(7/17)...streaming

Just checking in here, to see what you are up to. No good, no doubt {wink}.

I don't intend to talk about my diet every time I blog (I promise) but while I am going through these drastic changes, I will tell you what's going on (I also promise not to talk about bathroom habits...ever). I am on week three of no wheat and I have added back wheat-free oat. I just couldn't do no oat, it's such a basic part of my diet. I eat granola (homemade) almost every day, and after I tried these banana oatmeal pancakes, I really felt like I could enjoy at least a few things. They are so very good.

I mentioned before that my comfort foods are or contain grains. It wasn't until I gave up wheat that I realized I never eat anything else for breakfast...my whole life. I grew up being fed cream of wheat and oatmeal, French toast and pancakes. When I grew up and fed myself, it was granola and yogurt, or toast. It's always been that way and it's really hard to break lifelong habits, especially those that revolve around comfort and food. Our society centers around food in general. You meet at a restaurant, go out to a bar, invite people over for dinner, have a party with food. You get the picture. It's hard when so much of that food becomes forbidden. I really give a lot of credit to people who have to watch every bite of food they eat. Food becomes such a central part of your life, even if that's not the intent. Especially when you live with people who eat all the things you can't. It's not that I am jealous of their food, but when I look around I see all foods I can not eat.

Today I cleaned out the fridge and made space in the fruit and veggie drawers for the foods I picked up at the store, mostly vegetables. Because of my IC, I can't eat many fruits, but I can have most veggies. I just have to get in the habit of eating them. I need to try new veggies, to make sure I have a varied diet.

See my jicama there on the bottom shelf? I plan to eat the whole thing alone, because no one else in my family will eat it (maybe Peach will).


I have an appointment with a dietician on Thursday. I'll be anxious to hear what she has to say about my health and how it relates to what I'm eating. 

~~~~~

On another troubling note, I discovered yesterday that our American Express number had been hijacked, several (six) thousand dollars too late. Someone in Texas has been having a really good time with our Am Ex. We were very disappointed to learn that even though we had disputed charges on the card back in June, Am Ex did not deem them noteworthy (fraudworthy) and so the activity went on for another month. Frankly I didn't think "fraud" either (though I'm not trained to), I just thought it was a local merchant using a billing service in Texas. Big mistake. Big. If I had been watching the card activity we could have avoided a lot of theft. Now we have to do a lot of legwork to dispute the charges, and that was one very busy thief. He went to the same pizza place five times with our number. Or maybe he had it delivered?

The most disheartening note is that no one seems to get uptight about it, it's too big a problem to deal with so they don't even go after offenders any more, though I really hope the merchants lose their status. I feel like the kid who just learned there is no Santa. I just can't get over that there are that many dishonest people in the world. People who take what does not belong to them with no thought to anyone else. I know, I know, where have I been? I know dishonest people are out there, but I just don't think about them.

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On a cheerful note (finally), I went to a Mass for Carmelites last evening (on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) with my mother-in-law who is a Secular Discalced Carmelite. It was a beautiful Mass, with Latin prayers and hymns, and a wonderful homily by a young, on-fire priest. On a side note, I love that so many of the young priests have no problem calling a spade a spade. How refreshing to hear them tell us what we have to do to save the Church, to be good Catholics! Anyway, the Gospel was John 19:26-27: "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home."

Father Dailey noted in his homily that before Jesus spoke to His disciple, He spoke to His mother. So by the time He spoke to His disciple, before He said, "Behold, your mother," Our Blessed Mother was already looking at the beloved disciple. And so, before we ever look to Our Holy Virgin for her intercession, for her mercy and prayers, she is already looking at us. Before we ever looked to her to be Our Mother, she already saw us as her child. What a beautiful thought. How it gives me comfort.