Dive on in...

For a variety of reasons I need not go into, today did not start out on the right foot.  Probably a little bit of built up stress, probably not enough sleep, probably the grey skies and flooding of late contributed.  It was the kind of self pity party for one that generates pulling the covers over your head, not showering, and when you finally decide you've had enough of your room you drag yourself downstairs and curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby (a personal favorite).  Dinner would consist of an entire pizza or calzone, or perhaps an extra fattening thai dish all washed down with a Diet Coke (I've never liked Coke so at least I'd save some calories there!!)  Then you'd crawl back to bed fat and full wearing the same PJs that have been plastered to your body for 24 hours straight and hope the next day brings better moods.  I'm sure we've all had these lovely self destructive days.  Well, that is the sort of day I felt like having.  Why is it when we're down we (or at least a lot of us) feel compelled to stuff our face with the worst possible things?  Alas when you are a stay at home mom and have a toddler this sort of day is just not a possibility.  

Instead of plopping my daughter in front of the TV so I could eat and feel badly about things, I put on my bathing suit so I could swim while my daughter took her lesson.  Due to a plethora of colds, basement flooding, and a bunch of other random things it's been a solid month since I've been in the pool.  Plus the longer you are out of your workout routine the less motivated you are to dive back in (literally in my case).  But given my mood and increased level of stress of late I thought it best to try to release some of that emotional garbage with a swim.  I really wish I was a runner.  I was in the mood to run so hard with loud music blaring into my ears that I could feel my heart beating out of my chest.  I wanted to run until my lungs burned, my feet were on fire, my thighs shredded.  Until you have nothing left inside to feel badly about.  A runner I am not.  I like the idea of running, not the actual act.  I think I have this vision of being some super athlete in Nike Sneaks and tight fitting Lycra clothing that actually accentuates your body rather than your fat, who after doing a 10 mile run feels all the problems of the world melt away.  The reality is I would make it a block, be so out of breath I would be vomiting on the sidewalk, and my crap ass knees that really prohibit my running in the first place would be in need of another surgery.  So I stick with the swimming.

I don't want to go on with my gloom and doom so here is where my story takes a funny turn.  I must digress for just one more time because this whole blogging thing catches me off guard sometimes.  I know some very good friends who read this everyday and would probably think nothing of the personal details I am likely to share.  As well for future I hope to have readers who don't know me at all outside of my blog and in that case it doesn't really matter what they know.  But there is an in-between group of people that "know" me but don't really know me.  It makes me nervous what another mom at school drop off might think next time we meet in the classroom after perhaps reading my blog.  I think part of the reason I started this blog, in addition to self motivation in weight loss, was also to get to a point in my life where I can put myself out there and not worry so much about what everyone else thinks.  So here goes...

In my personal opinion, the process of evolution is seriously lagging.  I am talking about pubic hair.  Why we still have this pile of fur down there is beyond me.  I know I know.....evolution takes time.  But haven't we been protecting our lady bits from the elements for hundreds of years at this point??  I don't know about you all, but my goods are warm enough without the extra layer of hair.  Additionally, many of us have spent thousands of dollars, many painstaking hours, and a million rashes later in the pursuit of hair removal.  So come on already mother nature, help a lady out!  

Upon arriving at the gym this morning it suddenly occurred to me my last bikini wax was some time ago.  When you can't remember when, that is probably not a good sign.  Had I been more alert when I dressed I may have given it a second thought.  However, this is not the first time I've been in this precarious situation.  I am not a particularly hairy person other than this one area.  It's not like I'm a gorilla down there, but for whatever reason I think I got some extra hair...cruel joke from the universe.  Either that or I'm sleep walking and using bottles of Rogain as self sabotage.  I can't shave because I get a horrible rash.  I could go au natural but I'm sort of a prude and fanatic about hygiene.  So I am left with waxing that oh so sensitive area.  I try to stay on some sort of schedule before I turn into Cousin It, but as with everything else, life gets in the way.  

Ordinarily an unruly nether region would be a perfect excuse to avoid swimming.  But as I said earlier, I really needed to release some stress.  And it's not the first time I've let this happen.  I have come up with a few creative techniques you can apply when you have a lawn coming out of your swim suit.  When my daughter was younger and I had to go into the pool with her for her lessons.  I was not into a swimming routine at that point so needless to say this problem was a more frequent occurrence.  I would use her as a human shield to block wandering eyes.  Honestly, it seemed that every mom was not only the size of a toothpick only six months post baby (some even had on bikinis - WTF??) but no one seemed to have any stray hairs where they shouldn't be.  Not that I was looking hard, but you do notice these things.  It does look a little strange dangling your child in front of your private parts to avoid someone noticing but I think at the time I would have preferred someone to think I wan an inept parent rather than a hairy beast.  Vain I am in this regard.  A second technique I've employed when I could no longer use the human baby shield was to try to strategically walk with your hands covering the upper thigh area....but seriously, who walks around like that?  I'm not sure what is worse, protruding pubes or hands plastered to your legs while walking. My latest technique involves a towel and a kickboard.  First you cover the problem area with a towel while you walk to get a kickboard from the stand.  Then when it's time to hit the lanes you leave your towel on the bench and place the kickboard in front of you and bam, you can hop right in.  Again, this is not the most natural looking thing, but hey I think it works OK.  I guess I could stand tall, hairy bits and all, and not care.  But I do, I really do.  And I'm sure I'd notice someone else in my situation.  Speaking of which....where the other "me's" out there - am I really the only hair ball out there??

