous-forward in autumn sometime.

Managed a walk (3/7) yesterday and had beans and toast for dinner (technically there was pork in it but the cholesterol was listed at 0). Fiber intake was at least 16g. Today was rainy (an 'atmospheric river') so no walk. Dinner wasn't plant based. I don't have a fiber estimate for today but lunch was a grain bowl so I don't doubt that it was high enough.

Plant based dinner tonight - grain bowl (chickpea apple salad over pearl barley) - 1/2. Between all three meals today I had more than 20g of fiber. I also managed my walk even though we are in our drizzly season in my part of the world, luckily it's not too cold yet - 2/7.

So yesterday was the first day of the challenge and unfortunately I was still feeling off. My dinner was instant noodles - which while not an animal based meal certainly didn't count as healthy. As far as fiber went I ate an apple which has some but not much. I wasn't feeling up to a walk. Today dinner involved a pork loin chop and I did my best to trim some of the fat along the edges. With the pork I had caramelized onions, mashed yam, and pickled baby beets (picture below). Not sure the exact amount of fiber but somewhere in the realm of 12g. I also managed to go for a walk this morning even though I felt a little phlegmy. The fresh air seemed to help a bit.

No walk again today because I'm still feeling off from my immune response. I did have some baked beans and a cheese bun for lunch though and that came up to a bit over 15g of fiber.

I have no idea. Sorry.

Yeah. I have no idea why but I always have a strong reaction to flu shots. More than any other vaccination. Very strange.

Feeling like trash today after getting my vaccines. So no walk and I had instant noodles with an egg for dinner. I'll do better tomorrow if my immune response chills out. Until then I'm resting and drinking a bunch of herbal tea/hot apple cider.

Oh man, thanks for reminding me about NaNoWriMo. I think I should give that a shot this year myself. Sucks about the cholesterol but good news on the A1C front!

They're also very tasty so it's a win-win. Sorry to hear that. Are we gunna go with jackets or patches for the club?

Started the day off with porridge made from steel-cut oats. Added flaxseeds and frozen berries. Don't have an exact number but it contained at least 7g of fiber. Then this afternoon I went for my walk. It was too bright but at least the weather was cool enough for comfort. Dinner will be leftover masoor dal with rice which means I'm 1/2 for plant-based dinners this week.

Yeah - I found out last year that I'm AuDHD (autistic and ADHD) which really made me understand why life and social stuff and doing everything that everyone else does with seemingly no trouble has been hard for me since I was little. I always thought I was just weak or dramatic so I pushed myself way past my limits until I hit the breaking point this year. I was fired from two jobs in less than a year and I'd never been fired before in the past 15. It really sucked but it also made me realize that my psychiatrist was right when she had been telling me I needed to take a step back from work for a while to sort my head out. Taking care of my health is part of that. I pretended I wasn't burnt out for a long time - mostly because it wasn't an option. But in retrospect...yeah, long-term issue for me. I'm trying to fix my cholesterol non-medically first. It might become a necessity down the line but I already feel like I'm on a lot of meds and don't want to add to the list if I don't have to. Kudos to you for doing right by your kids. That's huge. Thank you. I miss my grandpa a lot but I also know he would have preferred it this way. He had dementia and with the isolation required in the early days of covid-19...he wasn't the man I remembered anymore. His mom had it too and lingered much longer than he did. It's a familial fear that we have. Losing ourselves. Preventative medicine ftw~!

Getting mine in tandem with my flu shot this Friday.