Indecision solution

In general I like to avoid being overly critical, but there are times I can't help myself. I jumped into a big debate after Roger Ebert tweeted that comment about Ryan Dunn, who died in a car crash. In my opinion, there's no need to take pot shots at a dead person, hurting his family and friends in the process. Later Ebert composed a more appropriate response with an apology for tweeting a bit too hastily. It's too bad he didn't say that in place of the tweet. I have to admit, I've joked about other people. I'm not all that proud about that, but I do have limits. And when someone has wronged me or done something I feel is ultra shady, it's a bit easier to stoop to those kinds of levels. Still, I attempt the high road, even if sometimes I don't always succeed. In fact, I can think of such a case recently, but all things considered, I did the best I could in a really shitty situation. Still, I've had to really work on not behaving like an asshole in retaliation, because I know looking back the high road will feel a whole lot better in the long run. It is funny to dream about outrageous revenge stories though. My friend is the king of this kind of thing and always has me in stitches telling me what he thinks I should do when I've been hurt by someone.

In saying this next part, I'm not trying to bash anyone or put anyone down, more present my side and how I view things. Recently I've been looking at different diets. There are plenty of vegans here in Boulder-both those who are holier than thou in their decisions to avoid using any animal products and those who are tolerant of others. In the past, I attempted to be one, but it didn't work for me. I was sick all the time, felt weak and constantly craved dairy and meat. However, I still toss the idea around in my brain, because I admire the part about trying to live in a way that doesn't exploit animals and the environment.

My problem is that I tend to have trouble getting enough protein. I also seem to struggle with getting enough magnesium. This is a mineral that, in theory, is easily obtained through diet alone. For whatever reason, my blood work often showed low levels of it. This and the protein problem were issues not just when I had the anorexia, but several times in my life. I do believe that every BODY has different nutritional requirements, and that some people flat out need more of certain things than others.

I have tested low in protein several times over the years, so I was intrigued when I happened upon a blog post by a lady who was suggesting where vegans might get their protein, or at least I thought that's what the post would be about, based on the title. Instead, it was basically some chick saying that she gets by just fine on a vegan diet-no data, no suggestions, just a statement (with nothing to back it) that one doesn't need to get all the essential amino acids in one sitting. This is only partly accurate, because if one consistently skips out on a certain amino acid for long periods of time, that theory doesn't fly. Actually, this results in a specific amino acid deficiency, not a true protein deficiency, so she's not completely wrong. Even an amino acid deficiency is difficult to produce outside of a lab setting, but anyone who might not always consume enough calories for the effort they put out could potentially be at risk. I guess my point is that there are people who do have protein deficiencies, and in my past world, it was actually quite common, not just in me, but in those around me as well.

It's true that most people (anorexics and athletes aside) would have a hard time falling into a protein deficient diet, even if there wasn't a focus on combining foods to get all nine essential amino acids throughout the day, but, despite the body storing amino acids for use later, it's important to eat a variety of foods in order to avoid any kind of protein or amino acid imbalance. Here's a much better article on the subject. This doesn't address absorption problems and other issues that might affect amount of protein needed in people, but it at least provides some good guidelines and explains much better what the blogger failed to. One problem with me though, is that I don't feel satisfied if I don't eat complete proteins or combine foods to get all the essential amino acids in one sitting.

When I was struggling to come out of the worst of the anorexia, I was having such a hard time finding balance in my diet. I was all over the place, going from eating pop tart and peanut better sandwiches to freaking out and eating salad upon salad. One of the biggest things that helped me regulate all of this crazy eating was making sure I got enough protein in my diet. Basically, I do much better with several smaller meals with protein at each sitting. Still, I completely admire and respect those who can become vegans and still retain their health. It's something I may work toward, but probably won't ever embrace fully. 

Veering away from the vegan concept, I mentioned Piece, Love and Chocolate the other day. Well, I have to admit first that I can sometimes be a little indecisive when it comes to certain things. 9 out of 10 times, I have a very clear idea about what I think, feel or want, but every now and then, I get tripped up making a decision. It used to be worse. I hated making a choice. Now, I don't seem to have an issue, unless it's about cake. See, I love TWO kinds of cake: Chocolate AND carrot cake. I had heard about chocolate carrot cake, but it didn't sound like something I would like. Really, it didn't sound like it would work. I was wrong. The chocolate carrot cake at Piece, Love and Chocolate is to die for. I no longer need to make a decision when it comes to the two kinds of cake! Ha!

Ooo and check out this cool cake they made and have on their website:

Rock 'n Roll cake. Yeah!

As far as training, it has been another somewhat slow week, but I'm feeling a little bit better than last week. I'm still squeaking more than talking, but I can at least utter actual words now. My foot is better. I'm out of the brace, but have the foot taped up and look like a dweeb when I carry my foot brace everywhere I go, like it's a security blanket. In fact, I was so nervous about running without it that I tied it to my back the first few runs, just in case my foot started to ache mid run.I need to get back into rehab, but I'm not scheduled to go again until July sometime. Sigh.

I'll end with a complaint about someone who very clearly has an eating disorder who asked a friend of mine if I was doing OK with the food. WTF? I mean, get your own shit together before you step into my business. I'm sure this person meant well, but considering I'm doing far better than she is and haven't really had issues like hers for years, I'm a little peeved that she would go behind my back and say anything to my friend about me. Fortunately, my friend tells it like it is and just flat out said that I'm doing fine, period. No need to go into anything more or discuss details. End of story.

Long ago in the running world, a friend of mine used to have a saying: Are you training hard or just not eating? I hope things have changed since that kind of thinking was popular.

Lately, my friends on facebook have me well, laughing out loud. I'm not sure why I'm finding some of the comments so funny, but I love that I have friends who both think outside the box and are not afraid to say some out there things in order to get a laugh. hee.