Anyway, this didn't have much to do with eating or an exercise routine.  But because it did involve going to the gym, I felt I should share this with you all.  Despite the rough start, I managed to swim 1.5 miles and felt much better after.  Once I start again, I do get into it and I may even try to go tomorrow morning.  The point for you my readers is if I can overcome the personal embarrassment of my shag carpet, then anyone can overcome a gym huddle.

Pizza Anyone?

The verdict is in...my old scale wasn't too off at all.  After trekking out in the pouring rain yesterday afternoon, I came home with a new scale.  My sister and I tried to do a little test to see if it was weighing things correctly.  We placed a 3 lb tub of cream cheese on the scale (cream cheese is one of the few things my daughter will eat so it pretty much goes on everything).  We waited, and waited and waited.  But the scale just read 0.  Perhaps the scale only weighs things over a certain weight, although I didn't see anything about that in the directions.  With the failed cream cheese weight test behind us, I hopped on the scale and it was only a pound different.  After all that, I now have my new pretty glass scale next to my beat up old one.  I think I'll step on them both and take the average when I weigh in...how technical!!  But I think its safe to call my weight this week 168!

Now, on to more fun topics....food!  Some nights you just don't feel like doing a big planned out meal.  Some nights Bean Slop (see previous post for Bean Slop recipe) even seems like too big an effort.  Last night I was in the mood for something "bad" but didn't want to cheat.  So I cobbled together a pizza of sorts.  For whatever reason I had been craving fresh mozzarella cheese.  I swear, I could eat ball after ball of that stuff.  It has such a perfect texture and the slight taste of brine.  Per my discussion yesterday, the beauty of Weight Watchers is that I am able to eat fresh mozzarella.  Granted I can't knock back a ball or ten, but in moderation it's A OK!  Here is a snapshot of my lovely fresh mozzarella pizza.

A close up so you can really see the ingredients.

Fresh Pizza: 9 points

Recipe from the Kitchen of LER

-1 slice of Trader Joe's Indian Naan Bread - 3 points

-1 Ripe Tomato on the Vine Sliced - 0 points

-2 oz Avocado Sliced - 2 points

- 5 or 6 Fresh Basil Leaves coarsely chopped - 0 points

-2 oz Fresh Mozzarella (BelGioioso Brand - not sure if all are the same) - 4 points

-Fresh ground Pepper and Salt to Taste

-Optional: Tiny Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

I follow the directions and cook the Naan first.  Then I just take it out, stack the ingredients, and broil until the cheese is melted.  You can make a few easy substitutions to reduce points: half the amount of cheese (lose 2 points), replace avocado with a grilled zero point veggie, etc.  Another option is to make a pesto sauce by using some garlic and 1 tsp of Olive Oil (that is 1 point) and more basil.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can make just about anything your little heart desires.

I need a little something more than just a pizza, although as you can tell from the picture this really does take up a plate so it's not a tiny portion per say!  I think the Naan gives you a good amount of bread for not a lot of points!!  I call myself a volume eater.  Clearly this is what got me into trouble in the first place!!  However, you can still be a volume eater on Weight Watchers, you just have to pick the right foods on which to binge!  A small garden salad is a good side for the pizza.  Some grilled or oven roasted veggies.  I actually ended up steaming a huge handful of French Green Beans (I eat a ton of these) that I topped with some lemon/salt/pepper.  If you eat one tiny bean at a time you can really extend your total eating time!!  Am I crazy or does everyone else feel like they constantly have to manipulate themselves when eating to achieve satisfaction??

At any rate, the beauty of this whole meal is that it requires VERY little effort, VERY little clean up, and VERY little time.  Top it off with a nice little dessert and you really will go to bed feeling happy!

I wish I had time to write more but today has been hectic.  I have to go work on my daughter's meal - that in itself is a true test of will power (chicken fingers, mac and cheese, etc...)  I do have a few good posts in the works that I hope to pull together for later in the week.  Thanks again for all the fun comments, I do love reading them and do respond (I am still a blogger newbie, so I am not sure if when I respond to a comment the original commenter is notified...didn't want anyone out there thinking I was ignoring them!).  So keep them coming because I love to hear your thoughts!

Monday A.M. Weight-in AND a Dieter's Menu

So the news is good...I'm down 4 lbs to 168.  That said, I am somewhat suspicious of this number.  As I said in my initial post, my home scale is super old.  It has been moved, dropped, stored more times than I can count.  I decided to take a second naked (I mean every little bit counts!) weight just before jumping in the shower.  Without my PJs I weighed 166.  I am somewhat doubtful that my pajamas weigh 2 lbs.  As well, my daughter clocked in a few pounds heavier than I believer her to be.  Long story short, a new scale will be purchased today to cast aside any doubt for future weigh-ins.  I'll update that number upon it's entry into the house.  I toyed with the idea of buying a "Dr" scale, but those run upwards of $100.  And where would you put something like that?  Go figure that even the one at my gym is broken, not that I go there all that often.  Anyway, I just wanted to share the stats before launching into my topic of the day, various diet programs.

