WIA[this week] with an Upset Stomach

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For the last couple weeks, my stomach has been really upset. I’ve been experiencing upper abdominal discomfort and nausea. I know what everyone is thinking, and NO I am not pregnant! I am 100% positive of this.

I’m not a Doctor (yet), but after some online searching, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have Gastritis which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. Gastritis can be caused by a number of things including stress! I don’t advocate self-diagnosis, but I also don’t think my discomfort is serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor. Anyways, since my tummy has been all yucky feeling, I have completely lost my appetite for vegetables. The thought of eating a vegetable is completely nauseating. Also, I cannot stomach yogurt (which is so sad because I normally eat it on a daily basis!) Needless to say, my grain consumption has skyrocketed in the past couple weeks.

So here’s a glimpse into what I ate this week with my upset stomach:

Monday’s Dinner: Pizza with whole wheat flatbread/pita crust. This is the first time I’ve used a pita type flat bread for the crust, and it was AMAZING! I love a crispy crust, and this was perfect. Also, turkey pepperoni is delish. There was also cookies and cream ice cream consumed for dessert. Ice cream actually makes my stomach feel a little better.

Today’s Breakfast: Whole wheat toast (a little burnt…oops) with butter and a bowl of oatmeal with a little sugar.

Today’s dinner: A cranberry bagel with cream cheese, cottage cheese, and grapes.

And after dinner, I made a quick trip to CVS for these. The Nauzene seems to work pretty well actually.

And in attempt to spread the holiday cheer (or out of pure laziness) I graced the people of Oberlin with my lovely candy cane pajama pants…Oh to be a college student…

XOXO,

Jamie

Stark Contrast

What a difference a month can make. The difference between my fall break a month ago and my Thanksgiving break (which ends tonight) is astounding. As I’ve written about, my eating disorder tendencies resurfaced about a month and a half ago. I binged basically the entire time I was home on fall break. The binging and guilt put me in a terrible mood and I was unable to enjoy my family or friends while I was home. I’m happy to report that my Thanksgiving break was MUCH better. I have to be honest and tell you that I did have some “fat feelings” and I did break down in tears one time over food I ate, but I didn’t binge or restrict. I had a wonderful time with my family and my second family (the Kummerers!) And I’m completely rejuvenated to kick some major butt on final exams…which start in 2.5 weeks..AHH!

I thought I would do a little photo recap of my lovely Thanksgiving break.

Darren and I ran a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. It was a 3 miler, my longest distance to date, and my first time running with other people. The last half mile was hard, but I had an amazing time. I am definitely looking forward to doing more races in the future!

Emergency Diet Coke run right before our Thanksgiving feast. I clearly need the caffeine.

My mom makes a mean thanksgiving feast. Her stuffing is to die for! I had a plate full of stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, and a dinner roll. Yes I skipped the turkey. I only like turkey in lunch meat form. I’m aware I have weird food preferences.

Pumpkin pie was for dessert! Made by yours truly

Following the feast, we played board games.

And napped…

And put up Christmas decorations! Westley wanted to help.

Friday I and my sisters made cupcakes with our adorable cousin Carly.

They were from a box mix, but they’re so darn cute! The hats were cut out from graham crackers. I do not recommend putting yourself through that torture.

Friday night I went out to dinner with Darren’s family. I ate a yummy chicken burrito thingy and had a really good time. Darren’s family is super nice to me. Saturday was spent watching the OSU/Michigan game with Darren. Michigan won which I’m super grateful for because Michigan win=happy boyfriend! Sunday Darren’s mom took Darren and I out to breakfast. Then, I packed up and headed back to school where I am now currently watching my lastest TV obsession, “Once Upon a Time”.

Happy Sunday evening

XOXO,

Jamie

Working on Me

I’ve taken quite a hiatus from my blog as a result of my hectic school/work schedule and the fact that I’ve been taking a lot of “me” time. A while back I wrote about my relapse in eating disordered feelings. Since this resurgence in binging and restricting, I’ve been a lot more careful to analyze my body’s wants and needs.

For example, today shortly after I ate lunch, I was working on my English paper and couldn’t stop thinking about how I wanted to take a break and eat a snack. Food thoughts kept running through my head like crazy, and I couldn’t focus on my paper.

Eventually I just stopped and asked myself, “Am I really hungry?” The answer was no because I had just had lunch, and I was still satiated. Since I didn’t actually want food, the next question I asked myself was, “What do I REALLY want?”  When I really dug deep to find the root of my food thoughts, I realized I simply wanted a break from my paper and a short nap. So…I napped!

