20 lbs. to go.....Take 49

NEW LOCATION - FIND ME AT...

2010-06-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

I have moved my blog location to a new site. You can now read me at:

http://www.20lbstogo.com/

I am in the early stages of designing a more interactive website that will feature some tools, better recipe section, my normal daily (or at least try to be daily) blog, and some other surprises. I'd love this to be done tomorrow but think this will be a slow and gradual improvement. But if you enjoy my stories, those will be there for the reading now!

Thanks for following and note the change in web address for future reads!

Day 7: Tomato Binge or Bust!

2010-06-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Despite my disgust toward ketchup, I LOVE tomatoes. MM had told me I've never had a real tomato before and we Northerners don't know what real produce tastes like. I have done some travel, to some warm weather climates, so I'm pretty sure I have in fact had a "real" tomato before. However, I must have forgotten what they taste like because what I've been consuming down here are amazing. Even more so because it's only June! I've been told they only get better form here. My father-in-law said he'd ship some up this summer...I'm not 100% sure how that will work, but hey, if he can do it, I won't argue one bit.

I'm on Day 7 and have successfully gotten myself back on course with the diet plan. Today I had another tomato sandwich (my version is made with Laughing Cow cheese in lieu of mayo, and accented with some avocado slices). The past two nights I've had fresh garden salads. I even managed a mile swim yesterday. I'm surrounded by all these amazing tomatoes and find it impossible to not get my fill. I'm averaging about two a day. Actually, I may have even had three yesterday as I scoffed down sauteed green tomatoes (not nearly as satisfying as the fried suckers, but tasty in their own right!) Perhaps three tomatoes doesn't sound like a lot, or maybe it does. Regardless could you (or at least all you tomato lovers out there) resist any less if they looked like the ones below?

Now that is what I call a tomato! They are so red and juicy and sweet that my mouth is watering.

Now, the South is not immune to "bad" tomatoes anymore than we are. You can walk into a chain grocery store here and pick up your average looking vine variety. The red vine variety is usually what I buy up North as it seems to yield the best flavor and ISN'T generally mealy. Sometimes I find if you go for those luscious big boys in the stores you are left with a flavorless red ball that feels like cornmeal on your tongue. Anyway, back to the topic on hand....that up North I'm left mostly with the red vine variety (we do have some yummy tomatoes in the summer months but they still aren't quite what these guys are down here) and I have gotten to think these are really good over time.

For a visual comparison take a look below.

Obviously the runt in front is a different variety, but really, which would you go for? You can even note the color difference, although the photography doesn't quite do it justice. And no, I didn't find world's largest tomato to put the little guy to shame...most of the ones at the farm stand are that big! And when you are doing Weight Watchers and counting every little point, this 0 point bomb is pretty satisfying.

I fear I have been spoiled by this unknown discovery. What was just a legend that I could tell MM he was romanticizing has now been unveiled. I don't know how I'm going to feel about my home grown tomatoes this summer knowing they are better than store bought but feeble in comparison to their Southern cousins. Alas I am going to do my best to eat every last tomato in sight before leaving the state of Mississippi. Then I'm going to put my new mistress out of my mind for good. Or at least until my next summer visit. They may even be worth risking heat stroke for in the future.

Until tomorrow, I wish you happy and healthy eating...and for those of you not so blessed with tomatoes like above...try to make do!

Day 6: Where am I and who took my diet will power?

2010-06-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

OK....so much for consistency in writing. It seems most routines get disrupted by vacation no matter how great your intentions. Alas, what can you do. I started my New Orleans entry Saturday upon returning. Apparently I ate too much to continue, and yesterday was another travel day...so I am way off on keeping you all posted on my Southern adventures. Before I dive into a variety of disjointed stories I will note that there is no weigh in this Monday (collective "Awwwww" noted). There is a scale here, and it's not that I'd be that embarrassed if I had put on weight. However, I sort of feel if I use a different scale it's a bit inaccurate. So I get a pass this week on weigh in and hope that I can contain the damage and possible reign in the bad eating a tad before next Monday rolls around!

Now that business is taken care of, back to our previously scheduled story:

Day 4: Take it easy in the Big Easy...Yeah Right!
I have never been to New Orleans before (my virgin trip was suppose to be the weekend Katrina hit...obviously when we saw radar images from the Gulf earlier that week we cancelled our plans). My Columbia, MS in-laws thought this a perfect opportunity to jut down for the day, as well to further corrupt an already shaky few days of dieting. Sigh. We loaded into the car and made the two hour drive down,down, down into the sweltering heat of the Big Easy. Upon exiting the car, the sweat instantly begins to pool in a number of unsavory places. Suck it up and walk on!

Our first stop (it seems this entire trip was one food excursion after another) was a famous restaurant call The Court of Two Sisters (http://www.courtoftwosisters.com/), which featured a jazz brunch. Apparently there used to be a Sunday jazz brunch at a restaurant at the Hilton but that is no longer there. Given the way we ate at this venue I'm not too sad this other brunch wasn't around anymore.

It's more fun to tell my food story through pictures...so take a look.

We arrive....no the lady in blue is not me. I am glad my muffin top is much reduced since the onset of the diet. Plus I'm pretty private and not sure if there are strangers (I welcome you!!) out there reading me, but not sure I want the world to know "who" I am!

There were two long buffets spreads down the left and right side of the inner restaurant littered with cold and hot dishes. There were several standards and a plethora of traditional Creole dishes. Case in point, the infamous Crawfish

What brunch would be complete without a heaping pile of "Breakfast Meats?"

You can't possibly call yourself a respectable brunch establishment unless you have a crew of dedicated staff working an egg station. I don't know how they did it in the heat, but these cooks deserve a raise. I caught this picture in one of the only breaks in the line. You'll have to excuse the picture quality...you don't mess with hungry people at a jazz brunch...I tried to snap and go as quickly as possible.

And the final product...I almost wish I was an Eggs Benedict person because these look damn near perfect! But that whole Hollandaise sauce thing violates my condiment rule. As well, the runny yolk is not my bag (When I have a poached egg I cook the yolk through...so in all likelihood I'm no longer eating a poached egg, but what do I care??)

Now, I am a pretty non-experimental eater. Sweets are one thing, but entrees a whole separate game. There is always an ingredient in a dish I don't like. I swear, I am Sally from "When Harry Met Sally." It takes me at least 10 minutes to order and I'm surprised MM hasn't divorced me over this quirk alone. Obviously at a brunch the dish is the dish and there will be no special orders. However, I felt empowered and decided to live on the edge (maybe it's because I'm so damn tired of nonfat cooking spray and leaves, that I'll try anything....almost). Here was plate number one (honestly, they were small so it looks like more than it was). Instead of my normal gargantuan helpings, I grabbed a lot of small helpings of things so I could maximize on my eating adventure. I made sure to try what I thought were most authentic to the area and forgo anything traditional. The rundown is as follows: turtle soup (yes, I ate Yertle the Turtle), Shrimp Etouffee, Cornbread Stuffing, Grits, Duck L'Orange, some Catfish with a cream/butter sauce (wish I could recall the name because it was AMAZING), Shrimp, and I tried my very first Crawfish.

Given my overly bleeding heart for all critters (If PETA knew me I'm sure they'd recruit me) everyone thought the crawfish weren't going to be a hit. I live in New England and I won't eat a lobster! But when in Rome, right? This is how much compassion I had for the crustacean brethren:

I liked them enough to go back for more. However, they are A LOT of work for a little meat. On the plus side, I've been told they are pretty low in calories...so bonus! I made the mistake of smelling my fingers after peeling a few...big mistake for someone whose olfactory gland might as well lend me to truffle hunting! My fish fingers were enough to turn me off to eating anymore seafood for the day. You will note the biscuit on the plate too. This was more or less my dessert. I don't want to know how many calories or grams of fat lay in that bread product. I simply don't care. It was the most amazing thing I have ever consumed. Honestly, I will never be satisfied with another biscuit so long as I live.

The meal ended with a few samplings of dessert...nothing that was as impressive as the meal itself. Again, I will stress that I pigged out by recent standards, but if I look at my efforts compared to the good old days it was a poor showing that I left comfortable verses with a vomit bag "just in case."

Our sweating tour of New Orleans continued through the French Quarter, Bourbon Street (I was forced to drink part of a Hurricane.....more calories and sugar. Luckily MM helped me out with that one), and then we stumbled on the 24th Annual Cajun Tomato Festival. I couldn't possibly call myself a respectable tourist without seeking and destroying a pile of Fried Green Tomatoes. Find them I did...

I wouldn't say I "sampled" these. I ate 3 of the 4 slices of crispy tart bliss. I must have complained about the the thirst (I'm sure in part was due to the salt from these suckers, and in part due to the fact I'd likely lost 1/2 the water volume of my body in perspiration along) because no sooner was I about to burst did my father in law show up with a gigantic sized fruit smoothie. I managed to drink a little. The cold alone was reason to do so. But I will tell you that getting in that car for a 2 hour drive back to MS was long, hard and full.

Thus concludes my trip to New Orleans...leaving me with a taste to go back sans toddler and not really on a diet to enjoy all of the city's finest attributes (mostly notably missed on the tour was Cafe du Monde's Beignets...simply too stuffed and hot to eat by end of day. If you are in the area you SHOULD find the room for them unlike me: http://www.cafedumonde.com/).

The trip to Columbia, MS concluded with more eating than I've done in months. I am officially in food detox mode back in Jackson, MS. I do not think I'm out of the woods yet. However, I ended last night with a large salad. Today I had a tomato sandwich, not with the mayo of course! My mother in law took me to a local farm stand where I picked up some wonderful fresh produce that I'm hoping will keep me on track for a day or so until the next Southern challenge comes my way.

Until then, I wish you all happy and healthy eating. I hope your temptations far less than mine at the moment!

Day 3: Southern Gluttony Begins

2010-06-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, the first two days of my Tour du Sud have been relatively tame. A few caveats: we got to my father-in laws house last night. Normally we are here during the holidays and there are always 600 bowls of candy and treats. I was anticipating that not to be an issue since it’s June. Wrong. Not quite the same as Christmas for Thanksgiving, but none the less there are bowls of candies and nuts stashed in every corner. I have inadvertently inhaled WAY too many cashews since arriving. I know those certainly are not low in point value! (Speaking of points I did take out my calculator to point out my lunch yesterday…hard to point while away but I am trying!). Second goof up…while I managed to eat a small portion of meatloaf and sides for dinner, I did not have the same luck controlling myself during dessert. My mother-in-law made banana pudding. No, this is not just banana flavored pudding. It’s like a trifle. Nilla wafers, pudding, and bananas. The kicker is that the pudding is homemade…no boxed stuff down South! By homemade I mean sugar, flour, whole milk, and egg yolks. Never have I tasted such rich pudding. With each bite I died and went to Heaven a little more. So yeah, not my finest moment, but I didn’t polish off the entire container either!

I wish I could say the same about my pseudo self control for today. Once again I began with the mindless cashew snacking. We ate out for lunch at a wonderful local establishment called The Round Table (notice the hazy quality of the picture....that is the air....you can literally see water droplets suspended).

This place was my introduction to actual home style Southern Cooking 7 years ago when I made my first trip to Mississippi. I ate like a hog on my initial visit…MM was actually embarrassed by my gluttony. I have to say the second time around I exercised EXTREME restrain given the options at my finger tips. First let me give you a brief description of the restaurant. You walk into a very homey open room (there are several other rooms through doorways all of the same setup). The tables are giant lazy susans with 20 or more dishes and desserts. About 16 people sit around each table and you spin the center piece and continue to reload your plate time and time again. Take a look at some of the options below.

It's hard to capture the sheer volume of food items at the table (and people don't like it when you stop spinning the wheel...they be hungry!)

