OHI: Skating

It was this kind of a day. Source

Today was a beautiful day. The temperature never got rose out of the 80s, there was a nice breeze, and the sun was shining high in the sky. I was inspired to go out and bask in nature.

This was easier said than done.

Last night I increased my medication dosage for the final time, doubling the highest amount I had taken up to that point. The result was ZombieJ 2.0. It was a real feat for me to even get out of bed today. I am proud to say that I persevered and wound up going rollerblading.

I chose a very pretty and secluded spot for my skating adventures as the last thing I needed was for some out of school adolescent seeing me eat pavement or something. I happy to report that I did not add asphalt to my diet today. Thank goodness.

The above mentioned secluded spot is my former gym. It went out of business and is now an empty piece of property looking for a buyer. There's lots of space to skate on even pavement while still feeling like I am in the woods. The building sits far off the road, behind a small field and in front of a small forest. I really loved it when my gym was still there. I didn't go as often as I should have, but when I did it felt like going to the spa.

After two very wobbly trips around the building on my skates I decided to take a breather by sitting on the front porch. While sitting there, I decided that this was going to be my special place and I would try to come as often as I can to run, skate, meditate, write, and do yoga. The selfish part of me truly hopes that the place doesn't sell until after I move, whenever that is.

After my skating adventure I went home and pretty much slept the rest of the day away. We were planning on going to trivia tonight, but that didn't happen, so I went to try the newest restaurant in town. Not impressed.

Upon returning home full of middling martinis and sub-par cake it occurred to me that if OHI is going to work, I need some rules. I did pretty well on the eating today (more on that Friday) but the evening's outing sort of blew it. So, for my sake as well as posterity, I now give you Uranium J's OHI Rules and Regulations for Success.

1. No sweets - if you want something sweet, eat some fruit or a smoothie.
2. No alcohol - really, what's the point?
3. Drink 1 gallon of water a day - starting early is the key to success.
4. No eating out - if you can't calculate calories, you can't eat it.
5. Keep track of calories.
6. Walk with The Sprout for 1 hour every day starting at 1:30 pm.
7. Go to the gym every day a 4 pm.
8. Get 8 solid hours of sleep every night.
9. Take meds consistently.
10. Be Honest.

Number 10 may be the most important rule. If I am honest with myself and my peers (readers) I will be held accountable, and accountability is tres important.

I am also going to go ahead and set a goal for myself today. By August 1, I want to weigh 225 pounds. I want to be able to make 5 continuous loops around the derelict gym. I want to be able to jog around the gym 5 times as well. By October, I want to run a 5k. There, I said it. Let's make it happen. Also, let's hope this weather holds out, huh?

More on Oats . . .

The Sexiest of Oatmeals. Source

I told you I had more oat recipes in my hat and now I'm here to deliver the goods.

My love affair began this past winter when I decided I wanted to try my hand at eating "savory oatmeal". It was cold and I wanted a warm bowl of comfort. I knew that oats were good for me, but after many attempts at making them something I could stomach, I had given up. Raisins, craisins, and apples had been merely tolerable in oats cooked in water and apple juice. Other types of fruit were just short of nauseating. Spices helped matters, but only minimally. I was convinced that the only kind of oatmeal I could stomach was that sugary crap that comes in little packets with dehydrated strawberries. Sweet oats and me were never to be. But maybe something savory, yes? Salt - cheese - chicken perhaps?

Maybe my readers are unfamiliar with the corn based breakfast porridge call "grits". These are ground hominy boiled in water like rice. Most people eat them with butter and salt, some people get fancy and add cheese and meats. They are pretty tasty, depending on who makes them. You will often see them served in restaurants as this runny mess that quickly spreads and overtakes the entire plate. This is not how you are supposed to eat them. This is yuck. Grits should be so thick that you can easily eat them with a fork. You should be able to scoop them onto your fork, turn it over, and have them stay put. If they aren't of this thick and stable consistency, don't eat them. Just don't.