It seems that everyone is on one diet or another and everyone thinks their diet is the "right" diet.  There are so many out there it's hard to keep track.  Lets review a few of the more ridiculous ones to start:

1.  I think my personal favorite has to be the Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet (http://www.cookiediet.com/)  I've heard how awful those cardboard cookies are.  Good gimmick I suppose..eat cookies drop lbs!.  Really, these don't even look appetizing in the picture.  I hate to write this, but the brown ones almost look like flattened dog turds.

2.  Cabbage Soup Diet (http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/).  This marvelous solution allows you to drink your way to thinner days.  I think the cons (quoted from the website) speak for validity of this diet "Some people find the soup bland. Some people have reported feeling light-headed, weak, and have suffered from decreased concentration (although some who have been affected in this way felt it was well worth it, since it was only for a week and they had lost considerable weight)."  Seriously, by the end of this process you and/or your spouse would probably prefer the extra fat on your body to the side effects the CSD is likely to produce.  I am imagining side splitting gas pains and a constant grandparent-like oder (when I think cabbage it just makes me think of old people) following your every move.  I also love how the picture of the soup is fuzzy and artsy verses a shot of what it really looks like.  

3.  The Master Cleanse Diet (http://themastercleanse.org/)  According to this diet "First, squeeze fresh lemon juice, then add rich maple syrup, and cayenne pepper into pure water.  Drink a minimum of six to twelve glasses throughout the day whenever one is hungary.  Take a laxative, morning and evening, or instead of the morning laxitive you can do the Salt Water Flush  Every day of The Master Cleanse that you overcome the psychological need ot eat, you feel a growing sense of control that motivates you to complete the process."  REALLY???  Psychological need to eat??  Granted we all eat too much but I'm pretty sure our bodies might need more than spicy liquid and a laxative during the course of a day and that has nothing to do with psychology.  Furthermore, how bloated you would feel with all that liquid sloshing around in your gut?  I have no doubt this works but I'm mildly concerned if people are out and about in the world like this.  I hope anyone on this diet refrains from operating heavy machinery or a motor vehicle in case faintness occurs!

There are tons more of these diets out there.  There is a good website that gives a snapshot of a bunch of diets out there with a sense of humor (if I had the time I'd go through them all with my own take, but I don't so I'll let you read hers instead): http://www.faddiet.com.  I'm sure if you follow some of the crazier ones you will in fact lose weight.  But I think the problem with instant weight loss programs is that they are not maintainable and inevitably you are going to put that weight back on your body.  Unless we're walking the runways of Paris normal people can't sustain a diet of gassy veggies, cardboard cookies, and laxatives.  Gross.

I think the key to long term weight loss success is finding a diet "lifestyle" that fits your needs.  I know some people really like South Beach (http://www.southbeachdiet.com).  This is a tri-phase plan based on eating the "right" carbs and fats.  The first phase is very strict and from what I hear yields good results.  The other phases set you up to make lifelong diet changes by breaking down foods into things you can and can't eat.  Another one that many people swear by is The Atkins Diet (http://www.atkins.com/Homepage.aspx).  Similar to South Beach, there are phases designed to have an initial strong weight loss kick off followed by steps to make long term lifestyle changes.  Atkins allows you to eat as many protein and fat calories as long as you cut out carbs.  I am not a scientist, but I still can't imagine if I ate nothing but steak and bacon morning, noon, and night how I would lose weight or have a beating heart left in my body!!  But at least these two diets have a plan and if that plan fits with your needs then it may lead to long term success.

I have chosen Weight Watchers (http://www.weightwatchers.com/) because it fits my overall approach to eating better than anything out there.  Let's face it, losing weight is not rocket science.  It's all about calories in and calories out.  In one way or another all these diets attempt to control that balance.  It just so happens for me that Weight Watchers is the best approach.  I love this ad (link below) because it really summaries how I feel each day I go into battle with food:

Let me set the record straight. I have never been to a Weight Watchers meeting.  I have never tracked my points at Weight Watchers Online.  I am not sure what this new Momentum Plan is all about.  Despite all this, I still say I am "doing" Weight Watchers because I have adopted their system of eating into my daily routine and track at home (on our white board - will have to snap a picture of that to show you all).  So I guess you could say I'm a rogue Weight Watcher - off the grid so to speak.  I like this diet because you DON'T have to give up anything.  A red flag for me is any diet that says you cannot eat a certain food.  Not only do I think it is too hard to do that long term, but it's like telling a 3 year old "Don't color on the wall."  No sooner have you turned your back, then there is a red stripe spanning the length of your living room wall.  

What I like about Weight Watchers is that you can eat anything within moderation.  Every food (OK, sometimes you have to be creative, estimate, or search around) has a point value.  You have a daily allotment of points per day (mine is 24) based on weight and activity level.  You also get a "bonus" pool for the week of 35.  Most people try to bank the 35 for weekend splurging.    I doubt this is much different than counting calories, but for me it just seems simpler.  The only pain in the ass thing about doing Weight Watchers is carrying around a sliding point calculator and getting used to measuring your portions.  However, I think this becomes easy relatively quickly because people tend to eat much of the same food week after week so you just remember how much your core foods are worth.  And after a while you are able to eyeball what 2 oz of avocado or 4 oz of chicken looks like.  It forces you to analyze the ingredients that go into a recipe and allows you to maybe alter something to make it more diet friendly.  It may make trying new recipes more time consuming at first but in the long run it helps you think about what you are really putting in your body.  In essence Weight Watchers teaches you portion control and how to make choices.  It allows you to fall off the wagon and adjust afterwards.