Creamed Corn (aka sugar and cream with some kernels mixed in)

Turnip Greens (Note the yellowish buttery color in the liquid AND the bacon pieces...a standard way to cook any vegetable down here)

The piece de resistance...FRIED CHICKEN...it doesn't get any better than this folks!

REAL Chicken and Dumplings (You'll note my diet version looked NOTHING like this)

I will not even include pictures of dessert. There were pies and custards and cakes of all kinds. On the entire table there was only one item I would consider diet conscious...cantaloupe. This is not the kind of place you go if you are dieting. This is not the kind of place you quietly sip water and munch on melon as an army of Southern women in green shirts work feverishly to refill the bowls at record pace. The owner is on hand to make sure you are enjoying your meal. It would be rude not to engage in the art of eating at this fantastic and authentic local joint. All things considered, I think I managed AMAZING restrain and did not offend my hosts with my "pickish" eating (by their standards).

Note my father-in-law's plate (remember..this is lunch....we still have dinner to go later today!):

Note my plate (aside from the larger helping of my favorite Chicken and Dumplings I tired to taste a few of the more unique dishes, one being a squash casserole with hamburger meat. I'd be a liar if I failed to note to you all that I did have a second small helping of C&D's and picked at some fried chicken - bad me!!!)

After our meal we shuffled through the 100% humid soup for air, all the way feeling the urge to be sick. My semi flat belly had been replaced by what could be easily mistaken as a 5 month maternity stomach. Ah, I love my food baby so. I'm still waiting for her to deflate. I'm baffled that we have another meal to go (dessert is defiantly crossed off the list for me this evening). With any luck where ever we go (we are to eat out again because it's just too hot to cook) there will be a salad I can call my own.

Even as I've been writing an elaborate plan to head to the Big Easy (New Orleans) has been hatched for tomorrow. Of course the focus of this entire trip has been where to eat...the walking/eating tour of a Southern gem. I've never been and am looking forward to this excursion. However, my diet is not. Obviously I can't diet in New Orleans any more than here! So, tomorrow should make for more interesting food choices. I've decided that Sunday (another travel day back to Jackson, MS) will be dubbed "anorexia Sunday" and I plan to eat nothing!

Stay tuned for more chronicles from the South. Posting tomorrow may be late depending on when we return from our little trip.

Day 1 of my Southern Adventure: Travel

2010-06-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Part 1: First leg Bos to ATL

This message is being brought to you from the friendly skies. Despite pre-trip preparation and organization, the morning rush to get out of the house to the airport was chaos as usual. My daughter has decided to choose the past two weeks to go on one of her sleep strikes, just in time to travel and visit numerous grandparents. Hopefully by the time we arrive the troll I left the house with will be all but a distant memory and my normally agreeable, albeit stubborn and strong willed, child will have returned. On travel days I try extra hard to ensure Little Miss Food Hater ingests something substantial before we go into the abyss of airport food. No such luck this morning. Apparently sleep and eat strikes go hand and hand. After watching her push a few soggy Blueberry Mini Wheats around her bowl I gave up knowing I did not have time to finish the battle.

I also opted to forego my morning cup of coffee. When I’m traveling solo with the tyke (which is 85% of the time) I try to minimize trips to the bathroom. Especially while on board. Aside from trying to cram way too many pieces of carry on and gate check equipment into a stall, I like to reduce exposure to the more offensive germs which I imagine like to hang out in bathrooms. So, you can imagine my hazy like state right now. But all is well. The electronic glow of the portable DVD player has my daughter mesmerized for the time being. Hopefully that will last. I am taking the opportunity to write while waiting for the Diet Coke to roll by (probably the only thing that is free on the damn plane!). I think one can of soda will hang out in the bladder until our next stop, the Atlanta airport (although we only have an hour layover so my bladder may have to suffer all the way to Mississippi).

The last time I traveled it was solo (by solo I me just me) en route to San Diego. Everything is so much easier without a toddler. I can’t complain because we are blessed with a WONDERFUL traveler. It’s just the incremental parcels, pit stops, and attempted food breaks that make the trip more cumbersome. I stopped at my Mecca (Dunkin Donuts) figuring I’d get my daughter a treat for now/later…whenever the mood to eat struck, and some water. For some odd reason she didn’t want any donut, thank you thank you thank you! However, standing there watching everyone order egg & cheese sandwiches and giant coffee concoctions was torture. Usually being in an airport is license for me to eat piles of crap and pseudo fast food (DD or Pizza is about as far down the fast food scale as I go). However, I am trying to be extra good knowing that giant piles of temptation are only hours away. Furthermore, I know that I tackled the airport with complete and total success upon my last trip. Really, there are no excuses.

What is difficult is that I packed half of my pantry for my daughter, and those goodies are sitting inches away from my feet. She has already woofed down and industrial sized bag of Goldfish crackers. Her interest in the movie is waning at the moment for some odd reason. Please dear lord, do NOT chose now to lose interest in television! I know I’ll have to whip out another snack soon. Rice Crispy Treats? Granola Bars? Dried Blueberries (I know, I could eat some of these, but despite being more on the healthy scale, they are pretty high in sugar). I should have packed myself a responsible snack, however, I ran out of time to restock my “tide me over” items, like those Kashi Bars I discovered at the airport last trip. It was crap or nothing. Nothing won, and I hope that I don’t break down during travel.

Luckily there will be no time in Atlanta for anything other than a trip to the potty. Then I just have to make the hour flight and I’ll be home free. Until I hit the in-laws house. Basically I’m hoping the heat gives me some sort of “food” stroke that makes me not want to eat anything other than diet food. I predict that I’ll be so damn hungry from airport starvation mode I’ll eat just about anything that is lying around….maybe even dog food! OK, that remains to be seen. Stay tuned for Part 2 to follow later today!

Part 2: Second Leg ATL to JAN (Jackson, MS for those of you who may not recognize the call sign)

Longer segment done, shorter flight in progress. Toddler crack (aka the DVD player) ceasing to captivate interest. We abandoned the movie presentation ¼ of the way in and proceeded to do stickers and TALK the entire way on leg 1. I once again ventured to ask if the princess would like to watch a movie. Due to her response I didn’t even bother taking out the machine. She doesn’t want to color, eat, or nap. Basically it’s turning into a big long line of “No’s and stop it’s.” Thank God this is only an hour flight. Her feet are now poking at my PC screen. I am trying to ignore that. I’m pretty sure if I were a better parent I would not be writing at this moment and would have thought of some amazing game to play whilst 30,000 feet in the air. However, as mentioned earlier I had no coffee this morning. The tiny cup of Diet Coke on leg 1 sure didn’t jump start the system. Luckily, while the little one’s fuse is short and she has no interest in doing anything that I don’t consider mildly annoying things, she hasn’t had a meltdown. I’m pretty sure she is saving her best stuff for the end of the day or perhaps the next.

Oh, as an added bonus we are seated next to the toilets. It’s only a 50 seater. I’ve done this flight enough times and pretty much know the layout of the plane. Prior to having a child I used to be in the front of the plane. Since giving birth I’ve been demoted to the stink seats. I’m sure there is logic and I would appreciate it if my child used the bathroom in flight. But she went in the airport. And now instead of taking advantage of our location, I have to endure the stink of other people’s excrement masked by that antiseptic smelly disinfectant.

The beverage cart is here. Not that the flight is long enough for a real snack service, but I’m pretty sure that the bathroom odor would be enough to curb the once vivacious appetite I had a short while ago.

I’ve had a handful of Goldfish crackers, 12 mini pretzels and a bite of bagel. I just ordered my second bag of mini pretzels which will bring the grand count to 24. Wow. There are only 45 calories in a pack so I’m pretty sure I’m OK to date. Oh wait, I lied. I also had a tiny bite of what Delta likes to call a “cookie.” I’m sure most of you have had them before. They’re brown ovals with the words “Delta” embossed on the top. They taste like burnt cinnamon and have the texture of baby teething biscuits. Not really sure what qualifies these as cookies, but none the less my daughter is having a fabulous time ingesting some, and breaking the rest into tiny crumbs across her tray table (which of course was fastidiously wiped down with antibacterial wipes prior to any skin contact!). I must go eat my joke of a snack so I don’t pass out when I have to drag my bag, my daughter’s bag, and the car seat on wheels as she hitches a ride through the sweltering airport. More to come upon arrival at the in laws. I hope despite the length this isn’t boring you all to death.

Part 3: The Eagle has landed

In conclusion I have been in Mississippi for a few hours. To set the record straight, I was not greeted by piles of meat. There were no sticks of butter handed out with cocktails upon my arrival. There was not a 16 course meal made with bacon grease for dinner. Phew. We all ended up having dinner at the yacht club which allowed me to opt for a salad dressingless salad and blacken tilapia tacos. I even halved the tortilla which is a miracle for me to give up a bread product. The heat is, well, hot…but not over powering enough that I cannot breath. So all in all I’d say (without having actively counted WW style) today was a success. I don’t feel like I’ve eaten too much. I’m still thinking I need something to finish off the night. I will go to sleep tonight knowing the true test begins with breakfast tomorrow. Both my father in laws have a propensity towards highly caloric breakfasts…but I will not get ahead of myself. That will be a post in itself.

This wayward traveler is signing off for the night. Until tomorrow, happy, healthy eating to you all, and to all a good night!

Don't Worry...content forthcoming...soon

2010-06-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, this is another content light night. Unfortunately I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off (seriously, what a horrible expression) getting ready to cross the Mason Dixon line. I haven't had much time to think about meal planning, grocery shopping, or what I am actually putting into my body. That has resulted in not the best choices. I have seen a new pattern the past few weeks. After having a successful weigh-in on Monday, I proceed to celebrate with a few days of eating. I've been slowly working my way through a bag of pistachios from Memorial Day weekend. I didn't even bother to point those out because I know I'm consuming more than I should in a day! After putting myself through a serious guilt trip mid week, I'm able to reign in the eating to finish up strong. Pretty sure that is not the point of Weight Watchers, but hey, right now I'm just trying to cobble together a diet in-between company, end of the school year parties, mom gatherings, and now travel plans. I'm beginning to realize there is no getting back to a routine, but the very routine I'm in is one of constant change.

Last night I was out with all the other Moms from our Pre-School. It was a much needed night, and I was really glad it was on Monday so I could follow my above mentioned routine. The menu was Tapas. I allowed myself to enjoy a glass of Sangria (the last time I had this was for my sister's 30th...suffice it to say I didn't recognize pictures that had been taken that night and I swore of drinking for the year) and snacked on a variety of tid bits. I could have easily plowed through an entire sampler plate on my own, but the pressure of eating in front of others, especially those who know I'm on a diet, kept me in check. Are any of you out there equally influenced by other's eating habits? Seriously, if I'm in a group I feel like I'm observing what everyone else is eating because I don't want to be the one that everyone talks about after I leave. "Dude, did you see how much see packed away?" I'm pretty sure NO one else thinks like this, would notice what others are eating, or would think to say anything behind anyone's back. But in a strange way I'm sort of glad I have this bizarre insecurity as it probably helps me not to polish off more than I really need.

Tonight I was looking forward to a nice simple meal. I hadn't planned anything but knew there were some odds and ends in the house. That was quickly derailed upon venturing into the fridge. I decided to clear out some old food (there was actually a container of blue rice....I kid you not....I've never seen mold turn something blue before). I wish I hadn't looked too closely because there was a huge food accident in the back of the fridge. There were so many containers of old food that I didn't see the spill of tomato sauce going the length of the back of the fridge and pooling under the fruit drawer. There is nothing more repulsive to me that cleaning dirty sticky caked on stains out of a fridge. I imagine the swarms of bacteria that are probably crawling onto my fingers as I vigorously scrub. After I did battle with the sauce I moved through the rest of the shelves until the job was done. At that point it was almost 9 and my taste for food was not strong. I ended up having a bowl of microwave soup and a piece of Naan. Nothing special, but quick, and not super high in points (9). The down side is that I'm left sitting here writing about this instead of something meaningful, funny, or inspirational. I can assure you that funny is to come once down South.