It occurred to me that grits and oats were somewhat similar, and if you could put meat and cheese in grits, why not try it with oats? After a little searching, I stumbled across Sexed Up Savory Oatmeal. Since the cheese in that recipe was pretty fancy pants and I could rarely be bothered to cook steel cut oats, I modified it for what would work in my reality. What I came up with is this:

Uranium J's Basic Savory Oats

1/2 c 1 Minute Oats
1 c water
1/4 c finely shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper

Place Oats and water in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 2 minutes. This insures a very thick consistency. Add oil, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Eat. 

This is heaven. Now, I have made a similar dish with steel cut oats - and it is better than heaven. If you are up to waiting the 45 minutes it takes to cook steel cut oats, go for it. It's definitely worth it.

If you are looking to add some more nutrients to the dish, try adding some cooked chicken pieces or eggs. This adds a good deal of protein to an already super healthy meal. You could also try adding some favorite veggies. I have yet to be this daring, but I know that it's been done. Just the other day, I discovered the holiest of oatmeal holies: Add Buffalo Sauce. Eat. Transcend.

As for Operation Healthy Initiative - food intake is going well. Exercise needs to happen today, and I need to make a plan to make it happen. More to come.

"Operation Healthy Initiative" or, Why I Love Captain Tesla

Yesterday, Captain Tesla mentioned on her blog that she was beginning "Operation Healthy Initiative" in order to prepare for a ballet performance of epic proportions. I am bowled over that I helped to inspire OHI by posting what I eat here. In turn, I was inspired to join her on her healthy journey. It's always better to have a partner in crime - whether you are causing trouble or getting your act together. (I totally wish we were causing trouble, but we have to be adults. Tanqueray, my old friend, how I miss you.) What we are planning to do is post what we eat and how much we exercise. In order to make this more interesting to the average reader, we are also posting healthy recipes that we come up with. Since I've not been able to work out yet today and my food intake consists of:

• 1/2 serving of "Overnight Oats"
• 1 giant cinnamon muffing
• 1 overly large latte
• 1 Coke Zero

I will be sharing with you the first of what I hope is a series of tasty recipes chock full of heath that will sate your hungry tummies. Today's recipe is the aforementioned "Overnight Oats". I totally stole this idea from Julie at pbfingers.com. I hope that we can become blog buddies, but for the moment I am just another reader of her awesome healthy lifestyle blog. 

What are "Overnight Oats"? Simply put, they are uncooked oats that soak in some sort of fluid overnight in the refrigerator, thus tenderizing them and making them suitable for human consumption. I suppose you can use either Rolled Oats or Steel Cut - the original recipe called for Rolled, but I prefer Steel Cut, so that's what I've been using. In the interest of not overloading on calories, this makes for a rather small bowl of oats, but they are pretty filling and full of vitamins and minerals. Not to mention, they are very tasty.

Cinnamon Apple Overnight Oats

Look how proud she is of us. Source

1/4 cup Steel Cut Oats 

1 tablespoon Chia Seeds

1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce

1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened, Unflavored Almond Milk

Cinnamon to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Cover in saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Serve in the morning.

Simple, right? You are probably wondering "Why Chia Seeds and what are they?". Chia Seeds are those things you spread all over your Chia Pet, but they also happen to be a super healthy thing to eat. They are high in protein (2 grams per tablespoon), as well as omega fatty acids, which is good for 2 reasons. 

1. Omega Fatty Acids are good for your heart.
2. The nutrients in Oats are fat soluble.

That means you have to eat the oats with some sort of fat in order for your body to break the good stuff down and use it. The Chia seeds add should add just enough healthy fat to do the job. They also serve to bulk up the dish as they are high in fiber. Once they've soaked, they are very similar to kiwi seeds and they take on the flavors of the apples and cinnamon - delish.

A few more facts about oats, while we are on the subject: They help to lower your bad cholesterol and to stabilize your blood sugar. As someone with a history of high cholesterol and a family history of diabetes, these are the kinds of things I like to see in my food. It doesn't hurt that I love oats. I used to think I hated them, but over the past several months I've learned that I just hate rolled oats as a sweet porrage. It doesn't work for me. Thankfully, I've been doing some creative things with oats in the kitchen, so rest assured, this isn't the last Oat-y post from Uranium J.

