SirenSelene's Journal, 21 July 2014

Alright. I kind of gave up for a while. It's time to focus again.

I got very sick recently, and ended up going through rigorous testing to find what was giving me such high fevers and sore throat (the crappy doctors still didn't give me a clear answer, just that it was bacterial).

However, while they were taking blood to test for bacteria, viruses, and other maladies, they decided to just do general bloodwork to see how healthy I am. I was surprised when the doctor told me my cholesterol was a little high. I'm 23, and I'm vegetarian. I obviously need to change something in my life, because I shouldn't be having high cholesterol levels.

Here are my goals for myself:
1. Absolutely zero sugary beverages, even on special occasions. I don't drink a lot of these, but it's so easy not to do it at all.
2. Try my best to drink tea instead of Diet Coke. I know for a fact I cannot give it up, but it shouldn't be a daily thing. If I can cut it down to just as a hangover remedy, I'll consider that success.
3. Find non-sugar alternatives to appease my sweet tooth. I think my desire for sweets has gotten worse in the past few years. If I can replace all desserts with fruit, that will be perfect. I know I will be happy eating grilled peaches.
4. Get an hour of cardio in EVERY day. I'm going to need to ease into this, but hopefully by September, I'll be doing it every day.
5. Eat a salad a day. I've never been great about eating salads, but I've found a couple recipes. I should also make it my goal to have a salad at restaurants, since my boyfriend likes to eat out (he lives with his parents, so cooking is never romantic).
6. Healthy snacks!!! I'm a grazer, so I need healthy things to reach for. I've already made a long list of good choices.
7. Replace all the pasta! My entire household is prone to getting lazy and just making pasta. I've heard it is a little bit better to have rice noodles, so that is an option. Another option is putting pasta sauce over chik'n strips instead (unbreaded). I can dice some easy to sautee veggies and cook those with the strips.
and the biggest menace and main culprit...
8. NO MORE CHEESE!!! Or rather, wiser choices in cheese. I'm very addicted to jack cheese, and I eat too much at a time. I think perhaps lowfat mozzarella, used in moderation, might be a change I could handle, and it could make a big difference. String cheese and lowfat Laughing Cow have also been suggested to satisfy my cheese fix.

I'm going to introduce these changes gradually, since I do have other people in my life that have purchasing power. Also, change is hard, and I don't want to become overwhelmed and quit.

WISH ME LUCK!!!
175.0 lb Lost so far: 0 lb.    Still to go: 30.0 lb.    Diet followed N/A.
losing 0.2 lb a week

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Comments 
Luck wished!!! :) 
21 Jul 14 by member: Socolova
Best of luck!  
21 Jul 14 by member: LoadGod
Hi! I'm 27 and 6 months ago my doctor told me I have high bad cholesterol too. My main culprit is drive thru's & pizza. It's so easy just to go through and bam! Dinner/lunch is served. I have waivered in these 6 months but I found that Farmer's Markets give me motivation to cook and it's cheaper in the long run! So Good Luck! 
21 Jul 14 by member: Elizatayl
Those are great goals. As for the cholesterol, well, I was diagnosed with moderately high cholesterol at 30 and I was very surprised as well. I'm not and have never been a vegetarian, but I ate pretty darn well and was at my lowest weight at the time I was diagnosed. No one in my immediate family admitted to having elevated cholesterol, so it's hard to say for sure that there is a genetic component. It has gone up and down over the years, getting much better on Lipitor, but then the Rx shot up my liver enzymes, so I quit the pill. I've tried oatmeal, fish oil, red yeast rice pills, you name it! They seem to bring it down for a while and then it goes back up. So what I'm basically saying is, eat better, exercise, live healthy. Let the rest work itself out. My doctor finally told me that if I didn't have other major risk factors (like high blood pressure), he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. 
21 Jul 14 by member: gilliansings
Thank you all! I still have a tiny sore throat, so I am going to have my last popsicle today, but after that, I'm starting the no sugar step. I have just joined the "Eat A Salad A Day" challenge, which starts in a week, so I'll have enough time to stock up on all the necessities. I have a couple good salad recipes. There's healthy versions of chinese chik'n salad and taco salad. I will also try having some lettuce, carrot, and cucumber with either tuna or egg and lots of herbs. 
21 Jul 14 by member: SirenSelene

     
 

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