On a side note, want to send a shout out to my sister. She is almost at 20 lbs lost herself (dieting in groups really does work...so for anyone of you out there dieting on your own, try to connect yourself to someone as it's nice for support). She is on the cusp of going down to a different number bracket too....1 pound away at her weigh in this AM. One of those irksome moments where you are happy to be knocking at the door but cursing the fact that you just didn't have quite enough will power to lay off that last glass of wine or chip or piece of bread, because maybe that would have meant the difference in that one measly little pound. But I'm so proud of her. She has farther to go than I and is just staying with it through the ups and downs knowing that eventually she'll make it. So keep going sis....even if it takes twice as long as planned it's the fact that you're getting there.

Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating to you all!

Monday Weigh-in...Week 12 and still going!

2010-06-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

The double weigh in was a success today. On my two home scales I stand at 153, so another pound chipped off the old body. On the official Dr. Scale I was 152. I think, despite the extra pound, I will call myself 153 and keep working off my own scales moving forward. But it's nice to know in the back of my mind I'm one pound less.

I am happy to report I'm feeling a lot better because I know I'm still losing weight while I've loosened up a bit on my restrictive eating. I have been tracking a little bit less, which I do NOT really encourage. I still account my most my success to being vigilant about counting and tracking all my eating. I need to make sure I continue this practice because I think it's pretty easy to slip back into old habits. But knowing I can "slack" off a bit during the week makes this process easier. Especially knowing that I am about to enter the land of temptation, the deep South, makes me breath a little bit that I can eat here and there. I do know that I am going to have to track much more than I have because I know this is the perfect time to completely fall off the wagon. Nine days is a long time to be away from home and routine. Throw in some travel days, and you can see how a diet can become derailed in no time at all. On the plus side, I'm pretty sure that whatever calories I do ingest will be promptly sweat out within minutes of consumption. Did I mention I am not a good hot weather person? I was in FL in August once and I really thought I was going to die.

The big question now is how much more to lose. I had arbitrarily set 20 lbs as a goal. I am within 1 pound of that goal, but I still don't feel "done." I think there is still some miscellaneous pudge and chub in areas there shouldn't be. I am beginning to let go of the idea my stomach is going to shrink much more than it has. I think shy of a tummy tuck (or at the very least some damn sit ups) I'm stuck with that fat roll. But some clothes are still snug and I don't think a little extra weight loss is a bad idea. In an ideal world I would get myself down to 145 (I haven't seen those days since early college). I think that is a long shot, but it seems a good "new" goal to set. The idea being that I would have a 5 pound swing, making 150 my ceiling. It would be nice to not worry about a few extra pounds putting me above my goal weight. I'd rather be under so I can go up and down depending on heavier entertaining weeks. My Dr. thought shooting to be between 145 and 150 was perfect, even though she was A OK with my current weight from a clinical perspective.

So, that sums up another Monday. That gives you a bit of an update on my new goal as I'm approaching completion of Phase 1! I hope everyone else is having results and continued perseverance in their dieting. All I can say is keep up the good work everyone. One day, one week, one month at a time. It adds up eventually. So keep it up! Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating.

Sunday Night Ramblings

2010-06-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here we are again...another Sunday, another Monday to follow. I was good and bad this week. I guess that makes me have had an average week. Let me see what I can update you all on from my racing mind.

1. Tomorrow I think I should maintain my weight from last week based on what I ate. However, I feel super bloated and gross and pudgy (I just love how PMS can wreak havoc on a body). It's amazing how quickly that time of the month arrives (sorry for the few male readers that I have to digress to some "girl" talk, but water weight gain is a common complaint and doesn't seem fair when dieting!!). Seriously, I think we only have two good weeks of the damn month. Alas, that is our lot in life. Aside from having difficulty losing weight, our amazing ability as females to store fat cells, but the regular monthly occurrence of water retention, we are doomed in the diet department. I am predicting now that I'm not going to be happy with my number simply based on my gut.

2. For the first time since I've started my diet I am going to get on a real Dr. scale tomorrow. I have my yearly physical (currently cut off from food for the rest of the night in preparation for Cholesterol tests and whatnot tomorrow AM....no coffee tomorrow morning either...what am I going to do???) so will have to weigh in there. I'm super curious to see how close the "real" scale is to my two home scales. I'm not sured I'm super psyched to have the added bonus of a double weigh in tomorrow. What if the scale tells me I'm a few pounds heavier? I know, it's not really the number, it's about the loss. But still, I'm really hoping weigh in number 2 will be favorable!

3. I had what I guess Oprah would call an "ah ha" moment. It wasn't life altering or anything, but it was a good moment all the same. It all began with me wearing my "control" pair of pants...those Lily Pulitzer size 8's that have been hanging around my closet since Christmas. The one's I try on only to have to put back for fear I might rip the seems with my pancake thighs. Well, this week it was finally time to take them out, and not just of the closet, but out of the house. I wore them in public, among my mom friends at a playdate. My sister commented that I had a "tight ass" (mind you've I've been called a tight ass in terms of personality many a time) which I immediately took to mean they were too tight. She assured me it was a compliment, and luckily the time out and about gave way to a nice little stretching for the cotton capris! This was not the "ah ha" moment thought. Later that week my sister and I decided to just get out and went to a nearby town with lots of cute little shops. We wandered upon a fabulous second hand shop and this adorable strapless blue dress with embroidered red crabs was on the rack. Yes, Lily Pulitzer again (who else would feature crabs on a dress?) The only problem...size 6. Yeah right....back in high school! I kept wandering by it, and finally under force I was pushed into the dressing room by my sister. I got it on! It was snug but not in a sickening way. We mutually agreed my body sans 5 lbs would be fine in the dress. It came home with me and I decided it could pass with a shrug to hit some of the arm/chest fat that dribbled over the edges. OK, still not the "ah ha" moment. That night I thought, if I can fit into that, perhaps there are some other treasures I can dig up. Low and behold, I fit into the clothes I wore on my honeymoon. It was one of the proudest moments I've had of myself in a long time. I didn't really think that stuff would ever fit. Now I have a whole new old wardrobe and have been as happy wearing that stuff as if I had just been on a shopping spree!!! Better in fact. That alone helps me keep focus.

4. I'm pretty sure I gave myself an ulcer today, which should aid in my weight loss! It has been very stormy in the Northeast the past few weeks, not normal for this time of year. We actually had tornado warnings posted this past Saturday and Sunday. Well, not really believing the weather ever gets that bad here, the team of genius one and genius two (the dynamic duo that brought you Kayak fun, see entry http://20lbstogo.blogspot.com/2010/04/really-stupid-ideas-that-seemed-good-at.html) decided to run errands late afternoon today. It wasn't all that stormy when we left the house...very muggy, still, and hazy, but no imminent threat of storms or tornadoes. By the last errand, having the dog's nails clipped (if I did this at home I'd have no fingers left, hence allowing the professionals to take the risk) the sky was black. It was only 4pm, and it looked like night was approaching. No wind. A few drops of rain. You could see lightening, but not the strikes yet. My heart was beating so fast as I ran through the parking lot with my toddler, and my sister did the same with my dog. I have gotten increasingly nervous in my age. My sister kept telling me to relax. In retrospect we should have stayed in the open parking lot and waited, but no, we ladies like to live on the edge, especially when traveling in my car! No sooner did we make it out of the shopping area and to the main road to get back to the house, the skies opened up. Not rain, but sheets of water. The wind was so fierce it was incredible. At this point my sister conceded my nerves were completely justified and she was equally worried. At this point acid is churning in my stomach and I'm sensing that this could be the end for us (seriously, I was worried and not in a way that was not warranted). I debated calling MM to say good bye just in case but figured I should keep focused on the road. What I deemed a "microburst" (this seems to be the weather people's new favorite meteorological term for a sudden burst of downward wind that basically caused tremendous damage) happened before our eyes. The main road is completely tree lined, not good under these circumstances. Left and right tree branches are cracking down and cars are jutting all about to avoid the falling branches. Just then an entire tree crumbled before our eyes...it literally looked like an invisible food came down and drilled it into the ground. At this point acid is bubbling up into my throat. White knuckle driving is an understatement. Finally we made it to a side street with far less trees and the wind started to subside. Phew, in the clear. I think that may be it for my storm chasing days! Both the dog and child were completely un-phased by the whole event!

5. I found a fabulous new dessert. Breyer's (not typically my favorite ice cream by any stretch) has broken into the diet dessert market (I am convinced this is where all the money in dieting is made right now!!). Next time you are shopping (that is if you are a dessert person) pick up Breyer's Smooth and Dreamy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches. Three points/sandwich. Obviously it's not Toll House, but seriously, these are good!!!! And not miniature sized either. I just had to share my new find!!

It was the perfect way to finish off a nail biting, bloated waisted Sunday evening. Too bad I can't eat the entire box.

OK, I'm signing off for the week. More tomorrow after the double weigh in. Until then, happy healthy eating!

Could I really have a kid who doesn't like food?

2010-06-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

I find it ironic that I was blessed with a child who has about as much interest in food as I do in dieting. Just because I have had success in my diet doesn't translate to my interest in the process. I do it because it was time to be done, but I feel like most days I go into it kicking and screaming and remembering the days when I ate any garbage I wanted to. Maintaining self control sucks! To have a toddler who eats only a handful of different items (excluding sweets and chips) under the wonderful combination of bribery and threats is maddening. Tonight I watched her chew the crust off a piece of pizza. She was ready to be done at that point. I had to painstakingly convince her to continue to gnaw the cheese covered piece of carbohydrate heaven. Could this child really be mine??? The process was torture. Of course I had a tiny bite or two or three which I always have to do when she doesn't eat her pizza.

One of my personal favorite moves of hers occurs at lunch time. I carefully prepare the SAME lunch everyday. A cream cheese sandwich (really, it's not anymore complicated than toasted bread with globs of cream cheese), one slice of ham, and some type of fruit. It's so boring I can barely stand to make it anymore but I find she really won't eat anything other than that at lunch. I wish my dear little one knew just how hard it was for me to take out the 3 lb tub of Philadelphia Cream Cheese we keep in the fridge at all time and smear that white cheesy goodness all over lightly toasted bread. I bring the meal to her and she usually turns up her nose at it, at least of late. I don't blame her...I'd probably be board after eating the same thing day in and day out for months. I don't see what choice I have, it's not like I can give her cookies and call that lunch! At any rate, after ignoring some whining about her lunch, I enter the dining room with one of my diet meals (Weight Watchers Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc...). To this point in the day I've only had a cup of coffee. I know I should eat breakfast but unless I can go full out (eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon, etc...) I don't want any! I'm sure most of you have seen the size of those meals. They aren't exactly large enough to fill you up. No sooner is my butt in the chair then my child asks, "Mom, can I have one of your noodles?" Unless I give her a small helping of whatever diet meal I am having that day, she won't eat. So I go from 10 noodles to 8. Sigh.

I know what you're all thinking...if she likes those meals so much, why not give her one of her own for lunch. Oh clever ones, I've tried that before. I took one meal I know she eats of mine, and doctored it with butter and extra cheese (nothing I know she won't eat) and placed the little microwave tray in front of her. She responds by picking at it but not really eating. So now, I've not only wasted one of my precious meals, but I have to go back and make the standard lunch on top of that. As well give her a handful of whatever meal I'm eating. Like I said, it's maddening!

You may all be thinking that I've created a monster by acquiescing her every dietary whim. By no means am I defending all my decisions about food. However, after going to every doctor visit and being told your child is about to drop off (and has at times) the growth curve you get a little desperate. I have relaxed a ton when it comes to her eating, but I still feel a sense of need to make sure she eats something at each meal. In the "olden" days I'm sure our parents would have said "If you're not going to eat what I put in front of you, you're not going to eat." I have tried that. The little bugger is an amazing hold out and in the end I cave after days of peckish eating.

