1/8/09 - Thursday

Hello again friends. I had stopped blogging quite some time ago. Infact, my old posts are no longer available for viewing as I cancelled my previous blog account. A lot has changed since I last threw together a post – I now have a new job (travel nurse), a new locale (Los Angeles), and my relationship with P.T. has evolved to a state of blissfull betrothment (bling!). I don’t think betrothment is a word, but I like it, so it stays. The area of LA I’m living in as of last Friday is called Los Feliz, similar to Brighton in it’s sense of community and aggravating parking scene, but with a decreased student population, save P.T., and an increased hipster quotient.

A lot of this move and life change was so that P.T., who has been exploring his career as a fiction writer by way of getting a master’s in fiction at USC, and I can be together. But there also a lot of this adventure that is solely for me. I had expressed interest in becoming a travel nurse in 2003, wanting to live in San Diego - a dream inspired by my then obsession with Jason Mraz, and fueled by a desire to branch out from Massachusetts. For reasons I need not divulge, that was not the path I chose at that time.

After several months of squandering around making not the best decisions a young twenty something could make, the life change I opted for was to leave NEMC and work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Thus far, that was one of the best decisions I have made (and hopefully will become second to the current alterations). Here is my “goodbye” email to my colleagues, for those who would like a snippet of how much I loved it there:

Anywho, here I am in LA. The move is mostly for love, somewhat for me, and somewhat in honor of the adventure I longed for six years ago. It will be difficult not seeing family friends with whom I am very close, but with the technological advances in communications, homesickness on my end and Lisa-sickness on theirs will be eased, although probably not enough to my mom’s liking.

So that leaves me with this…what to blog about? Cultural differences betwixt the two coasts? The catharsis and self discovery that comes with a major move? The insanity that is working 12 hours day shifts at a community hospital? Planning a wedding?

Answer: none of the above. I have decided to focus on me. In particular, my health. And in particular of my health, what I decide to eat (with little snippets of goings on and photos at times). For those who know me well, my weight yo-yo’s pretty much on par with Oprah. I have participated in all sorts of programs and fads, but none seem to stick. This past spring I participated in a program through work at BIDMC that focused on healthy eating for women ages 18 – 29. It was the most successful I have been so far (although I lapsed over the summer and fall…and winter). Rather than obsess over calories or “point” counting, the program encouraged those in the group to simply select the healthier option when presented with a choice. The instructors, a women’s physician at BIDMC and a nutritionist from Simmons College, also provided scientific information that helped explain what constituted a healthy choice and facilitated group discussions, a little bit a GI Joe if you will. A large component of the program was self awareness and learning from one’s choices, which was executed by keeping a food diary and then reflecting on what choices were good, and how different decisions could have been made to improve upon the health factor of said meal or snack. The experience of that class expanded beyond food though; I found myself examining life choices and the reasoning behind them. There was no such thing as an excuse, only decisions, accountability, and learning. It was empowering to say the least. And that new train of thought is what led me to LA. I decided to, and that was the healthiest choice. Reflection so far – awesome.

Through being honest with myself about the decisions I make with food, I hope to achieve a better sense health. I will not be weighing myself; the focus will be making healthy choices, not results in terms of weight loss (although in theory healthier selections will inherently foster a slimmer waistline and lower numbers upon a scale). I am not doing this because of impending nuptuals, a desire to be heroine chic thin, or to lead a health revolution. Posting intimate details (and what information is more intimate that what one chooses to ingest, and fuel their body with – wait, don’t answer that) embraces the notions of accountability and creates a format for reflection. And instead of talking about eating better, I’ll just be doing it. And friends can follow along, offer tips, and maybe take something away.

So here goes. My new blog, “What I ate today in LA."

1/8/09 – Thursday

*8am direct flight from Boston to LA*

Turkey and cheese on thin weight watchers bread with mustard

100 calorie pack of cheddar goldfish

Tea with sugar

2 diet Pepsi’s

4 waters

1 package “Shanghi Dumplings”

Caramel fiber bar

Restaurant “Allegria” with P.T. – crab and shrimp over brown rice with salsa verde, diet dr. pepper

*reconnaissance mission to Best Buy, Costco, and Target to price TV’s and house wares*

What I did well: stayed well hydrated on the plane, although dumplings not the best choice, there were far more unhealthy selections at the airport to purchase for a six hour flight, chose the healthiest option at the Mexican restaurant – no cheese (note – I did want the grilled salmon with vegetables, but the salmon was out of season and unavailable)

Healthier decisions I could have made: Tea without sugar, fruit bowl instead of dumplings, eaten half of dinner and took home leftovers.

Activity: day of rest – I’m moving after all!

www.alegriaonsunset.com