There are a few basic tools you will need to do Weight Watchers: The Point Calculator, a Weight Watchers get started book to find your point value and a list of hundreds of foods and their corresponding point value, and a food scale.  There are a ton of different ones out there and most are relatively inexpensive (here are some examples if you type in "food scale" at http://www.amazon.com/):
                    
$25.00 at amazon.com    $14.99 at amazon.com     $18.49 at amazon.com

As I said, I've never officially signed up for Weight Watchers but have been able to steal their tools from someone.  If you have an Apple iPhone, there is a point calculator application you can download call iWatchr or Pocket Pts (neither affiliated with Weight Watchers but seem to do the same thing to calculate points).  But chances are you probably know some whose tools you can borrow and copy to get started if you don't want to go the official route (and I am NOT knocking joining officially at all because I have heard that people do really well when they have the support of a group and the accountability of a weekly weigh in).  A last idea if you don't know anyone who has these tools is to go to a meeting once.  Often times they have promotional sign ups where you can go to a free meeting and they waive the initiation fee.  Basically you go and pay something like $10, go one time and get all the stuff you need to do this on your own.

Wow, this turned into quite the posting!!  Sorry this entry was a little dry but even I have to put my sense of humor aside for a bit now and again.  I'm sure it will return tomorrow!  I'd love to hear other people's perspectives or reasons for choosing one diet plan over another.  Feel free to drop a comment and let me know your thoughts!  Until tomorrow, happy eating!

Random Sunday Night Thoughts

I had hoped to write something over the weekend, but looks like time got away from me.  So instead of writing a well thought out story, I figured I would share what my brain is really like on Sunday night...a hodge podge of unconnected thoughts!!  

1.  I meant to mention last week that my crotchety middle aged dog joined the ranks of us weight loss warriors.  She typical packs on a little winter weight, we all need to stay warm through these northern winters now don't we?  I'll admit I noticed the harness was a bit snug.  Normally she is a lean and trim because she doesn't seem to have a cut off in her brain when it comes to exercise.  She will be crippled but still chasing a ball down on three legs.  Now if a geneticist could isolate and clone that gene they'd have my business...providing I didn't grow fur and start drooling.  I guess we probably gave her a few too many table scraps....I hate to waste the food my daughter doesn't eat.  But alas, it was confirmed my dog is now a fatty too.  She only has to lose 2 lbs, which if it were me I'd go out and celebrate that number with an ice cream!  But for her, that is 10% of her body weight.  The great thing about being a dog, she has NO choice in the matter and will be back to her trim weight in no time.  

2.  I am officially board with my diet.  It's been two weeks of regimented eating.  While I'm proud of myself for lasting this long I am starting to get that urge to snack.  It's getting louder and louder and I'm worried I won't be able to drown out the voices!!  I am hoping I have made progress and that when I step on that scale tomorrow the results will boost my moral and make me realize this is worth it!!

3.  While I'm nervous about the weigh in fearing I have not lost a pound, I am pleased to report that my jeans are feeling roomy in the thighs.  Now, that could be because I have not had a chance to wash them so they are stretched out.  But I am hopeful that I am starting to shed some of the fat that is evenly coated all over my body like a few extra layers of skin.

4.  I managed to make it a whole weekend at my parents without going off the diet.  This might not sound like a big deal, but for a foodie like me, it's the equivalent of putting a recovered crack addict next to a crack house and saying "Don't smoke crack."  OK, I'm not a crack addict so I can't really speak to that with any authority, but I know what it's like to want to eat the worst possible things.  My dad's house is like a minefield of candy dishes.  This weekend was worse than usual in preparation for Easter.  How I passed the peanut butter eggs I have no idea...thank you diet god!!!  My mom's house has a vat of Planter's Dry Roasted Peanuts.....oh, the will power it took not to whip out that bucket and just inhale.  I ate a few but docked myself the appropriate points.  I even manged to make myself a low calorie chicken/rice/veggie dinner whilst my family tore into lobster drenched in butter.  I guess it helps that I am not a lobster junkie.  Point being, I took the initiative to make my own meal rather than get sucked down the black hole of dieter's traps.  The more I do it the easier it feels.

5.  I still have yet to hit the gym but I have been very active.  Due to recent flooding my basement is still up in the main living area of my house.  Today I must have done 30 trips up and down stairs bringing boxes back down.  My knees hurt, my back hurts, my arms hurt.  Not in the good way you feel after a workout, but in that way you know you are WAY out of shape.  Anyway, I have to think I burned a calorie or two in today's events.  We are bracing for another round of rain up North, so this box moving routine might just be my new form of exercise should our basement decide to take on water again.  By the end of this ordeal maybe I can apply to a moving company to bring in some spare cash on the side.  That is sure to get me in shape.

6.  Despite all my complaining I am going to stay strong.  One of my best friends is getting married in San Diego in the coming weeks and I will be making the trip.  The fact that bathing suit season is coming early for me may have been the subconscious catalyst for this entire diet.  This trip will also bring about the challenge we all face "How do I diet and eat out at the same time?"  I know I will not be totally regimented while out there. Life is too short to miss out on good food and drink to celebrate a special event.  I think the problem is when everyday becomes a special event.  Anyway, I'm curious to see how the whole adventure will go as I know I will not be at my goal by the time I'm sunshine bound!