Unless I had seen and felt her come out of my own body, I would question if she was really mine. That and she is a clone of my husband! I think this must be her form of payback. She must know on some level about Mommy's diet. And for all the times I told her "no" or "stop it" or put her in time out she is going to exact her revenge at the dining table. "Look Mom at what I can eat and you can't.....but I'm not going to eat it, nah nah na nah nah." That is what if feels like anyway. I only bring all this up because I've once again been fighting snack urges and unhealthy food choices. The pizza incident of tonight made me think about just how insane her food habits make me. I do take solace in the fact that perhaps she'll never have the food battles I do because food is just not that exciting to her. Now, if only I could convince my brain of that very concept. Not likely.

Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating!

Recipe for Diet Carbonara.....REALLY!!!

2010-06-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Since I provided nothing but a little humor yesterday on the recipe front, I figure I would use today's post to provide you all a recipe I CAN whole heartedly recommend. Who does love Carbonara? Such creamy, bacony, carbohydratey goodness. This is traditionally a dish I eat until I'm sick due to it's extreme richness. I know I'm going to pay for it, but I simply don't care. The stomach ache and indigestion is worth every bite. So, how you all ask, can a dish that brings on stomach upset via fat laden content, actually be on the diet plan? And no, you get more than a single noodle!! I have to give kudos to my sister for this one. She cobbled this together one night while at my parents. I am so glad she shared it with me and it has become a fast favorite. It is a bit higher on the point side, so you have to plan a bit of your eating during the course of the day accordingly. At any rate, I hope you enjoy as much as we do here at diet headquarters!

Carbonara a la MEG: Serves 1 = 12 points

From the kitchen of MEG

Serving Size point value based on using slightly more peas/onions that 1/2 cup each. If you want to keep to 11 points use 1/2 cup peas and 1/2 cup cooked onion.
If you want to serve more than one, best suggestion (while a bit of a pain) is to do the exact same thing in a separate pan. It's very hard to evenly divide tiny bacon bit like pieces and pasta...most dieters want every possible scrap they can get. I'd take the extra dirty dish knowing I got every possible bite any day of the week!

Ingredients:
-1 Slice Turkey Bacon chopped into small pieces (Not sure if all brands are the same value...I use the ones with the South Beach Logo): 1 point
-1/2 to 1 cup of frozen peas depending on how many you like: 1 cup = 1 point
-1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion: 1 cup cooked onion = 1 point
-1 to 2 tsp minced garlic (all depends on how much garlic you like): 0 points
-1/4 cup Fat Free Half & Half: 1 point
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese: 2 points
-1 cup dry Dreamfields Brand Penne* (yields close to 2 cups when cooked): 6 points
-Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta
2. While pasta is cooking spray pan with Fat Free Cooking Spray. Sautee onion until soft and slightly browned. Add bacon and brown with onions. Keep the pan at a slightly higher heat to achieve browning...just be careful not to burn. Stir in garlic.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add peas to pan.
4. Add Half & Half and simmer on medium/low for roughly 5 minutes. About a minute into this process add the grated cheese stirring well. Half & Half needs to be hot to melt the cheese.
5. Salt and Pepper the mixture to your taste.
6. Add cooked pasta to pan and coat with mixture.

*A note about the pasta. If you can find Dreamfields brand (I've seen penne, rotini, elbows, linguine, spaghetti most commonly) I'd use that. It is the ONLY low carb pasta that I've found doesn't taste like cardboard...honestly I can't tell the difference between it and regular pasta. Make sure you point out each type as they do point out differently, but generally you save a point using the Dreamfields. You can also use a whole wheat pasta and this also tends to save you a point, again please check as all brands can vary. I am just not a huge fan of whole wheat pasta.

And there you have it...diet carbonara. Obviously it's not the real thing but it's a very nice "comfort" pasta meal if you are looking for something richer than a salad. Can't you just taste the bacon and cream?

A close up for maximum salivation.

A few other ideas if you want to fiddle with the consistency of the recipe is with the addition of egg products. You could consider adding an actual egg (2 points). I'd scramble the egg in just before you add the cream so you can actually scramble the egg. If you want to save on points you could use only egg whites (o points) or 1/4 cup egg substitute (1 point). I'd follow the same process as an egg. It all depends on taste and how many points you want to make your meal. I am a texture person through and through so my first inclination when my sister made this recipe was to add the scrambled egg bits in. I have actually not tried yet (am sure I will at some point) as I really think the meal is nice as is.

Hope you all enjoy and perhaps will forget for a moment you are dieting. Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating.

You win some, you lose some.

2010-06-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, I have noticed that my husband is showing up more and more in my entries. I'm getting tired of saying "my husband" or "my man." Because I feel the need to protect our anonymity, I am assigning him the nickname MM (Meat Man due to the volume of meat my man consumes!!). From this point my husband shall be known as MM.

I feel I must digress on a topic I brought up over the weekend...the failed Chicken and Dumplings recipe. The fact that I am still thinking about this three days later tells me I did not properly address the topic in the first place! While I love trying new things, I tend to be a creature of habit. When I go out to eat, 99% of the time I will order the same thing despite the fact that I take 30 minutes to read the menu (this particular quirk of mine drives MM crazy). It's not that I don't like attempting a new dish, but I don't eat out as much as I used to and the thought of being disappointed in my meal isn't worth the risk. For me, trying a new dish usually comes at a new high end restaurants as that seems to be the place where I find that you can't really go wrong on a menu.

I apply some of the same principles when cooking at home. I do try new recipes a fair amount, and have a tendency to doctor them to my own likes. In the full fat recipe experimental days finding a great recipe was far easier. When dieting I find recipe sampling far more dangerous. Diet recipes are hit or miss. And most of the time a dieter is so hungry that a miss can trigger either a set back or pure rage. This weekend we had one success and one failure. Friday night MM found a recipe for chicken stuffed with chopped spinach, mushrooms (left out of mine as this is yet another food I do NOT like...yes, the list grows as you read) and mozzarella topped with a tomato basil puree. I admit, I was somewhat skeptical but willing to give MM a shot (he love to cook new things on the weekends). While it certainly wasn't world's most fabulous stuffed chicken breast (sadly it's hard for me not to compare what I would do if calories weren't an obstacle) it was a nice change to my usual rotation of foods that I'm growing weary of eating. So...I'll place this recipe in the "winner" category. More than anything I LOVE his effort to find a meal that fit his tastes and my diet needs.

Night number two...the big fat loser. I'm not sure how many of you have had true Southern Chicken and Dumplings. I'm not talking about Cracker Barrel (I guess a reasonable version for us Northern Folk, but nothing compared to a local Southern joint). This dish is a staple at any buffet counter in the South. Honestly, until a year into my relationship with MM, I'd never even heard of the dish (I can't speak for other Northern people because I think I am even more within a food bubble than other normal folk up here). If you'd told me it was sort of a thick white gravy dish I'd have been less than excited. When MM wanted to make it for dinner one night I sort of grumbled but acquiesced. I rue the day. I never knew what I was missing and right now, deep into my diet, it's recipes like this that kill me. I'm like a dog obsessed with a ball (funny I should use that reference as MM actually called the dog by my name this morning....not sure what that says!) I knew if we made our normal version it would be a gateway drug so to speak. The beginning of the end of my diet as I knew it. Therefore when MM found the recipe for the Weight Watcher's version I was eager to try (and even more impressed by his level of support to forgo his version and eat what we both knew would not taste anything like the original...little did I know he had planned a back up version for himself...bastard).

I did all the prep work for him. It's not that I like playing the role of the sous chef so much as I like to control not only the ingredient calculation whilst preparing a diet meal but to contain the kitchen mess (can you all say a collective "control freak?") I always appreciate the effort MM puts forth to cook, but his method (or lack there of) is enough to push this OCD person over the edge. (In retrospect the marriage of two type A's, one with OCD tendencies and the other an off the charts A.D.D. sufferer, may not have been the brightest union!) Let me give you a little visual. Start with an immaculate kitchen (ironically the man decides to play cooking school inevitably on the day I've decided to scour the kitchen). Now, line the counters with grocery bags. Any normal human would unpack the bags first and get needed ingredients in order. Not MM. He unpacks the bags partially as he uses each ingredient, never mind if there are items requiring refrigeration or freezing. Next take out every single pot and pan, some are used and some just there because it's too hard to put them back. Now imagine pots bubbling over and extinguishing all four flames on the gas stove. It's usually this point when I can smell the escaping gas that I go to the kitchen and attempt to intercede in the background (said activity usually leads to an argument where I'm called controlling and banished from the kitchen). At any rate, to avoid this scenario I try to do some prep work in advance!

Wow, I realize that this entry has been one giant digression. Isn't that what blogging is all about people? OK readers, stay with me a little bit longer, I promise I have a point! I should have known with an ingredient list 22 items long I was in for trouble. Red flag that many items for a dish that is pretty basic is a sign the recipe creators are trying to create flavor where there is none! Furthermore the recipe called for 4 leaks and 4 shallots (I am an onion lover of all varieties but even this seemed to skew on the high side). Needless to say, I followed the prep work to a T and left tiny bowls and plates of ingredients all along the counter. MM was thankful and remarked he felt like he was attending cooking school (ah, success on my part to be so organized!).

Stage two, assembly of said products. MM had some difficulty browning the chicken due to the small amount of oil used in the recipe. I knew the slight issues with this process could not possibly have lead to the poorness of the dish's flavor. When all was said and done we were both left looking at the pot wondering how the broth like mixture was going to magically turn into savory chicken and dumplings. Let me save you the suspense, no such transition was made. The dumplings, made mostly from cornmeal, did nothing to thicken the broth. Despite the fact that the recipe supposedly served six, there may have been six dumplings. Weak, Weight Watchers Chefs, really weak! The grand finale was nothing more than mealy over oniony soup. I refused to waste it and was far too tired to come up with an alternative dinner (MM had his back up of course) so I ate the damn "Chicken and Dumplings" masked as soup! It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but so far from expectations it was merely functional eating at that point.

Let me assure you, there are dozens of versions of Chicken Dumplings and all vary slightly in appearance. But none looked anything like the version we tried. Just to give you a few visuals:

Paula Dean (the Queen of Southern Cooking) does Chicken and Dumplings right!

Here is the Weight Water's version...notice a difference right away?

Another picture of "real" Chicken and Dumplings...no veggies but same creamy gravy-like consistency.

Back to the Weight Watcher's version...notice the dripping liquid from the ladle. I'm pretty sure the real version would stick to a spoon like glue.

On this picture of "real" Chicken and Dumplings note the sheer volume of Dumplings...basically an entire layer!

Notice anything missing here?? Yeah, I don't see any dumplings either. The 6 or so "dumplings" dissolved upon serving. As well, note the amount of leaks...is this onion soup or Chicken and Dumplings:

The conclusion of this pictorial essay is the companion photo that accompanied the Weight Watcher's Chicken and Dumpling recipe I found online.

Really? An empty clean plate and some silverware? If that wasn't a huge missed red flag I don't know what was.

In conclusion I made a really nasty version of chicken soup. No rice or noodles, but just some wet cornmeal as the soup's starch. I'm not knocking chicken soup. It is one of my favorites. I have a recipe to die for. Had I wanted chicken soup, I would have made my own.

As I started this post, you win some, you lose some. Put this in the lose pile and move on. Hopefully through this post my rage and disappointment will subside and I can move on to calmer days!!

Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating.

