What to Make for Dinner

T-Rez over at Queen of My Domain posits a question that all of us trying to watch or weight who have kids and husbands ask "What do I make for dinner?" http://www.queenofdadomain.com/2009/10/recipes-anyone.html
My general rule of thumb is to eat raw vegan for breakfast, lunch and snacks, but eat anything I want for dinner. That means that I'll generally eat fruit for breakfast, a salad or raw veggies and dip for lunch and fruit, veggies, raw nuts or dried fruits for snacks.

Now, I don't go hog wild and pile on the calories, fat, etc. for dinner. I try to make a sensible dinner for me and the family.

But, as T-Rez laments, when you have to please a family, you have to make compromises to your weight-watching regime.

Here's a few of the tricks I've picked up over the last two years to make sure that I eat sensibly at dinner while keeping the troops happy.

1. Start with salad. With bagged, pre-washed greens making a salad is easy as pie. I usually cut up red onions, cucumbers, peppers etc. in bulk once or twice a week and sprinkle them on my salads over the course of the week. I also avoid bottled dressings (two many chemicals, sugar etc) and make a big bottle of homemade dressing once a week. Here's the recipe for one of my favorites: http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/2009/05/dieting-gadgets-i-love.html. I also like to thin out hummus with a water and fresh lemon juice for a creamy dressing. The kids may not eat the salad, but when I do, I eat less of the stuff that isn't so great for me.

2. Add veggies. If a recipe doesn't include any vegetables then just add them. I don't cook Mac & Cheese but you can easily steam and add fresh broccoli or add thawed frozen peas. Sliced cherry tomatoes are fantastic to add to a lot of pasta dishes as is baby spinach or arugula.

3. Increase the veggies, reduce the meat. I often make family favorites but with less meat and more veggies. For example, tonight's dinner is sausage and peppers. I used to use over two pounds of sausage when I made sausage and peppers. Tonight I'm using just a pound. I more than doubled the amount of peppers, tomatoes and onions I used to fill the family up, and serve it all over brown rice. I'll also generously sprinkle fresh parsley over the finished dish. If making chili, use less beef (and maybe switch to turkey or chicken) and more beans and tomatoes.

3. Cut calories where you can. My family loves breaded, fried foods, like chicken cutlets, fish, etc. When I make cutlets, e.g., I dip floured chicken in egg then the bread crumbs. Instead of just whole eggs, I now use just one whole egg and two egg whites. I also "dip lightly" and apply less breading than before. I also follow the "eat salad first" rule when breaded, fried foods are on the menu. Baking foods that are normally fried also works well in cutting calories.

4. Add a little raw to every meal. Whenever I can I try to add raw fruits and veggies to what I'm making. Meals like grilled tuna, pork or chicken with Mango salsa (see http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/2009/04/have-little-raw-with-every-meal.html) or Crispy Skin Salmon (see http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/2009/05/eat-little-raw-with-every-meal.html) work well.

5. Make Dinner a salad. There are many salads that work for dinner. Things like Chef's Salad (see http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/2009/06/little-raw-with-every-meal-salad-for.html) or Tuna or salmon Nicoise salad. The Barefoot Contessa also has a great recipe for a Warm Duck Salad I like. You can find it here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/warm-duck-salad-recipe/index.html

A Morning Yoga Hike

This morning I went on a Yoga Hike led by two local gals. We started with 15 minutes of standing yoga postures, followed by a vigorous 1 1/2 mile hike (mostly uphill), and then finished with another 15 minutes of standing yoga postures.

Let's just say I'm wiped. I've hiked for 1 1/2 hours before, but not at the pace these gals took us through. I had to run at times to keep up.

I loved it. They're suggesting a 2 hour hike next week. I already told them to sign me up.

New Year's Resolutions, and How to Keep Them

This year I made the resolution to practice yoga every day. A full Ashtanga primary series practice, however, can take 1 1/2 hours to complete and, because my yoga studio is 15 minutes away, doing a full practice would mean two hours a day.

Doing that 7 days a week was obviously an impossibility. I'm lucky if I can fit in a full primary series at the studio once a week. The reality is that often all I can fit in is a 45 to 60 minute practice at the studio, and I was doing that at least 3 or 4 times a week. I knew that the only way I would be able to practice every day would be to practice at home on the days I couldn't get to the studio, and do whatever I could do, even if it was only 15 minutes of yoga.

But even that wasn't happening for most of the year. I usually keep my yoga mat in my car, which when it's not parked by the Arbor to my yard, is parked in the red and green barn beyond that. Yes, antique homes can be charming but they usually don't have attached garages, so I used to have walk a couple of hundred yards to get my mat out of the car to practice.

That didn't happen too often. Particularly on cold, wet days, I preferred to stay snug in the house then run out to the car to get my mat. And, trying to bring the mat into the house every time didn't work because there were always other things I needed to bring into the house, or out to the car.

