Monthly Archives: July 2008

The Fall Off The Wagon Was Steep And Swift

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I went to a party this evening here at BlogHer for all of us who are part of the new LA Moms Blog, which is an offshoot of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog. Their blog has been going a while and they’ve just launched the LA component. Which I’m now a part of by the way — and I’m thrilled to be – and as soon as I post there I’ll be telling the world about it, believe me!

 

But I digress. The party was spectacular, held at a club called Slide in San Francisco which does, in fact, have a slide, which I didn’t go down, ps, because some people actually wiped out on it.

 

But again, I digress. Here’s the point: I ate FOOD tonight at this party — and it was BEAUTIFUL food! 

 

I had pasta for the first time in 10 days. Pretty good. Bread in the form of croutons in the Caesar salad, delicious. Steak, on a skewer, marinated. I tasted it, but I could finish it. But a lovely quesadilla was offered to me and I thought it quite wonderful. Oh yes, and then I had a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon as well. But I passed up dessert. I really wasn’t interested. 

 

Yes, Ladies and Gentleman, the Cleanse has ended in a MAJOR way. 
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

BlogHer Conference: Live Blogging Begins

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San Francisco. Shit, I was back in San Francisco.

 

(Apocalypse Now reference for those fans out there.)

 

I’m here at BlogHer for the kick-off of my plugged-in life. To give my nascent blog a shot in the arm and bring it up to speed. To meet other women who do this and have been for a while or are just starting out like me. To get ideas for making a living at this sort of life, and have a moment alone.

 

But I hadn’t really considered what it would mean to be here in San Francisco again. I have a history here. My father lived and died here. And I was a part of that.

 

It’s been almost 11 years since he died, which is so crazy to really contemplate. (Time flies by and who even notices until you stop and look.) It’s been just as long since I’ve spent any real time here. 

 

So here I am. I’m not staying near where he used to live, so that’s good. I wouldn’t want to walk the same streets or go to the same places we used to. Not this trip.

 

It’s so interesting what life brings, isn’t it? I wasn’t expecting this, but here it is nonetheless.

 

I really miss my dad. What an awesome dad he was, and what an awesome grandfather he would have been to my kids. That is a major loss to our family. And yet, and yet. Gotta live in the NOW. 

 

So here I am, in San Francisco, live blogging. Now.
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

5 Pounds Released* After 10 Days

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Picture 1
Yes! I have dropped 5 pounds in the 10 days of doing the Quantum Wellness Cleanse and I am really psyched! I am a convert to the conscious-eating lifestyle and I don’t intend to go back.

 

I know I’ll add some wheat back in, some meat, and some booze. But I’m happy without the refined sugar; I wasn’t liking its effect on me anyway. I also know that the more I add back in, the less chance I have of making this weight loss permanent.  And making this permanent is a major goal of mine.

 

*By the way, this is how one of the Guru authors I’ve read recently thought was a better way to describe weight loss, that it was maybe a concept people could embrace more easily if they thought of it as “releasing” the weight, not “losing part of themselves.” 

 

I’m fine with “releasing”, although the image it creates for me is of little bundles of fat bounding away in a field — released into the wild. Fly, be free, little bundles of fat! And never darken my hips’ doorstep again!
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Sleepy, Sleepy

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Getting ready to go on a trip is always a little tiring, and when you add in parenting two kids, well, there you go: exhausted. I’m packed for BlogHer, thrilled to be going and now I’m just bone tired. It’s also the last night of my Cleanse. I have to say, it’s been exhausting, too. Worth it, but exhausting.

 

I have spent so much of my time concentrating on food, it’s amazing.  There was the major time spent menu planning, and then shopping — at multiple stores, mind you, and then preparing all this food.  I needed to adapt to new foods I wasn’t used to eating, and remember to NOT eat foods I normally do. This took a LOT of energy.

 

It has made me realize how habitual I am. How used to the same ole, same ole I am. Boring, huh?  What are you gonna do? Which is why it was a good idea to change things up.

 

Now, am I going right out to In-n-Out Burger tomorrow? No. I thought about it, but I know I’m not ready for that. Maybe a slice of whole grain bread (not on the approved list these past 10 days) with some cashew butter on it (approved!). Or maybe a slice of homemade pizza — cheeseless with spinach pesto. But no jumping off into the deep end for me.

 

I realize that I’ve made some big strides during this cleanse and I’m not ready to re-set back to the default. I’d like some of these changes to be permanent. Not saying I’m giving up meat forever, but I know I’ll be eating less of it.

 

I’ll be blogging from the conference and I’ll let you know how the food is!
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Nearly Derailed By A Slice of Cheese Pizza

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This afternoon was a haze of distracted parenting, prepping for BlogHer and packing the stuff up to take the kids to the Y for a little swim, followed by grocery shopping and a lovely Costco pizza to take home for dinner.  