The Big Weigh-in followed by Memorial Day Eats

2010-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

I shuffled to the bathroom half asleep after another rotten night of sleep. We are in this in-between AC and open window weather right now. For some reason our second floor gets a little stuffy so I find myself needing the AC a bit earlier than normal. The house gets so much sun I think it gets trapped on the second floor. However, I love the fresh air so have been resisting the AC and I do think that is contributing to my poor sleeping. I once again had a night time snack attack...luckily this one far less damaging that the previous night. I had a 100 calorie pack in my nightstand (I know, strange, but I brought it up a few weeks ago for a snack but never ate it). Hopefully that is the last of the midnight munchies! OK, clearly I derailed. Back to the bathroom. As I was sitting on the toilet peeing I remembered it was weigh-in Monday (this whole long weekend has really thrown me off!). After emptying my bladder (a must for weigh-in...seriously, every little bit counts!) I moved to the scales. It was almost like my first week weighing in after I started my diet....oh the anticipation...did my hard work actually pay off? Oh it did! For the first time since my diet began I posted "big" numbers! I lost 4 whole pounds. Something I think is sort of crazy considering that is 20% of my estimated goal of 20 lbs total. I am officially down to 154. I'm so close to my goal weight I can almost taste it.

Which leads my to the second half of my post, Memorial Day BBQ eats. Similar to a handful of previous festivities I did not pig out to my old standard. But I didn't count. I think I was sort of celebrating my 4 lb weight loss with food, I know, how ironic! I would guess I exceeded my daily intake of points on my pre-meals snacks alone. I sat in front of the nut bowl hoovering an exceptional amount of salt and pepper flavored pistachios. Once I broke the seal, I couldn't stop. Great snack too, as I know nuts are high in calories. Oh well, I couldn't help it...my body was temporarily taken over by the Planter's Nut mascot. He made me eat them, really he did! At least I also filled up on lots of fresh veggies, and on a not so good note some cheese. The only bonus to all this snacking is that by the time dinner rolled around I didn't have the appetite for the pounds of pasta and steak tips I'd have wanted to eat. And I only had a small piece of angel food cake with way more fresh berries for dessert. As I said, not my greatest diet moment, but not the worst either.

The moral of the story is that I am fairly confident that even with today's pseudo pig out, I'm still fine so long as I stick to the plan this week. And right now I'm stuff from eating way more than I normally do that I am not feeling like eating much at all. Although I'm sure that will clear by tomorrow!

Hope you all had good Memorial Day weekends. Even if you didn't, you can at least take comfort in the fact that the official kick off to summer is over. You don't have to worry about serious holiday partying until July 4th. A month to shave off the extra lbs so you can enjoy food and fireworks! Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating.

Sunday Night Ramblings

2010-05-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

I almost feel like I should save my Sunday Night Rambling post for tomorrow since it's a holiday weekend. I'm sure my mindset will be the same. However, I have little to say, little energy to write, and tomorrow at the very least I can report my weight. So that in itself is a topic!

1. I am coming to a close on the end of this week, my first full week back without cheating. I felt like I had a great start but struggled over the weekend with food cravings. I am hoping with this week under my belt and my husband heading out of town mid week my focus will be back and I'll again see weight loss results. I'm nervous about tomorrow's weigh in but am just hoping this week was successful.

2. I had one major goof up last night. However, I believe I am still within my flex points so I am hoping that didn't hurt the weight loss for the week. Let me preface this short tale by telling you I am NOT a night time eater (by night time I mean in the middle of the night). When I went to bed I was not quite satisfied (my meal was sub par to put it nicely). I wanted a sweet but fought the urge to over indulge in desserts. Once in bed I lay there listening to my husband snore...he's almost like a buzz saw. After an hour of watching TV and trying to sleep I was still thinking about food. I thought if I continued fighting my urge I would never get to sleep. So I tip toed downstairs (why I don't know b/c my husband has been know to sleep through hotel fire alarms so I highly doubt he'd hear me on the stairs) to the kitchen. First I had a few bites of my husband's version of the Chicken Dumplings we had for dinner (yes, we had his and hers versions as usual). The I moved onto one of my Weight Watcher's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae Desserts. I was like some sort of starving vagabond eating by the light of the fridge afraid at any moment that my husband would catch me in the act. It's not like I was doing something illegal but closet eating seems almost embarrassing. There is a 50/50 chance I'll get caught via this blog...but he is not an everyday reader so my moment of night time weakness may go unnoticed. If not I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it!

3. I mentioned his and hers chicken dumplings. I have to say I'm sort of fed up with the same old same old and more than anything wanted some good old comfort food. Southern style chicken and dumplings is among my favorite. It's a pain in the ass dish to prepare and one that my husband does better than I. So in essence I win on both fronts...a meal I love and one I don't have to cook! However, I don't even have to look at the recipe to know the entire dish is a big fat no no for a dieter. A whole chicken, flour, bacon grease, butter...yum yum, but no fun on the belt. While online my man found a Weight Watcher's recipe for Chicken Dumplings. Upon reading through the recipe, it didn't seem like it would be too bad. Let me assure you it was not great. I thank my husband for trying. At the same time I want to yell at him because he made a separate "safe" version in case the somewhat doubtful recipe failed. Fail it did and he has his more fattening version available. Also available for me in the wee hours of the night. In the end I did what I could to eat the dinner and improved upon it for leftovers tonight. This is one recipe I will not be repeating or sharing with you all.

4. Tomorrow we are having a few friends come for a visit. Having real food eating friends over we will need real food for them to eat. I would very much like to enjoy the feast but will try to keep myself away from the angel food cake, the burgers, potato salad, and most of all the pasta salad. A self admitted carb junkie, anything pasta is my Kryptonite. Oh, and we also bought one of those 100 piece hor d'oeuvres boxes from Costco. Yeah, that should be fun to serve and watch other's eat. While I love that I can fit into old clothes, feel better physically and mentally, I have to say I'm getting rather irritable watching everyone else around me eat things I know taste way better than what I'm eating. Sigh. Goal weight - please come soon!!!

5. I will be making a trip down south to Mississippi shortly. I am already having anxiety about how I am going to escape all the pitfalls that not only accompany anyone traveling outside of the home, but I'm going into the belly of the beast. The motherland of all things caloric. I don't know what I'm going to do. I think I may need to not only stay on point the next two weeks, but I may actually need to go on a complete and total food strike in preparation for this trip. At the very least I'm sure it will provide lots of humorous content rich stories for you all.

OK, I'm going to say good night to you all. I hope anyone who is still in the midst of Memorial Day Weekend festivities that you are staying strong and finding your way to the standard vegetable tray at everyone's BBQ. Until tomorrow, happy and healthy eating.

The good and the bad of sizing down

2010-05-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

A few days I posted about my closet fashion show. I referenced a pair of white J Crew pants/capris that have been off limits for years. Still having failed to bring up the basement laundry and running low on clean clothes, I figured it was time to wear my old pants and let them stretch out a bit. After all, they've gone unused for so many years. As I said before, they slide on relatively easily and are tight without being obscene. The desire for stretching is more for personal comfort than look.

First I have to say, it's been a long time since I wore something that was more fitted. There was a nice give in the fabric so that my thighs have some room. However I underestimated a few items. While I am thrilled to be in a size 8 (at least for these pants...and really I am none too hung up on size because one store's 8 is another's 12...honestly, they are just silly representative numbers) I am not sure my body is. Some parts are working better than others. When I'm standing all is relatively comfortable and well distributed. However, upon sitting my thighs flatten like pancakes spreading through the extra room in my pant leg. On a chair in these pants I look fatter than in my baggy version of these pants. The other annoying part is that when you sit down all you stomach fat gets shoved up. My current waistband doesn't have a lot of give, so there is only one place for that excess fat to go...up and out. The dreaded muffin top. Since these pants purchased in pre-baby years they are a bit more low rise. Most of my current pants are a bit higher so when I sit I can pull the waist area up to hold in the pushed up fat (mind you I do NOT own mom jeans/mom pants, but these are a step above the teeny bopper low rise).

So here I sit on the one hand feeling proud to be in my "skinny" pants. Yet on the other hand they make me feel more fat. Even as I write I'm looking down at my body and I'm reminded of an ant. My chest is the first part equivalent to the ant's head. then it dents in. Next my stomach pops out forming the ant's body. The waistband of my pants cuts in again. And then my legs bulge out at the thighs to complete me...as an ant. I wonder if we women (And I'm sure there are those out there more well adjusted than I) will ever be content in the physical appearance department.

Anyway - that is my "new old" pants story of the day. My husband is thrilled I'm shopping for clothes in my closet verses at actual stores. He was blessed in the fact that I am really not a big shopper to begin with and have been less so since the chub days. And while these pants are wearable, even outside the house, I have to recognize that I am still in-between sizes and that my body is never going to fit into clothes the way they did prior to maternity. I am afraid my muffin top, while shrinking (we've gone from the kind you see at Costco to the mini muffin 12 pack size) will always be a part of my body. On a positive note the muffin top makes a nice cushion for a child to sit on...like a ledge with a pillow and for mom's it's an excellent place to rest a coffee mug in the morning.

Before I sign off I wanted to say thanks to anyone who sent site suggestions or ideas. Love to hear from more of you so feel free to comment or send me email (see blog entry http://20lbstogo.blogspot.com/2010/05/request-for-help.html). Love the input and will only help me make this new site more user friendly!

Until tomorrow, happy and healthy eating to all.

Request for Help!

2010-05-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason I have been a bit remiss in writing is that I am trying to transition this blog into an actual website (I know, I know....a blog is a website). What I mean is that I am trying to take what I've started and expand it to become more of a community dieting support site that will contain useful tools, expanded recipes, and most of all a sense of humor! My daily complaining and weight stats will be one section of this whole project. I am in the very early stages of brainstorming and design exploration. So...I am asking all you readers out there (especially the ones dieting) the following:

1. Are there diet websites/blogs out there that you go to or think are good?
2. What would be most useful in a diet website...what would make you use it (I'm not trying to be a sign up and become a member but a place people go for general support/encouragement)?
3. I am looking for different sites to inspire an overall design. I realize how light an internet user I am as I can barely think of sites to visit. So what are some cool sites out there that you all visit....both from an overall design standpoint (clean/pretty/unique) and functionality (sites that are easy to navigate/user-friendly). These don't have to be food/diet related...just good sites.

I really would value any and ALL input from you my dear loyal readership. You can either leave comments in the section below or at the following email: twentylbstogo@gmail.com

I wish I had more time to write (not that I have any more to say than I did 2 days ago....damn writer's block continues!!). It's been a busy couple days, but looks like I'll have some good writing time coming up. Hope everyone is happily staying on their diets. Until tomorrow, happy/healthy eating.

Readers Beware...Train Wreck of an Entry Forthcoming!

2010-05-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have a list 10 million items long spanning multiple life categories and zero motivation to get anything done. I have been sitting here starring at this dirty laptop screen ("Clean laptop screen" has been on my to do list for about 4 years now) for close to 45 minutes. I have refreshed my email about every 30 seconds. I have trolled a handful of my regular internet sites (although I have placed myself in a media free bubble as I have not watched the LOST series finale yet so am avoiding most mainstream news/internet sources). I made sure I was up to date on all things Facebook. I have made a phone call. I chatted with my sister, who I saw less than three hours ago, online at work. I am feeling unproductive and unmotivated on a colossal scale today and I have no idea why. I am sitting on my back deck, inches from my kitchen, wondering if it may be time for a snack. I think not. More coffee perhaps? No, that will only further disperse my already shattered focus.

I suppose this is what they call writers block, something I'm all too familiar with and probably the reason why none of my ideas make it to the conclusion. I just got up again and fetched a piece of gum...the snack of dieting champions! I often wonder what long term damage I'm doing to my body via the surge of chemicals (Splenda for example) in the pursuit of a smaller waistline. I think that is a blog entry in itself. And that is a topic much too large for today's scattered brain!