Thanks for taking a ride on the LER brain train tonight.  As I said earlier, my mind is a racetrack of competing thoughts as I prepare to begin another week.  Lucky for you, I only shared the food related items...otherwise you'd be NOT reading for days!  

Weekend Doom

Only 3 more days until I weigh in.  It's like my own personal "The Biggest Loser" party of one (two with my sister).  I think I'm hoping to "post big numbers" like they do on the show.  Main difference being, I am not trying to lose 200 lbs so I think dropping 10 lbs. in a week is highly unlikely.  Second hurdle, the lack of exercise. Those people spend all day pulling trucks, riding bikes in the air, swimming across lakes all to the barking of personal trainers in the background.  Additionally, I bet Jillian Michaels has them on her detox regiment as well in order to boost those weight loss numbers (http://www.jillianweightloss.com/).  I'm sorry but I have too much respect for my colon to try one of those cleanse things!  Here at home, I only have little old me to yell and scream inside my head "Get to the gym, get to the gym."  However, after the initial yell those voices get quieter and quieter as my brain is pretty well occupied trying to keep my grubby little paws out of the fridge.  I can generally find any excuse to avoid the gym (that is a post in itself).  My latest is a minor cold/allergies that have been lingering over the past few weeks and that has been just enough of an excuse to keep me out of the pool.

I am also questioning my logic in setting Monday as the standard weight in day.  Who likes Mondays anyway...and then to throw in starting your day on a scale.  That might be enough to cause anyone to hit the snooze button 10 extra times and pull the covers right back overhead.  Furthermore weighing yourself just out of the weekend could be discouraging.  I don't know about everyone else, but weekends in our household means that my husband is around to mess up all our routines, most notably food.  He somehow has the will power not to snack or eat bad foods.  But he likes to have these large meals or uses weekend time to play the role of Food Network chef in training.  We are usually on the hunt for some rare ingredient just to satisfy a hankering he has.  Not too long ago he decided on a whim he wanted to have a Hawaiian Luau style pig roast.  Shy of hiring some guys to come dig a hole in your backyard, bury a whole pig, and smoke the sucker all day this is not one of those recipes you generally make at home.  Lets not even get into the fact this is in no way a sensible meal for a dieter.  But no, off we were on a Saturday morning to the Home Depot where we purchased a Smoker (to this day it has only been used that one time although I am determined to find a healthy use for it this summer).  I thought this was going to be a major investment but luckily we found this Brinnkmann Smoke n' Grill for $40!

Next stop Chinatown, where your chance of finding a parking spot is about as great as seeing the Loch Ness Monster in your lifetime.  This would have to be a drop and circle effort, still no easy feat in the streets of Chinatown.  After having visited a few traditional grocery establishments, Chinatown was the only place we were able to find banana leaves (frozen).  Lastly we had to go to a butcher because most grocery stores do not stock Pig Butt in their meat sections.  Half the day gone we were headed home so the man could play with his new toy and tend to his meat while I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen fixing several not so healthy sides like homemade Mac and Cheese and cornbread for our pending company.  After all that, my husband was disappointed in the Luau Pig.  Oh, did I mention all this occurred the a weekend before our condo was to go on the market with an open house???

Point being, staying the course of dieting over the weekend in my house is an interesting challenge.  I love that my husband likes to cook and it's really nice to have a break.  I wish I could convince him to try a few less complicated and calorie laden meals.  

Getting back to the weigh in...perhaps the impending doom of the scale looming in the back of my mind will be enough to keep me on track over the weekend.  I think a huge milestone for me is to learn how to eat with my husband while staying within my limits.  I hate the thought of constantly cooking separate meals.  In past it is usually easier to give in and get back to the diet on Monday.  But the last few weeks I have been able to modify some recipes and carve a meal out of what he is making.  That will be a future post - how to eat a real meal on Weight Watchers!!

Until then, happy dieting and good luck going into this weekend.

Grocery Store Madness

I've heard people suggest there should be a breathalyzer on a car to prohibit drunk driving.  As well, one of those should be placed on a cell phone to avoid the drunken call to that ex we've all made and lived to regret as we wake in a fog the next morning.  Well, I strongly believe that before you enter a grocery store there should be a test you take and if you are hungry they turn you away.  And not just a friendly good-bye, but a store employee escorts you to your car, buckles you in, and sends you on your way.  An army of grocery store bouncers to keep us all in check.  Point being, NEVER go food shopping when you're hungry.  It's neither purse nor diet friendly.  Despite violating this cardinal rule earlier today, I actually managed to come out without too much damage.

After rummaging around the fridge and pantry last night to cobble together dinner, I decided to bite the bullet today and restock the depleted food supply.  Restock is probably not quite the right way to put it.  As you read more of my entries you'll probably start to sense that I'm a bit neurotic and mildly OCD about many things.  Grocery shopping is a pretty good example!  I think most people hate grocery shopping.  I rather enjoy it now so long as I have a sitter and I can go in peace.  There is a HUGE difference shopping with or without a toddler.  As well, grocery shopping for me is not just an activity but a process.  I over complicate my life for no apparent reason to those around me, but to me it just seems normal.  For example, instead of shopping at one store once a week or once every two weeks, I spread my grocery shopping out over the course of a week or two at 4-5 different stores.  Seeing that written like that looks ridiculous I realize, but really there is a method to my madness.  I feel that you cannot get everything at one store anymore.  So my shopping is spread between the following establishments: Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe's, and a FABULOUS local place called Wilson Farms.  I know some people that say they get all their needs met at one store, but I think those people are a. lying, b. wealthy enough to not have to worry about the cost of a grocery bill, or c. OK, I don't have a c. 