What's Cooking?

The fish was delish and made quite a dish. Source

I went to the doctor this morning. Hilarity insued.

Last week, someone from the doctor's office called me in reference to another doctor to whom I had been referred. By them. As it happened, that doctor did not accept my insurance. I was told that I should find out what specialists would accept my insurance and then get back to the office with a name. I wondered to myself "Why wouldn't I just make the appointment myself, at that point?". It seemed as though they were asking me to do their jobs for them. I was a little irritated, but I let it go in the interest of resolving a larger issue.

The doctor had given me a prescription on the first of June for a 30 day supply of pills. They were 50 mg a piece. The following Monday, he told me that I was  to start increasing the dosage gradually until I was taking 150 mg a day. That's 3 pills a day, if math's not your thing. I realized that even with a refill, I would run out of pills long before my July 6th follow up appointment. Since I had someone from the office on the phone last week, I brought this concern up. The office representative told me to wait for until I was about to run out of the refill to ask the office for another prescription. I was unsure about this at the time, but decided that the lad must know what he was talking about.

As of yesterday morning, I was down to one pill. No worries, I thought. I'll just trot down to the friendly local CVS and pick up my refill.

Alas, it was not to be.

The kindly pharmacist scanned the refill and informed me that my insurance would not pay for it at this time. Why? I had gone through 30 days worth of pills in 17 days. Therefore, I had either been popping them or pushing them. Either way, it was not a good look. I was aggravated, as it seemed as though the doctor's office could have easily avoided all this, but aggravation would get me nowhere on a Sunday afternoon. I needed 2 more pills for my dosage that night. I had to have some pills, if not all of them. I was able to buy the 2 pills I needed to the tune of $8.045 a piece.

This morning, I found myself back at the doctor's and explaining the situation. Apparently, the doctor had to see me face to face in order to write me a new script. After waiting for close to an hour, I finally saw him. He spoke to me like I was stupid, wrote me a new prescription, gave me some samples, and sent me on my merry way. I thought the problem was solved.

After a nice lunch with j^C, I went to my friendly Target Pharmacy to drop off the prescription. I then learned that for whatever reason, the insurance still wouldn't pay for the damn things. So, now we wait and see what will come of that. For the time being, I have enough pills to last the next 20 days, thanks to the samples. With any luck, the issue will be resolved by then.

Meanwhile, while the doctor (who I am now certain is over medicated himself) was speaking to me like a child, he informed me that the increased dosage of this medication was going to cause me to gain weight. In order to counteract this side effect, I was going to have to become very mindful of that which goes into my mouth from now on. Hence, "What's Cooking?"

I am going to try to start posting what I eat on here in an effort to track my intake. I can't be gaining weight and we all know I need to lose some.

So, without further ado, here's what I ate today:

Some mini vanilla wafers (100 cal)
Visalus Shake (465 cal)

• Shake Powder (90 cal)
• Banana (120 cal)
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter (200 cal)
• 8 oz Almond Milk (35 cal)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder (20 cal)

General Tso Chicken Lunch Special (600 cal?)

Lg Latte (180 cal)

1 ginger snap (negligible calories)

Some Orange Juice (90 calories)

Sloppy Charlies (400  calories)

Some grapes (150 calories)

Total: 1985 cal

Not bad. Now, to add in some exercise. More on that conundrum to come. Meanwhile, let me share with you all the glory and wonder that is "Sloppy Charlie". If you are a fan of "Sloppy Joe", then this will be right up your alley. Take 1 can of Sloppy Joe sauce. Add 2 cans of drained tuna. Combine. Heat. Eat on whole wheat bread. Yum! I suggest you try it if you are looking for something quick and tasty for dinner. I hope to add some pictures and more inventive recipes at some point in the future.

In other news, there's lots cooking in the creative department as well. The inspired juices are still flowing and I am happy to report that a fair amount of writing has been happening. Let's hope this trend continues. More on that to come as well. For now, happy eating!