I am debating going for a swim around lunch time. That seems like a monumental effort at the moment. I know I will feel better after but it's been two weeks so the swim rhythm has been broken and it's always hard to restart. Plus I'm tired (not like that is different than any other day of the week) and my back is sore from gardening so if I went I might drown. I sort of feel like going for a bike ride, but my hands are still recovering from the battle wounds I sustained from Sunday's lawn mowing incident. I can barely hold a brush, so I'm thinking gripping handle bars for an hour is not going to expedite the healing process. I know the old saying goes "No pain, no gain" but quite frankly I'm happy to talk myself out of just about anything at the current moment. I may settle on taking my dog for a walk. But it's hot, and she's a cripple so that may just be too mean!!! Its's her I'm thinking about, right? It's really too bad that napping isn't a form of exercise because I could go for one of those right now. Perhaps on a lawn chair in my backyard. Since it's hot out I would likely sweat...that could lead to weight loss right?

Break number 45. Wandered through kitchen looking at food items. Settled on a Diet Coke. That is unofficially on my "no" list simply because it's not very healthy. However, I looked at some packing peanuts lying on the counter that arrived with a package yesterday and I wondered "What would happen if I ate one of those....would they blow up in my stomach and I'd never want to snack again?? They probably have the consistency of Pirate's Booty." If that thought isn't proof enough that this morning is NOT the morning to be trying to kick my Diet Coke habit I don't know what is.

OK, this blog entry is going no where good. I wonder on days like today if it's better not to write anything at all. I made a promise to myself to write everyday, as if it were a "real" job in hopes that someday it will in fact become a real job that pays me actual money. No one has a good day everyday at work, so I'm entitled to my occasional bad day. I can't imagine that every word that came from Shakespeare's pen was a masterpiece. For those of you who stuck with me to the end of this dreadful post, I am sorry. Maybe something made you chuckle. At the very least I hope my desire to ingest packing peanuts made you feel a little better about your own daily cravings!!

Until tomorrow...what I hope will be a more fruitful day in terms of writing and productivity...happy and healthy eating!

Death and Taxes are as certain as Weight Loss and Clothes

2010-05-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

I think the dieting gods have thrown a little luck my way. Despite another week of what I would call "destructive snacking" (is there any other kind....don't answer that!), Thai Fest Friday, and my lack of physical exercise I remained at my current weight of 158. Furthermore, I was suppose to drop down to 23 points/day (I had been at 24) once I hit 157, but forgot to check and have been eating at 24 for two weeks now. Phew. Not "happy" about that but certainly glad I did not tick up another pound. I'd be annoyed to be that close to 160 again. So thank you powers that be for allowing my food consumption and blatant disregard for the points system go unnoticed! I promise to pay homage to you this week and once again start the numbers trending downward!

On a happy side note, I decided to play "fashion show" this morning. It seems like a lot to cram into Monday, what with weigh-in and school drop off. I assure you it was not intentional. My clean clothes were sitting in a hamper in the laundry room (and have been for a week now...for some reason it's SO hard to get those clean clothes upstairs and folded) and it was just two much effort to trek down two flights and back up again. So I decided to work within my closet. My first test was a super cute pair of Lilly Pulitzer capri pants I was given at Christmas time. I loved them and didn't have the heart to tell the giver that I'd be lucky to squeeze my calf into the thigh area much less my ass! But as I do with many articles of clothing, I put them in the "when I lose weight" section of my closet. Some may have been eaten by moths now...who knows! At any rate, I take these out now and again as a "check" to see how the actual weight loss numbers translate to my actual body. The last time I tried these was about 3 weeks ago. I managed to pull them over my sausage thighs and just barely zipped them. However, one wrong breath and they'd have blown. Today, while still tight on the thighs, they pulled on with considerably less effort. The zipper went up And while not comfortable or suitable for public viewing, I can see light at the end of the tunnel. That prompted me to grab an old pair of white cargo capri pants from J Crew...a size 8 that I have not dared to go near. Low and behold, those slid on and probably could have been worn if I'd given myself 30 minutes of stretch out time. I was in SHOCK. Those have been sitting in my "I can't get rid of pile because I love them too much and there is no reason why I can't wear them again" pile since the pre-baby days. In the end I went with an old standby sun dress I picked up at the Gap for $5 bucks. In my chub days it made me look pregnant unless I sucked in. It was worn mostly around the house. Today I wore it out and it actually looked like I assume it was imagined to look on a non-maternity body.

I have been holding onto one item of clothes from 8 years ago. They are a fabulous pair of capri jeans from J Crew that I had worn just enough times to be soft but not to the point of tearing. I have NEVER been able to get rid of these as they were what I wore the night I met my husband (well, I guess it was technically the second time we met, but it was the time we decided we liked each other....OK, collective "Awwwww, how sweet"). For one, they are one of those sentimental pieces of clothing (why we women do this I have no idea....I can't imagine my husband holding onto any piece of clothing for an emotional reason). Secondarily, I looked HOT in those damn pants. Even before the pregnancy these were not a part of my wardrobe anymore (once you get to that "I'm going to be with this person for the rest of my life" stage you sort of let yourself go a little bit). I kept them in my dresser for years, even after the arrival of our little girl. I have not tried them on in a long long long time. I know better than that. I finally put them in a box of clothes that will never fit again but I cannot bear to part with and moved that box to the basement (Don't worry, it's a small box). Like the last time I decided to play fashion show in my closet (http://20lbstogo.blogspot.com/2010/04/walking-through-time.html) I feel I may be getting cocky. I think I might just go down and open the box and take out that beloved article of clothing. Even while the wheels are turning in my head, I know this is a colossal mistake. I once called these "standing pants"...you know, the kind that you look great in from a vertical perspective, but if you transitioned to a sitting position no matter how skinny you'd still have a muffin top spilling over the waistline and your ass crack would be hanging out on the other side. They are the super low rise kind that I could wear back in the day. And let's face it, most of the time when I wear them I'd be going out where you are standing at a bar trying to attract attention, not sitting down trying to pull your shirt down over the stomach spill and protruding thong. I know I will never wear these again, but that is not to say I won't try them on just as a means of torture. Luckily my day is pretty busy and I don't think I'll have time to hit the basement in search of my former self.

I hope you all have good weigh ins this week. Just think, with the warmer weather, lighter meals are the thing to do. Stay strong weight loss warriors. Until next time, happy healthy eating!

Sunday night Ramblings

2010-05-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight should be a good set of ramblings...my brain feels like a jigsaw puzzle. Lots of things going on and this is the first moment I've sat stopped going all day. Phew, am tired. It's been a weekend of good, bad and ugly!

1. I will start off with the bad. I had take out on Friday night. I have not had take out since beginning the diet many weeks ago (I've actually lost count but think I'm on week 7 or 8). I'm sure you can order healthy take out, but really...if you are ordering take out it's probably because you are too tired to cook which means you are even less likely to care that what you are eating is most likely not on the diet plan. I decided if I was going to cheat I might as well really live it up and I ordered Thai food. A giant helping of Massaman Chicken Curry dribbled over a large helping of Thai Sticky Rice (I have NO clue what they do to make this rice stick like glue, but I'm sure there is some additive that contains calories/points). The creamy mix of coconut milk, curry spices, chicken, veggies and peanuts was like Heaven. I was riddled with guilt with each bite, but once I started I couldn't stop. I ate it all....the rice the entire helping of curry. I felt positively ill afterward...like I was in some sort of drunken food coma. I have no idea how many points I ingested and I don't care. It was probably just what I needed to satisfy an itch and to remember what it's like to feel gross after a total pig out session.

2. The good...I am back on track after Thai Fest Friday. I stayed on point both Sat and again today (even though it's not over I'm projecting I'm good for the night). I don't know if my last two days of diet re-dedication are going to be enough to save me from additional weight gain. I hope at the very least I'll stay the same as last week. I feel like a bit of a broken record the past two weeks saying I have been fighting snack urges. This seems to be what happens to me, I fall off my program, start snacking and then have blown all that work. I simply give up. I'm fighting that like crazy this time...mostly because I've never had this much success before and I can actually see a result. So I'm going to fight like crazy to get back to my eating in moderation. I'm hoping for a kind weigh in tomorrow to keep my spirits up!

3. The ugly. My hands look like they were dipped in boiling water....many blisters all over. Why you might ask? All because I moved my lawn. What you ask?? Yes, I moved my lawn and now my hands are a shredded mess. This is not the first time I've handled a lawn mover people. With a perpetually absent husband most of the man chores fall on my shoulders. My mother-in-law can even testify to my operating the snow blower at 10pm at night when she was up for a rare winter visit (my Southern family tends to steer clear of the Northeast during those brutal winter months). I don't mind mowing the lawn. We moved to our current house late last summer so I believe I only got in a mow or two before the season. My husband has done the first two mows this season. To say I was ill prepared for the task at hand was an understatement. My yard (I am currently renting so this is NOT my doing) is as lumpy as a Polo field post Polo match. You wouldn't know it looking at it but as soon as you start walking on it you wonder if there is a group of gophers living underground or an overactive squirrel burying population. Bocce is made WAY more interesting by our lawn dents. At any rate, while the yard is small it took me almost an hour to push my old sad mower through the bumps and ditches. At the conclusion my hands were gnarled sad little appendages. Hopefully those will heal soon.

4. I did not swim at all this week. Very bad. I did a lot of yard work/gardening today...doubt that made up for the lack of pool time but it's something.

5. My man is back in two days. Good and bad on that front. It's been fabulous not having to make 20 course meals that contain 5 meat products. I do miss him so am genuinely looking forward to his return. I just wish he was coming home with a lobotomy ready to eat any calorie free morsel I prepare. To dream. I'm once again going to have to deal with him restocking the house with chips and fatty foods.

6. My husband found an interesting site called Stumbled Upon (http://www.stumbleupon.com/). It makes personalized recommendations for websites based on what you say you do and don't like. If only I'd known about this eternal time suck when I was working a desk job. I was a late adopter of Facebook too. Perhaps that is why going back to "real" work is so unappealing. But with websites like this, work might be manageable if I had to. At any rate, once at stumbledupon, my husband stumbled upon the following site: http://www.tastespotting.com/. This is my virtual version of cheating. I go to this food site a few times a day just to look at all the pretty pictures of food. If I'm feeling particularly punishing I will read the actual recipe and imagine how good it must taste. Anyway, I had to share in case anyone else felt looking at food may keep them from eating actual food!

With that, I think it's time I signed off and found a diet dessert. Fingers crossed everyone had good diet conscious weekends. Until weight in Monday, happy and healthy eating.

An addendum to "Condiment Do's and Don'ts"

2010-05-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

I have found two noteworthy items to post as follow up to my condiment piece.

First, my sister found a Facebook group for "People Who have Emotional and/or Psychological Issues with Condiments"...(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2232735595). There are only 26 members (I am holding off on joining because I am not ready to publicly register my freakishness) so at least I know I am not alone in the world!

Second, my husband found a silly "Table of Condiments" noting the lifespan of each condiment. I didn't realize just how many condiments I'd overlooked and how many more there are out there to hate! At least I know now when to throw the offenders away that are required to be in my household be other normal family members. See link if you too want to protect yourself from rotting condiments: http://backtable.org/~blade/fnord/condiments.html.

I am just trying to do my job as a public service agent of food by informing all my readers!! Enjoy.

Condiment Do's and Don't's

2010-05-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been a bit content light of late. Not as funny as I can be. Time has been an issues. All which in my opinion have compromised my blogging. Perhaps I am too hard on myself, but I do take my "job" to entertain you all seriously! I don't have much in the way of wisdom to provide seeing as the past two weeks have been a battle for me to remain dedicated to the diet. I keep trying but have fallen back into some old habits. If I figure out the secret to stopping those, believe me I'll let you all know. So I figure at most I can provide a light Friday entry about something I feel passionately about, and not in a good way,....condiments.