My dieting is balance between pre-packaged/pre-portioned items and "fresh" foods.  If's not that you can't get all this in one store, but I think you compromise either budget, quality, or variety.  I wish I could say that I don't eat any "normal"/processed foods, but I do.  I depend on Weight Watcher's Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, and Healthy Choice frozen meals for lunch.  I am generally not a sandwich eater and lunch is a meal I do not want to have to think too hard about and thus these are super easy for me.  As well Weight Watcher's makes really good desserts, my personal favorite being the Peanut Butter Cup Sundae.  I think I just drooled on my keyboard.  I like normal brands of cereal, sprots drinks, and Kraft Cheese slices to name a few things.  I used to feel like I had to hide the fact I shopped at Stop & Shop because the trendy thing to do is shop at Whole Foods.  And don't get me wrong, I love Whole Foods.  But I simply can't get my comfort food there, nor can I afford to shop exclusively at Whole Foods!  I was reading a blog where the writer dubbed it "Whole Paycheck" (if you are reading, thanks Mommyesq - that cracked me up!!!)

Being a little bit OCD, fresh foods like fruits, veggies, and meats can often seem like poison to me.  They are vehicles for bacteria like ecoli, salmonella, and more exotic problems like Mad Cow Disease.  Really, it's a wonder I eat at all!!  Therefore, I tend to shop for these items in places that in my mind command more attention to organic, local, natural foods.  I think most of this is in my head and I can just as easily get sick from eating a tomato from Stop & Shop as I can from Whole Foods.  I wonder, is the price I pay for peace of mind really worth it?  My husband, who already thinks I'm crazy when it comes to food, would argue NO. None the less, I tend to buy my "fresh" goods at Whole Foods and Wilson Farms.  However, after a recent analysis of our checking account, Whole Foods has been moved substantially down the list, and Wilson Farms has taken its place for produce.  While this place is by no means cheap, I have found a lot better value in purchasing my produce there than Whole Foods.  

Since I pay a premium for my fresh foods, there is nothing that ticks me off more than when those foods go bad quicker than I can eat them.  At this point I simply don't think I can fit in any more trips to the store if I were to start buying smaller portions.  I have seen one product advertised on TV, Debbie Meyer Green Bags (https://www.greenbags.com/).  I've never used so I can't say how well they work.  My personal opinion is that there are ENOUGH plastic bags in the world already so I'd prefer not to add to the pile.  I can't get started down that path or you'll be reading for hours.  And there is something so cheesy about the commercial...just who is this Debbie Meyer?  I did stumble onto another product which I purchased in the produce area at Whole Foods.  Healthy Harvest Freshness Extender (http://www.gohealthyharvest.com/).  They are little plastic balls with packet inside designed to absorb the gas (yes your fruits and veggies fart) released by aging produce.  You change the insert 1/month.  I have found these a huge help in keeping my produce fresh longer.  You just have to make sure that you aren't trapping your fruits and veggies in bags in the drawers.  My produce drawers are a place of happy swingers, zucchini, asparagus, and tomatoes side by side!  So if free range produce is too much for you perhaps Debbie Meyer is the way to go!

Finally Trader Joe's and Costco round out my shopping needs as fillers to supplement my main shopping.  Trader Joe's offers some great stuff, particularly their frozen foods, at great prices.  Costco is wonderful for some of the processed food shopping, but often times I have to settle as I can't quite get what I want (see blog entry titled "Afternoon Snacking").  As well, I have to be careful that I have enough room to store my industrial sized pack of snack bags!  Trader Joe's is more of a drive by shop and Costco is a full on family adventure.  Costco is one place I'd prefer not to go alone.  Not only is it hectic but it's a dieter's nightmare with all those little sample stands and junk food in portion sizes large enough to feed small countries.  If my husband had not been there with me this past weekend I think the Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese frosting (guessing the diameter was 16 inches) would have mysteriously made its way home.

The bottom line is that my chore of grocery shopping is never done for the week.  It's more a continual process.  I am not sure if this helps or hurts my diet attempts.  I guess at the very least, the time I'm out shopping I'm not at home eating.  I'm looking forward to dinnertime tonight but even more importantly dessert as today was a Stop & Shop day!!

Bean Slop Recipe - Yum Yum Can I have Sum....

I don't know about everyone else out there, but dinner time is the best and worst for me. At this point in the day my daughter is tucked in and I'm "off duty."  Another bonus....it's time to EAT!!!!  The downside, it's time to cook.  As I indicated before, I used to really enjoy cooking.  However these days cooking is a matter of function.  Most of what I'd like to be cooking and eating is certainly not on the diet plan.  Furthermore, by the time I start cooking its 7:30, so unless I want to be eating at 9 I need to find quick, efficient, and healthy meals to make.  I have thus developed a pool of super simple, yet satisfying meals.  The flagship recipe for this group is what I have not so artfully named "Bean Slop."  (At one point I dubbed this Bean Medley which sounds much nicer, but to me medley implies more than one type of bean and for this recipe its just one type...hence the renaming of Medley to Slop.  As well, I think Slop just sounds more like me!)  It falls within what I call "can cooking."  I know, I know...both the name and the genre sound gross, but you really can do a lot with canned foods.  Bean Slop is not only cheap, but quick and generally yields leftovers for lunch or a dinner another night of the week.  Most of the ingredients are things you keep in the house anyway.  Therefore if you catch yourself wandering from cabinet to cabinet wondering what to make for dinner, chances are you can make "Slop" in some form or another!! 