Whenever I’m feeling stressed, or tired, upset, or lonely, my mind’s first reaction is FOOD FOOD FOOD! FIND ME SOME FOOD SO I CAN DISTRACT MYSELF FROM WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY HEAD! This of course, is not productive, because eating when I’m not truly hungry only leads to binging and food guilt. Therefore, it’s been really important and helpful to me to find out what my body is truly telling me it needs.

For those of you who have not had an eating disorder, listening to your body’s wants may seem like a natural thing. For those of you (myself included) who use or have used food as a way to escape yourself and your feelings, listening to your bodies true wants and feeling your true emotions is a HUGE victory. Once we are able to completely take care of ourselves and deal with our emotions, we can break free from binge eating.

I’m going to continue working on myself and congratulating myself on the victories small or large along the way. I hope you’ll join me

XOXO,

Jamie

Snickerdoodles!

Snickerdoodles are completely underrated.

Chocolate Chip Cookies get all the fame and glory.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nuts are popular among cookie elitists.

But poor snickerdoodles…They seem to be lost among the masses.

Well not anymore because I love snickerdoodles!

Oooey gooey, sweet and chewy.

Yummy nummy get in my tummy.

These scrumptious cookies are sure to delight.

They might even make the little kids fight.

They’re crispy on the outside, but chewy on the in.

If you like cinnamon these cookies are a win.

Eat these cookies to your heart’s content.

Or share them with friends at your next event.

Now for the recipe!

I got the recipe from www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com, so you can also find it there!

XOXO,

Jamie

Oh My Lanta Where Have I Been!?!?

I’m embarrassed to be writing this post. I haven’t written in over a week, and now I’m writing this post with nothing in particular on my mind to write about. Doing absolutely zero school work doing fall break kept me quite busy in the week upon my return.

There was lots of this going on:

STUDY STUDY STUDY.

Wednesday I have a Virology exam.

This is clearly how I feel about that. Me and Virology…well, we aren’t exactly friends.

Tomorrow I register for my final Spring Semester at Oberlin College.  I can’t believe I’m actually growing up! I still feel about this big:

And….

Clearly I still am! Yep that’s me and my little sister Allie. She’s my mini-me!

After that old picture, I figured I owed it to my sister to post a more recent and flattering picture. From right to left, it’s me, my sister Taylor, and our baby sister Allie. My sisters are growing up as well, and if I do say so myself, they are quite beautiful young women!

I’ll leave you all with a favorite quote of mine.

“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.”

Growing up and the thought of the changes that come along with it can cause me a lot of anxiety. I just have to remind myself that with every change and every new year, there are new opportunities to enjoy life, have new experiences, and become the best person I can be.

Hopefully, I will find some motivation soon to cook, bake, and have a decent photo shoot. I want some homemade baked goods badly!

XOXO,

Jamie

A Beautiful Day

After studying for hours on end this afternoon, I was dying to get out of the apartment. It was such a gorgeous fall day out today! It was almost too warm to even feel like fall! When the whether is nice, I love going on walks. Oberlin is especially beautiful in the autumn, so I knew the scenery would lift my mood.

Unfortunately, no one wanted to go on a walk with me. Well, I wasn’t going to let that stop me, so I picked up my new camera and headed out for a photography journey. I took pictures of a few of my favorite places on campus.

This is North Quad. Whenever the weather is nice (which isn’t all too often) there are tons of students hanging out, studying, or playing frisbee.

 

 

This is the science center. I spend quite a lot of my time here whether I’m in the lab, in class, or napping in the science library.

The other side of the science center.

This is Tappan Square. It’s a big grassy area right in the middle of campus. It’s so gorgeous!

And in Tappan square, you can find these little guys! Albino squirrels! They are so cute! According to rumor, if you visit Oberlin and see an albino squirrel, it means you will be accepted. When I visited, I didn’t see an albino squirrel, and I was actually really upset about it! I got in though

 

This squirrel knew how to pose.

 

The Apollo theater which is currently shut down for renovations. This is such a cute, convenient theater. I can’t wait for it to open again.

Downtown Oberlin. Isn’t it adorable!?

 

Gibson’s. The perfect place to satisfy any salty/sweet cravings.

And lastly, another shot of Tappan square as I made my way back to the apartment.

I’ve been meaning to take pictures around Oberlin for a while now, and I’m so glad I finally got around to doing it. I’m also super excited that I captured the cuteness of two albino squirrels! I’m off to meet with a friend for a homework session, but I’ll talk to you soon

XOXO,

Jamie