NEW LOCATION - FIND ME AT...

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!

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?

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

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

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

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!

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

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?

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!!!

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.

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.