Despite it's oh so enticing name, I have convinced several people to try and have always had positive feedback.  I am sharing the recipe below for your enjoyment.  As promised, I have calculated Weight Watchers point values.  If for any reason you need a further breakdown of calculation let me know and I can do so.  I think a lot of people get scared off by Weight Watchers because the point system seems complicated, because it seems a bit cultish, or because you need a few tools.  I personally find it a very easy system to use, and after a while you have a sense of what foods values are what.  I will go into more detail in a soon to follow posting I'm sure (probably where I should have started this blog...but oh well).  For now, enjoy the "Slop!"


Bean Slop: 12 points*
Recipe from the kitchen of LER
Ingredients:
-Cooking Spray (like Pam)
-1/2 Tsp minced garlic (I keep a jar in my fridge for convenience)
-1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion (One Large)
-1 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 15 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
-1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
-3/4 can tomato sauce (same 15 oz sized can)
-Salt to taste (roughly 1 Tsp)
-Pepper to taste (3 to 4 turns on a pepper mill)
-1/4 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
-2 oz diced Avocado (if you don't have a food scale its roughly 1/4 of an avocado)
-1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-Rice (I like Jasmine but you can use whatever)


Spray a medium sized sauce pot with cooking spray (Pam) until coated.  Sautee garlic for roughly a minute over medium heat.  Add onion stirring to coat with cooking spray.  Cover pot and cook onions until soft stirring occasionally, roughly 5-7 minutes.  Add beans, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Stir until mixed.  Cover and simmer over low to medium heat while rice cooks.  Serve over rice, top with avocado, and Parmesan cheese.
*12 points:
-1 cup rice:4 points
-2 cups slop: 4 points
-2 oz Avocado: 2 points
-1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese: 2 points


This is what Bean Slop looks like when your photographer sister prepares the meal for a photo shoot (She has already complained about my camera, the lack of natural light, and the on the fly approach to staging the scene.  For the next recipe she will be bringing in the heavy duty professional artillery and expertise so her artistic integrity is not compromised.)

This is what Bean Slop looks like when plated by a ravenous dieter likely to burn the top layer of skin off the tongue when ingesting rather than waiting for cooling to occur.

Either way Slop is Slop.  Enjoy!!

Afternoon snacking...

You know you're desperate when you are picking through your medicine cabinet for orange-flavored chewable vitamin C tablets or a Viactive Chocolate Mint Calcium Chew in order to satisfy an afternoon snack craving.  I don't know about the vitamin C because I ran out of those last week, but those calcium chews are 20 calories a pop!  Note to self: Stop consuming those before you get calcium poisoning and inadvertently ruin your diet!  Afternoon is particularly hard for me in terms of snacking.  My daughter is supposed to be napping (supposed being the operative word....right now she is talking to her stuffed puppy who apparently has a cold), which leaves me with a wonderful block of time to be productive around the house.  I LOVE nap time and will be sad to see it go.  However, it also leaves me lots of time to think about taking a break from whatever task I have going to munch on something.

I know what I'm supposed to do....eat carrot sticks or celery.  The problem is I could eat 50 carrot sticks and I'd still want something sweet after.  As for celery, the only way to eat that is by disguising the taste and texture with a big blob of crunchy peanut butter.  Fruit would be a better option but I'm picky about my fruits and lazy about getting them prepared.  In addition, having a toddler means I have lots of junk food in the house to serve as temptation.  I started out my parenting days with the best intentions of creating a healthy food environment.  As it turned out the universe has other plans and blessed me with a child who has a menu of about 20 foods she will consume.  Needless to say out of desperation any calories, no matter how empty, were better than no calories.  So I threw my lofty parenting ideals out the window and outfitted my house with a variety of less than diet friendly toddler food.  

To avoid the pitfalls of cookies, muffins, and endless piles of Goldfish crackers (once you start you just can't stop) I settled on those lovely little 100 calorie packs put out by a variety of different companies.  Forced portion control must work, right?  On WW most of those, at least the ones I've tried, are 2 points.  Doesn't seem bad, until you realize that after about 7 pieces you are almost done with your snack.  Sigh.  My personal serving size for those things....an entire box.  Somehow I think that was not what was intended by the marketing folks who gave us Oreo cookies for just 100 calories a serving!

What I have settled on today is the Mister Saltly Milk Chocolate Covered Covered Pretzel 100 calorie pack and a nice glass of water (I hate water).  I have to say I prefer the Keebler version of the chocolate covered pretzel.  They are in the traditional shape of a pretzel and I think you get more chocolate stuck in the crevices.  Mr. Salty are in the shape of "O"'s and in my opinion skimp on the chocolate.  See below.  Only someone on a diet could make that kind of in-depth analysis of a snack.  Talking about food makes you less hungry, right?