You have probably heard me reference my distaste, perhaps that is too light a word...my abhorrence, of condiments. I find ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressing, vinegar, relish/pickles, and gravy to be among the most vile and offensive substances ever created. Yes folks, I am a self admitted freak show. I know some people may have one of these items on their own dislike list, but the whole list....probably not. I have to say I have NO clue where this little tick came from. My family members are all normal, and I am the only one who has taken up issues with these common garnishes. There is no one traumatic incident I can point to that kicked off this aversion. I am not sure what that really says about me.

However, this goes back as long as I can remember. I was the kid who had to special order at the MacDonald's Drive thought....Quarter Pounder with Cheese but no ketchup, mustard, or pickles (Luckily I don't eat fast food anymore so this isn't really an issues at present). Twenty minutes later while waiting in the parking lot (sort of defeats both the purpose of "fast food" and drive-through) my father would be fuming that we were still waiting for my special order. At least half the time my special order was just too complicated for the workers within and my meal would come out with some offending substance. I knew better than to ask for a re-do and was smart enough to carry a stash of extra napkins with me for this reason alone. Away we'd go, late to whatever event because of me, and I'd be in the backseat performing the equivalent of a surgical procedure to remove any trace of condiments from my bun and burger. It was not a pretty sight. I was happier eating napkin bits then any red, yellow, or green substance.

Salad dressing is particularly difficult for me. One of my best friends who was a virtual live in at my house growing up, loved Italian dressing. I want to vomit even thinking about this as I write. I would try to be normal and deal with the awful smell emanating from the leafy greens. For me, the smell of Italian dressing might as well be the same as a pile of steaming dog shit. It really is that bad. So I'd start to inch further and further away from the offending plate as well as breathing through my mouth. I'd try not to draw attention to it because I didn't want to make anyone feel badly that they were eating something so normal, but it's hard to miss a kid inching away from the table breathing like they had asthma or something. It's a wonder I had any friends or parents that didn't send me away under reason of pallet defect.

Mayo is about the most vile substance. The texture alone sends shivers up my spine. I worked in a bagel shop in high school and when I had to fill the mayo dispensers I seriously contemplated quitting. Many times I was able to trade jobs with my other coworkers. I'd rather clean the bathroom than deal with the condiment refills, especially the mayo. But if duty called I would DREAD pulling down the monstrous vat of chunky white goo. Inevitably when I had to refill the containers the vat was always almost empty. So I'd have to reach in with a spatula and scrape the bottom to get the last bits of mayo to transfer to the individual containers. It was impossible not to get the junk on my hand and arm no matter how careful I was. I literally would run to the sink and wash it off and then go right back to it. Luckily I was able to conceal this odd behavior from the owners as I'm sure this was not the most effective work style.

I think the crux of my aversion lies in vinegar (although not always as some of these items are vinegar free). I would rather eat dry bread, dry meat, dry lettuce than let any offending agent cross my lips. I do have several exceptions to the rule (which my husband loves to point out as totally illogical...which I fully concede). I make no excuse that I am in any way shape or form normal about this. First of all, I will eat tuna (not so much anymore because I'm terrified of mercury poisoning..but that is a story for another day) or chicken salad made with mayo. Beware, I must carefully inspect the mixture to ensure it's not too heavy on the mayo or I will have to order a dry turkey sandwich instead. (Side note, all this is order out as I never make any of these things at home). The same rule applies to potato salad. If desperate enough I will eat potato salad that has too much mayo so long as I scrape each potato piece on the side of my plate to remove excess mayo. After the end of this process my plate looks more like that from a 5 years old than a mature 30-something!

I will eat Mexican and many Asian condiments. Guacamole, sour cream, and salsa (well, there is a rule within the rule as I only really like the liquid not the chunks of salsa...I know...FREAK)...bring it on. Most soy based Asian dipping sauces are a go in my book. I know many have rice wine vinegar in them, but I chose to not think about that or I can make myself ill. If I make any of these at home I will have to substitute something for the vinegar. It's one thing to accidentally eat something you don't like but it's another think to proactively add something you are convinced you hate! As well, I like many cheese sauces that are sometimes used on sandwiches.

I don't always like being this way, but at 30 something I think I'm over trying to change and force myself to eat things that really do not add nutritional value to food. I periodically try to taste or smell some of the items on the "no no" list but find it's just not worth it. From a diet perspective I know my aversion (Mexican ones aside of course...damn) to condiments is actually saving me on the calorie front. Perhaps anyone else out there looking to shave some calories should try my anti-condiment campaign!

The ultimate irony here is that my husband is not only a condiment embracer, but he probably considers condiments (especially ketchup, mayo and pickles) a fifth food group. I am barely able to be in the same room with him as he constructs a sandwich or burger that is more condiment than meat and bread! To make matters worse, ketchup goes on anything and everything. I'm waiting for the day he decides the red stuff would compliment something like pancakes. How could I have been so blind in my marital choice? I wasn't hopeful of finding another condiment hater who would happily join in the cause to raise condiment free children, but a condiment over-indulger....really?? I guess this is one more thing to put in the pile of our stark differences.

I will leave you with one last condiment related story for your amusement. I simply cannot write about my issues with these substances without telling this story (thankfully time has healed all wounds). My senior year of college I lived with a large pack of my friends. It was a fun time filled with pranks of all sorts...you know, the good old days. We all had dining rooms in our dorms and that is where you had your meals at set hours (I know, not the norm by any means). I had been late, mostly likely I was at the barn doing something with horses, and missed dinner. Well, my friends saw this as a golden opportunity to pull a prank on me. My room was open, as everyone else's was. In my absence, they had taken hundreds of packets of ketchup, mustard, and mayo from the dining room. You can only imagine where this story is going. I came home to a room filled with condiment packs. Thank God my friends had the foresight to know not to open them otherwise it may have required me to check into the mental health facility for a nervous breakdown. Even closed the packets gave me the creeps. All I could hear were the giggles in the hall as I gasped at each new discovery. In my drawers, my desk area, my closet, my bookshelf, taped to the walls. Throughout the course of the evening I thought I had discovered the bulk of them which I piled in a stack outside my room door. Finally it was bedtime. I pulled back my comforter and much to my horror my so called friends had sewed packets to the edge of my fitted sheet. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. My bed, my sanctuary was now dotted with contaminants of the worse kind. If I weren't broke I would have thrown the sheets away. That was not an option. I managed to pull it together, detach the packets, wash the sheets, and reclaim my room again. Sigh....I can look back now and laugh hard, but I do remember feeling a sense of panic and "ick" at the time. You guys know who you are....you got me and you got me good!!!

At any rate, that is my story for the day. I hope after you have all read this that I still have some friends who will not consider me too strange and neurotic to run with. Aren't we all abnormal in our own ways?? Until later, happy, healthy, condiment free eating days!

The Girls are Back in Town

2010-05-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

The male invasion has departed...at least temporarily. I have four nights without men (OK, my 22 year old cousin is staying tomorrow night but that is just one night and he's super easy going), without meat, without making multiple dinners. I don't have to watch Sports Center or five different programs at the same time. I can go to sleep to the peaceful sound of my own breathing verses the thunderous snores of my husband. My sister and I can return to a brief stint of co-dieting, co-parenting, co-dependency if you will. Bliss, pure bliss. I do miss my husband but am thankful for a few days of "me" time. I am realizing just how big an adjustment it is to go from being on your own for so long to having a house full of people!

I feel like a tire that is slowly leaking air. I'm quite tired, and was even too tired to make a trip to the grocery store. Like all other routines, my shopping habits have been completely shattered. My daughter is surviving on bread, bacon, and cream cheese. To be honest, even with a house full of food that set of items wouldn't be too different. My sister and I padded around the kitchen tonight trying to figure out what to make that would not require a trip to the store. Sadly, I didn't even have a tomato in the house! After a day of mishaps beginning with accidentally taking my husband to the airport to catch a bus (with him on the car I am on autopilot and before I knew it I was driving threw Terminal A before he said he needed to go to the bus station....sad that he didn't catch that mistake en route either!), followed by toddler peeing her bed during nap time, followed by toddler peeing her pants prior to dinner (after a year of being potty trained she seems to be going through some sort of regression...perhaps the male invasion was too much for her too :-)) it was obvious that this was NOT the day to try anything new in the kitchen. At the end of our ingredient tour it was decided...."Let's slop it (http://20lbstogo.blogspot.com/2010/03/bean-slop-recipe-yum-yum-can-i-have-sum.html) tonight."

I haven't had slop in weeks. I forgot how much good diet comfort food tasted. My sister was a rock star and cooked. After multiple loads of pee pee laundry and the bedtime chase routine (that is still going on...I have been upstairs at least 4 times for various requests), it was so nice coming downstairs to the old stand by. My belly that was previous telling me I needed to eat the leftover chips and cookies is now quieted. I feel the snack demon subsiding inside and I hope the next four days of female stability will get me back on track before I have to go back into battle with boys, meat, and beer.

Well, that's all for tonight folks. Too tired to write more. Too burnt to write anything funny, inspirational. or useful. So all you dieting dieters, keep on chugging (we played Thomas the Train today) and until tomorrow, happy and healthy eating!

A Gift from Across the Pond

2010-05-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

I received my first blogging gift...from across the pond no less!!! I spent an amazing year abroad some time ago and walked away with some amazing friends I know will be a part of my life forever. Much to my delight when I opened my mailbox the other day I found the following:

This was the nicest and most thoughtful treat from one dieter to another!! So thank you AH...you rock!!!

I'm pretty sure the Royal Mail service of Britain does not understand the meaning of "urgent" in relation to emergency snack food. I recall my dear friend saying she had dropped a package in the mail back when I began this blog...good thing it was only until recently I fell off the wagon or I could have been in trouble. And if anyone working for the Royal Mail is reading this....pass on to the appropriate supervisors that anything labeled "Urgent Emergency Snack Food" is no small matter!

The best part about this little package (aside from the moral support of my little pet project and my waistline) was seeing someone else's favorite low cal snack fixes...and even more interesting because they are from another country. Included in the package were the following:

Caxton Pink 'n' Whites, Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons, Jacob's Iced Gems, and Light Alpen Chocolate Fudge Bars. My pal was even so kind as to include the UK Weight Watchers (at one point I believe she dubbed Weight Watchers as Chub Busters which I absolutely LOVE!) point values. 1/2 point for the P&W, 4 points for the buttons (Yikes...a lot for a snack but they are oh so good), 3 for the iced gems, and 1 for the Alpen. I checked with my US point finder and it seemed these values translated equally in the US...so now I know if I get called away to England on a moment's notice that I can pack my trusty point finder and be able to tackle the British supermarkets in diet style!!

I recall lots of favorite British foods from my days past (most notably the Cadbury Crunchie candy bar, Onken Biopot Wholegrain Peach Yogurt, Digestive Semi Sweet Biscuits, and well....BEER of course!). As well, the humus over there is WAY better than the humus here....I swear it really is...I'm not crazy! For the most part I wasn't terribly concerned with point values and calorie counting while abroad....just absorbing the local culture...most notably pub culture! However, now that I am older, wiser, and sadly fatter, I can no longer consume foods without wondering "What's in that?" And of course like a good citizen I just HAD to sample the arrangement of emergency snack food. I should have stopped with a taste of each...that would have been actual sampling. But no, I was so intrigued by the new items that I ate a pack of iced gems, a Pink and White cookie, and Alpen bar, and 1/2 of the individual button bag. Whoops. I think I dipped into some flex points with this afternoon's incident. I found the gems quite good...the most interesting for me by far.

Anyway, the remainder of my foreign stash is tucked away in my pantry for those desperate occasions when I feel like mixing up the diet program with some cultural flare!