 

Well, by the time we had the bargain-priced pie in our hot little hands, we were all so hungry it’s truly incredible it made it all the way to the car, much less home.  And I had to seriously have a CONVERSATION with myself to keep from eating a slice or 6 right then.

 

I was HUNGRY. And I’ll tell you, it’s only because I am COMMITTED to this cleanse that I didn’t eat pizza tonight. I talked myself out of it. I said, Come on, you can have a slice of pizza next week. It’s not like there won’t EVER be pizza presented to you again in your lifetime. Relax. Eat a salad.  

 

And I did. I had to MAKE the salad and everything. So there was delayed gratification and everything. And it didn’t taste like pizza, and yes, I watched my kids eating the pizza while I didn’t. 

 

But I didn’t eat in anger, either. I didn’t sit there and feel sorry for myself while I “deprived” myself. I knew it was a choice and I saw the benefits of making that choice.

 

And I am so satisfied that I made it. I am so happy that I didn’t eat pizza 3 hours ago and spend the intervening time — and great chunks of my future life — regretting it and beating myself up. Believe me, there’s been enough of that.

 

This is, to me, the clearest sign of a New Leaf in me I could have imagined. We stand at forks in the road (pun intended) all the time. What matters is the CHOICES we make. Around here, it’s time for some new ones.

 

So I’m still on track. Day 9 is done. 2 days until I’m in San Francisco and my Cleanse is finished.
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Cleanse Update: Day 8 Begins

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Woo-Hoo!  I’m in the zone!  I dropped 4 pounds since starting the Quantum Wellness cleanse, I haven’t had a headache in DAYS, and I DROPPED 4 POUNDS.  I’m pretty thrilled about that, can you tell?

I was sorely tested twice over the weekend.  Friday night my husband made his famous homemade pizza and I REALLY wanted to eat it.  But I didn’t.  Then last night my husband opened a nice bottle of Cabernet to go with his dinner of animal flesh steak, and I was VERY tempted to have a glass of wine with him.  But again, I didn’t.

 

I’m proud of myself, I must say.  I’m unaware of any time in my life that I’ve ever been as committed to my diet as I am right now.  And it’s paying off.  I feel cleaned out, I feel completely conscious of my food and my eating habits, which was a major goal of the book’s, and I feel really happy to have jump-started a weight-loss program this way.

 

I will continue cleansing until Thursday, when I fly up to BlogHer.  I know I’ll continue to be conscious, and I am committed to weight-loss, so that won’t go out the window.  But the total elimination diet is just not realistic for living in a hotel room, so I’ll be done when I get there.

 

I made tomato sauce and gazpacho yesterday with beautiful, fresh vegetables from the Mar Vista Farmer’s market, so I have some lovely vegan things to eat for the week. And thank goodness for blueberries!
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

There’s a Lot of Cleansing Going On Around Here, and It’s Not Just In My Gut

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If
you walked in to my house, you might think the Tasmanian Devil had just been
through.  Well, it’s about time.

I
have the bug.  The Cleaning Things Out Bug.  I get it every so often,
and I’ve learned it’s just best to let it run its course and get out of the
way.  Because the results are SO worth it. 

Getting
rid of something makes way for something new, and not just something that just
fits in the same spot.  It really works on the level of opening me up to
new things and being ready to accept new challenges.  Really!

In
fact, it’s part of the homework you are assigned during one of my favorite
things I’ve ever done: the Ladies Who Launch Incubator.  While you go
through the 4-week session of the Incubator, you need to clean something out
every week (among other things, too, of course! Check them out!
LadiesWhoLaunch), whether it’s a closet, a room or just a drawer. 

I’m
telling you, it works.  It primes the pump, or tells the Universe you’re
READY, or just literally makes room for newness — howEVER you want to look at
it.

So
today I’ve been through my kids’ room like a white tornado (also dating myself
with that reference – anyone else?). 
And I’ve done my closet, and – get this: my photos!  My photo project is one I’ve had
sitting around for, no kidding, about 15 years.  It’s not just all the thousands of snaps there are of my
kids, but I have the collection of all of my family’s photos from my childhood,
and a few boxes of my parents’ photos, too.

Well,
it has begun.  And it was way
easier than I ever thought it would be, which is why I guess I’ve never started
before.  All that THINKING about
it.

But
no more!  All the photos are laid
out and I’m ready to go.  I’m not a
scrapbooker (do they really call themselves “Scrappers”?), I just want ’em in
albums.  And quick!  Stand back, clutter, here I come!

So maybe
that’s part of why I’ve been doing the Quantum Wellness Cleanse, just to sweep
out the metaphorical cobwebs and start fresh.