 

I ended up with the Mister Saltys because they came in a large variety pack I picked up at Costco.  Keebler didn't include chocolate covered pretzels in their variety pack.  So Mister Salty was better than nothing.  I swear the food gods are conspiring against me!  

There are 9 little treats, 9 little morsels of heaven....just enough to make a smiley face on the desk next to my computer.  Rather than chewing them I suck on them until all the chocolate and the salt have dissolved.  This makes the snack last twice as long.  I hope the boring distasteful water will somehow react with the pretzel in my stomach and expand to the point of blowing up (yeah right...the only time this really works is when you eat Chinese food...by the time you have finished your second helping of fried rice it's too late.  You have consumed so much water to counteract the salt and MSG that your stomach has puffed up to produce what I call a food baby, which takes hours to deflate.)  I have just finished the last piece of my snack smiley face.  That will have to be it until dinner time because I have a yummy meal planned which I like to budget enough points to eat a good sized portion (recipe to be posted tomorrow from tonight's dinner).  As well I always budget for dessert because I simply cannot watch my trash TV without a sweet treat to finish off the day.  At least the "non-nap" is nearing an end and I will be running around again thus unable to think too much about food until dinner time.

On a finishing note, thanks to everyone who not only read yesterday, but offered words of encouragement and enthusiasm.  I am hoping to create an interactive portion to this blog at some point in the near future....will keep you posted.  To answer one question from yesterday, I merely track my WW points at home.  I've heard good things about the meetings but I can't even find time to go to the bathroom most days.  And as for WW online, I'm cheap and don't want to pay when I think I should be able to track on my own.  Having my sister at to do this with is a huge help.

Until tomorrow, happy healthy eating (said with gritted teeth).

An Introduction

I have been on a perpetual diet since 2005, when I noticed that the pints of ice cream I used to be able to eat in my former years was beginning to stick to various body parts like spackle.  At first if was only 10 lbs or so, which wasn't noticeable enough to put effort into reshaping my body or modifying comfortable old habits.  Then it was 45 lbs post pregnancy which was enough to require a weight loss effort.  I wish I could say I was hardcore, but I slowly got around to "healthier" eating and modest exercise to a point where I looked OK again.  And now I'm stuck, and have been for years, hovering in the 20 lbs to lose range.  Sadly what once was 10 lbs of annoyance not worth noticing has turned into a 20 lbs of irritation I ignore.  However, it's hard to ignore my fat roll that likes to spill over the top of my jeans as I sit down to have a snack in the afternoon.  Perhaps I should try my snacking standing up!!  Damn you fat roll, damn you!!!  Further depressed about my unwanted friend, I finish what is usually a carb heavy sugar snack and promise myself to start over and be better....tomorrow.  


I would like to take a moment to note that I am not obese, as I never want to misrepresent myself here.  I would like to say I'm one of many average women who struggle with enough excess weight to feel not so great about themselves.  Women who have reached a certain frustration level because they simply can't quite reach their goal weight or simply lack that little extra drive to keep them committed.  Women who will try on at least 10 outfits to go out for date night finally picking something with a waistband that has some give in order to make room for more high calorie goodies!!  Women who just want to be able to fit into that one "goal" item collecting dust in the back of the closet that was purchased on a whim years ago for skinnier days.  Those are my weight struggles so to speak!


Last week my sister sparked an idea when she brought home a white board to track our dieting progress everyday.  She lives with us during the week and has been battling her own weight for some time.  Despite continued attempts, some success and some failures since we started actively dieting last August this silly white board seems to be helping.  We both made it one whole week without cheating.  So, I figure if a silly little white board can keep me honest for a whole week, what if I post to the whole world (or what little world wants to read about me) my weight loss to follow.  I can't lie, not even in cyber space.  So, I'm hoping this will keep me motivated and on track, and perhaps I may just tackle that 20, and then some!


Now for the details.  

•    SUBJECT: 30-something year old mom of toddler
•    MISSION: To say good-bye to 20-25 annoying lbs that have become a permanent fixture
•    METHOD: Weight Watchers
•    EXERCISE PROGRAM: Occasional swimming, chasing after a 3-year old, and walking
•    HEIGHT: 5 feet 8.5 inches
•    WEIGHT: 172 (it’s a really crappy old home scale AND I had clothes on, AND it was afternoon…but I won’t shave off any lbs for all that!!  I am hoping to find an actual Dr. Scale at some point)
•    WEAKNESSES: Ice Cream (Ben & Jerry’s in particular), Sweets/Processed Snack food, Pizza, really I could go on and on…
•    CHALLENGES: Having a child on a high calorie diet (SERIOUSLY??), a husband from the South who likes big meat & potato meals who is able to turn on the diet switch and drop 20 lbs as easily as I can polish off a pizza (Imagine that SlimQuick Ad...yeah, that's us), and a lack of energy to prepare good food at the end of the day

This blog serves a few different purposes.  First, as noted above, it will hopefully keep me accountable to my diet.  Secondarily, I used to cook a lot more when I had the time, and most people have complimented me on my ability to cook.  I’m not a super fancy gourmet, but I do think I can put together a decent meal.  So I will share some of my recipes (and for those of you doing Weight Watchers I will include the point values I've calculated) here and there for fun.  Lastly, I figure if I am up in the office typing I am not in my kitchen raiding the pantry…although I can hear it calling my name right now!!  


So here's to that last 20 lbs...another attempt which I hope I can finally call a success!!!