This afternoon's sampling also got me to thinking...what is everyone else out there (both foreign and domestic) eating for their favorite "go to" diet snack? I'd love to hear any comments below - your favorite two standby snacks. I'm always looking for new things to try, and hopefully upon further suggestions from you dear readers, I can control myself a bit better than I did today when trying new treats!!

Until next time, happy, healthy eating!

Shrimp Tacos Hooray!

2010-05-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago during another lobster fest at my parents house, my sister and I opted for a less glutenous route. Plus I just can't rip those poor suckers apart. Even cooked, don't they look too cute to eat??

For whatever reason, I have never been able to eat these much sought after crustaceans. It is only recently I will eat lobster pieces in certain dishes. I am thankful I have this obviously hypocritical moral dilemma (clearly I eat other once living items) which keeps me away from butter drenched seafood. Shrimp on the other hand, bring it on. I think because their heads are gone, and they are dead upon arriving in your kitchen I am able to move forward ingesting sans problem! That said, my sister and I stuck within the Oceanic theme of the meal but crafted a nice, refreshing meal perfect for the approaching summer season.

Assigning Weight Watcher points to this meal is a bit tricky as a lot is based on estimation. For BEST accuracy use a food scale to measure your items. You will have an overall mixture with a total point value you have to divide based on how many people you are serving. Then you will have some "sides" that are easy to calculate.

Shrimp Tacos: Serves 3 to 4 people (3 if everyone is super hungry)
Points (based on 1/4 of the total mix below, 2 tortillas, and 2 oz of cheese): 8 points
*From the kitchen of MEG (LER's sister)

Ingredients
-16 oz Shrimp (measure when cooked and shelled): 8 points
-2 to 3 tomatoes (seeded and diced...save some of the tomato seeds): 0 points
-1/3 red onion finely chopped: 0 points
-Juice of 1 to 2 limes: 0 points
-Juice 1/2 lemon: 0 points
-1 large Avocado diced: 8 points roughly (2 oz is 2 points so you will have to use food scale for accuracy)
-2 TSP Olive Oil: 2 points
-1 TBSN chopped cilantro: 0 points
-Salt and Pepper to taste: 0 points
-Shredded Iceberg Lettuce (you can use cabbage as well): 0 points
-Shredded Carrots (2 large): 0 points (as long as you don't cook there are no points)
-Queso Fresco Cheese (It's a spongy white Mexican cheese...may be hard to find in traditional grocery store. Sold at Whole Foods. A mild Feta is an OK substitute): 1 oz is 2 points
-Small Soft White Corn Tortillas (I used the Mission Brand): 1 point/tortilla

1. If you are feeling lazy simply buy a pound of cooked shrimp from the store. If you are ambitious get the raw and shell and devein. I like the medium to large sized guys! Boil shrimp for 5-7 minutes. Drain and cool. When cool cut into pieces...not finely chopped but little chunks.

2. Combine in a bowl: shrimp, lime juice, lemon juice, diced red onion, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well coating all ingredients with the juices. Depending on taste you may need to adjust the level of juices. Start out with less and add more if needed. As with many of these recipes, much is based on personal taste. If looking a little dry add a few of the tomato guts removed to moisten. However, once you let this sit for a bit you'll see juice in the bottom so don't over kill with liquid in the preparation stage.

3. Add the avocado once you are satisfied with the flavor. Gently stir avocado chunks into mixture coating with the juices. I do this at the end because all that mixing can make the avocado get all mushy and you want to maintain the chunks.

4. You can make this a few hours ahead of time and set in the fridge to marinate. It is served cold. Right before serving, give it a stir to make sure that all the liquid that has settled at the bottom coats the mixture.

5. Shred lettuce and carrots to make a slaw.

6. Cut Queso Fresco into small cubes.

7. Just prior to assembly/eating microwave the corn tortillas. They are a slightly tougher and a bit more grainy than a flour tortilla. Warming them enables you to fold/roll them without breaking them into pieces.

8. Place desired amount of lettuce/carrot slaw on tortilla. Spoon a helping of shrimp mixture on top of slaw. Top with Queso Fresco. Fold into a taco shape and eat!! You will need some extra napkins!!

Volia - a close up of your shrimp mixture before serving. I'm salivating as I write.

Ready to become one with the belly. Picture below does not show cheese as this ingredient was added the second time this meal was made. But just picture a few chunks of yummy white cheese on top - what could be better??

The prep work on this isn't too bad. It's a great meal because you can make ahead of time, say during a toddler nap. Then it's ready to go when you come down post toddler bedtime ravenous and ready to inhale just about anything. Obviously you can fiddle with the ingredients...my sister likes to add a small amount of sour cream (2 TBSN of light sour cream is 1 point). If you are like my husband and need additional sides, corn is a nice compliment (although corn has points!). I find this meal more filling than I thought and a nice change of pace. If you have leftover shrimp mixture (I am normally funny about eating ANY seafood leftover but this seems to go against my general aversion to old fish) it's nice to throw on a bed of lettuce for a salad the next day! You will notice the more you read that I have a rule for just about everything, and every rule has some ridiculous exception. Case in point - eating leftover products of the sea.

Hope you all enjoy. Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating!

The long road back.

2010-05-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

So I fell long and I fell hard last week. I thought I could hold the damage to a day or two but as the week progressed it became obvious to me that my self control was slipping away. By the end of Thursday I told myself this week would be a wash. With a BBQ approaching, a missing sister, and snack food at an all time high in the house I gave up, ate, and proceeded to feel guilty. I kept this pattern up until last night. The good news is that I still had not returned to my prior days where if desperate enough I would actually find myself in the pantry with a spoon eating brown sugar...yes, I know, disgusting, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I was dreading my weigh in this morning, convinced that I'd be back to my days in the 160's...all that hard torturous work undone. Much to my delight I only gain 1 pound. I'm back up to 158. It's sad I'm happy with a 1 pound gain, but it could have been much worse.

So I am starting this week again fresh. I am fighting the urge to go take down some food I know is lurking around the corner in the kitchen. The difference today is that my sister is back (sadly not around a ton this week but just knowing she is mentally back and dieting) and our white board use has resumed. Big mistake not using it last week!! Secondarily the boys seem to be a bit "meated" out if that is possible. They both had salads for lunch and are happy to have me make a "diet" dinner tonight. Either they have no energy to cook and are happy to eat up what the ole ball and chain is serving or they have read a blog entry or two and figure they'd throw me a bone (or lack there of one!).

So with this entry I assure you I am in fact human and fell off the wagon...for a whole week. I hope I have gotten the sweet tooth under control again. It is also reassuring to know you can screw up and not have it be detrimental to the overall process. It is amazingly easy to see how one week can turn into a month and then two and then a year. Each day I messed up I felt more discouraged and less inclined to stay the course. I know that is why I kept up my expansion plan to date! What hit home, both in a good and bad way, is that this "dieting" is really a lifelong commitment. That sounds terribly ominous, but it is more or less true. On the good side, once you do all the hard work and reach the goal, you can go to a place where you can free up your eating a bit as long as you continue to monitor/check in on your weight to be sure you aren't stringing too many "bad" weeks together. The bad side is thinking you'll be on a diet for the rest of your life! However, I think the more positive way to view the diet is a healthier approach to eating verses a diet. After my recent glimpse into less rigid eating, I am more eager now than ever to get to that blasted goal!!!

With a resumed commitment to my diet, I am also making a commitment to get back on track writing. I know I have been remiss in my posting...life has been incredibly erratic of late. However, no excuses to my dear loyal readers. And tomorrow I will be posting a fabulous, fresh recipe perfect for summer nights! Until then, happy healthy eating to all!

Oh the pressure

2010-05-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have noticed a slight spike in "readership" since checking my Google Analytics account (this was my husband's - Mr. Metrics - idea). I have to say it's pretty cool to track those reports. I've even managed to make 60 whole cents (I don't think I'll get a check cut for that any time soon...but it's the first 60 cents I've earned for myself in a long time....outside of being a mom and all)!! So a HUGE thank you to anyone who is reading, laughing, struggling out there with me. And feel free to pass on to anyone who needs a chuckle here and there. It's so funny because I am a pretty shy person, my sister has always been the outgoing one, but I have usually been able to entertain people with my writing. I remember my one of my best friends and I used to write notes in high school and there was one note I wrote that had us laugh so hard that we'd take it out every summer we were home from college to re-read. Every available space of the paper was used and it was even complete with drawings of a Chuckles candy running off the page with an Ebola virus (don't ask, because I have no clue what my brain was doing but that is the part of the note I still remember). The note has since been lost but I still have hope one day my friend and I will kick back on our rocking chairs as 60 year old ladies and she'll whip it out and we'll keel over with laughter.

Anyway, that was a nice walk down memory lane. With this increase in readers I feel an even greater sense of pressure to write interesting things. I am trying to look at this a little bit like a job...I know that sounds very serious, but I hope maybe one day this will turn into something more, like a book. Although I've been saying that I'm going to write a book for 10 years now....still waiting!! The pressure is building on all fronts, not just the desire to write quality entries. But the pressure to work out more, to eat better. Pressure = stress = snacking. Help oh help I need to break this vicious cycle. I am having a horrible snack heavy week where I feel many of those old habits rear their ugly heads. One reader so rightly pointed out that one key to success is to avoid having the junk in the house in the first place. I had done a pretty good job of that prior to the testosterone invasion I mentioned in my previous post. Clearly there is little I can do about my dinner menus, and for the most part I can hold my own for meal time. But it's the snacking that is killing me.

I've also learned that boys cannot have a sandwich without chips. Normally more of a sweet person, I have an affinity for BBQ chips. Well guess what needs to accompany lunch....you've got it...BBQ chips. My brother-in-law shares my propensity for sweets, so in some ways I think we are co-enabling each other. He and my husband picked up an industrial sized container of Madeline cookies at Costco yesterday. Really....I just finished off those blasted Black and White cookies (yes that's right...the whole package gone in a few short days) and now I have to combat those. I bought two jumbo sized zucchini muffins with cream cheese frosting because I knew he'd eat some and I could have a bite (oh yeah, and my daughter too!!). The plan worked perfectly, except I had more than a bite! Thankfully my BIL ate one whole one on his own otherwise I'd have been in serious trouble. I have decided it's time to get rid of the ice cream in the freezer. After this post I am going to the freezer and I'm going to douse it with a cleaning agent and then dump down the disposal. Believe me, the cleaning agent is necessary or I may find myself scraping ice cream off my sink for one last taste (it's funny how my germaphobia can be put aside in the name of ice cream). The more time that ticks by this week and the more snacking I do the more I fear I may be writing to you on Monday for the first time with extra poundage!!

I did exercise my own sweet revenge on the boys the other day (not really). The other night we were all drooling over the TV as we watched the KFC Double Down commercial for the 101 time. The next day I decided the boys who are working so hard in the basement needed a little pick me up. I stopped at the KFC next to my gym (yes, for real, there is a KFC/Taco Smell RIGHT next to my gym....lovely!) and ordered a DD at the drive through. I was actually embarrassed ordering this ridiculous sandwich and was thankful I could hide in my car. I pulled in at 10:35 and quickly became a hero. We all rushed to the kitchen to unveil the holy grail of sandwiches. Upon opening, we three were quite disappointed. Does this look anything like the pictures on TV?

And now the Advertising Version:

Despite looking a little less crispy the taste test was deemed a success. My brother-in-law said it was "disgusting" in a way that really means good. I had one small bite and I have to admit it was good. Salty and tangy and the kind of caloric bliss that makes you eat more and more of that sort of food. After eating only half the boys decided even that was too much gluttony and threw the remainder away. But hey, at least they were equally temped as I have been over the past few days with their junk food in the house. Sweet revenge. I'm pretty sure it's suppose to work in reverse, that we are all suppose to support each other's efforts to live a healthier existence. Anyway, all I know is that the junk has to go, my sister needs to come back, and I need to find my will power that has been a fair weather friend this week.

Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating to you all!