A friend
asked me the other day why I was doing it, so I’ve been thinking seriously
about it.  I mean, I just wanted to
do it as soon as I heard about it, and that’s really NOT a normal thing for me.

Partly it
was because I met the author of the book, Kathy Freston, and she was so radiant
and seemed so HEALTHY, I wanted to emulate that.  Partly, I have a plan to lose weight and I had a feeling
concentrating on vegetables would be helpful for that goal.  Partly, of course, was that I knew Oprah had tried it.  (You MUST know that I love Oprah.  I just do.)

Part of
the reason was just to see if I COULD. 
I’ve never been good at sticking to diets, and I figured this would be a
similar experience.  But in fact,
I’ve been very clear and conscious of all my food choices all week.  Again, a first, I’d say.

So here’s
my Cleanse Update for Day 5: You know what?  It’s getting easier and
easier.  Last night was the first that I didn’t get the headache (whew!),
and I actually started to feel the clean, light, “awake” sort of feelings that
were described in the book. 

I have
been eating salads, no surprise, and a lot of fruit, since it’s summer and
there’s such a great variety to choose from.  I’m aware that I miss eating wheat and meat, but I’m not
choosing to eat them right now.  I
feel very clear about making the choice and I don’t feel deprived at all.

Not sure
what I’ll do about adding them back in when the cleanse is done.  I want the ease of the omnivore’s diet,
but I am liking this vegan experiment more than I thought I would.

Plus, I
have to say, I’m considering it a challenge to my womanhood to hold out longer than a
certain FAMOUS blogger who tried it, too, and only lasted 8 days.  So I’m going strong and looking forward to finishing out next week.

 

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Meet Dave and Have Some Popcorn While You’re At It

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The movie is way funnier than the reviews, trust me.  Go with some kids and make sure there are a bunch of happy people in the theater, and I promise you there will be laughs.  Clearly NOT what these critics did.

 

And by the way, movie theater popcorn may be unhealthy junk food, but it’s VEGAN unhealthy junk food, by God, so I had LOTS of it!
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Green Baby Steps

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I have a strong desire to be green, to have a small carbon footprint, as they say. 

 

Just ask any of my old roommates about me and my recycling rules for the household.  I was STRICT.  I believe they called me a fascist behind my back (and sometimes to my face).  I would point out recyclables they had thrown in the trash, much to their chagrin.  And before LA had a curbside pick-up program, I actually drove all our plastic and bottles (and paper and cardboard, etc., etc. — all separated, mind you) down to Santa Monica — from LAUREL CANYON.  

 

Trust me, for those of you who don’t live here, that’s a LONG way.  Especially with trash — I mean, recyclables — in the car.

 

But that was a long time ago, 2 kids ago, and luckily for me, LA has a great curbside pick-up program now, and I’m so spoiled — we don’t even have to separate any more. Everything goes in one big blue bin.  YAY.

 

But it turns out there’s more to being green these days than simply recycling.  It’s really about reducing waste and consumption these days.  And that’s where I’ve found it can be a challenge, to paraphrase Kermit the frog.  

 

I find I’m often trying to serve 2 masters, and they usually conflict.  For example, ever since I stopped working on a TV show and therefore have regular access to a bathroom, I’ve made it a priority to drink lots of water every day.  Well, that has generally meant that I’ve had a plastic bottle by my side, and kept dozens of them in my home and fridge, at the ready.  And when I go out to the park with the kids, I take enough water for all of us.  Well, hello!  Big waste!  But oh, so convenient!  And THAT’s why it’s been hard to get the plastic bottles out of my life.

 

But today, I took the baby step of bringing water to the park in a jug, with reusable cups.  Not rocket science, by any stretch, but better than the alternative of adding to the landfill.  Better than, for goodness sakes, not doing anything.

 

So here’s my cool water jug:
Water jug
And see what’s inside? This handy re-freezable ice thing (technical term):Ice insert

 

And here are the cups, ‘cuz I sensed you wanted to see them:Plastic cups

Water jug

Cleanse Update

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This is Day 3 of my cleanse, and I’m doing fine.  I have had the weird As-If-I-Gave-Up-Caffeine-But-Didn’t headache in the late afternoon both days so far.  I wonder if it’s because I’m not drinking enough water, so I’m upping my intake today.

 

I made a delicious vegetable curry for dinner last night and I had the leftovers for lunch today.  Now it’s snack time and I am really hungry.  I am really craving wheat and dairy!  Such easy snacks.  But I’m holding out.  More blueberries instead.

 

The cleanse is a big challenge for me, and I feel like I’m being tested all day long to keep conscious of my food and keep aware of my feelings.  I’m glad I’m doing it, but I can’t exactly say it’s a rip-roaring good time.
An original post by Sarah Auerswald.