Needless to say, I was doing a really poor job at keeping my resolution.

Finally, a couple of months ago I broke down and bought a second yoga mat. It pretty much made all the difference in the world.

I'm still not practicing every day, but I am practicing at least 5 times a week, and at least once a month actually do practice all seven days.

I've actually become really fond of my home practice. I still get to the studio 3 or 4 days a week for a half or 3/4 primary series practice, but at home I mix it up a bit. Sometimes I'll do an Ashtanga practice, and at others I'll do something completely different.

We have an on-demand service from our cable company, and one of the "free" options is "Mag Rack" which has, among other things, yoga and fitness shows. The line-up constantly changes and, depending on the week, there are 15,20, 30 or 40 minute options. Saturday, I did a 20 minute Radiant Heart yoga practice with Shiva Rea.

Other days I'll just do part of the Ashtanga series at home. Yesterday, I practiced three-quarters of the Ashtanga primary series.

Often, all I can squeeze in is a few sun salutations and hip openings.

I roll out my mat in my bedroom to practice, and, to further set the mood, light candles that I've arranged in my fireplace (it does work, but I've only actually burned logs in this fireplace twice in the time I've lived here).

So, while the goal of 7 days a week every week hasn't been met (yet), I am on the path in the right direction. And, if I can only spend 15 minutes in my bedroom alone, in front of a hearth glowing with candles, it's still better than nothing at all.

BitchCakes Does it again

BitchCakes has a truly inspirational post over at her blog. In it she talks about how exercise has become so important to her after years of being sedentary.

Check it out here: http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-and-why-i-started-working-out-after.html

You go girl!!

Thwarted, but Redeemed

Most weekday mornings I'm up at 5:15 to get my hour of cardio on the treadmill. There are those days, however, when I like to break up the routine (and get some extra sleep). This was one of those days.

In the summer I power walk outside first thing in the mornings. But once school starts and I have to get up at 5:15 it's just too dark. On the mornings when I sleep in, however, I still like to walk outside.

Unfortunately, I live in New England, and the weather does not always co-operate. We had a Nor'easter blow through here last night into this morning which brought cold rain and sleet. It looked like a walk outside was not in the cards (unless I wanted to get extremely cold and wet).

Wanting an alternative to the treadmill on bad weather days, a bought a dance cardio workout video several months ago. My girlfriend Maria, had been raving about The Tracy Anderson Method Dance Cardio Workout, so on her recommendation, I bought the DVD.

The first time I tried to use Ms. Anderson's workout, the DVD player in my bedroom didn't work. This week I finally got a new DVD player, and spent 45 minutes setting it up in my bedroom this morning.

But, it turns out the Tracy Anderson Method DVD didn't work. It's defective, and I probably can't take it back now since I've had it over three months.

The good news is that after I spent the 45 minutes setting up the DVD player, I looked outside and saw that the weather cleared up. So, I took my power walk outside.

I guess that all's well that ends well.

Now, I just have to buy a work-out DVD that actually works.

Exercise to live longer

I happen to like to exercise and be active. It's just my personality, I'm not all that sedentary by nature. But, in addition to weight loss, there are many, many health benefits to regular exercise.

And, according to new research it can extend your life. Check it out here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_on_he_me/us_med_octogenarian_exercise

CHICAGO – Even in the "oldest old," a little physical activity goes a long way, extending life by at least a few years for people in their mid- to late 80s, Israeli researchers found.

The three-year survival rate was about three times
higher for active 85-year-olds compared with those who were inactive. Getting less than four hours of exercise weekly was considered inactive; more than that was active.

The results "clearly support the continued encouragement of
physical activity, even among the oldest old. Indeed, it seems that it is never too late to start," the researchers wrote in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, which published the study.

They noted that exercise reaped benefits even for previously sedentary 85-year-olds; their three-year survival rate was
double that of inactive 85-year-olds.

Oldsters didn't have to be super-athletes to live longer; walking at least four hours weekly counted, even if it was just in 15-minute strolls a few times daily.

So, get up off your butt and move a little.

My Body, Myself

I've been somewhat loathe to post pictures of myself here for several reasons. For professional reasons, I prefer to retain my anonymity. Additionally, as you have all probably gathered, I'm not all that tech savvy, and taking and uploading photos to a blog is really not my forte.

But I was inspired by my fellow blogger Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit's big reveal this week (looking good Jack!), and thought I'd at least try to show part of myself. You can check Jack out here: http://jackfit.blogspot.com/

So I pulled out the digital camera, donned my Lucky jeans and a form fitting top and stood in front of several mirrors in the house taking pictures.

I learned a few things. First, if you leave the flash on when taking a picture of yourself in a mirror, the flash reflects in the mirror rendering the image unusable. Second, if you turn the flash off when taking a picture of yourself in a mirror and there's not enough light in the room, the image comes out blurry, rendering it unusable. Third, if you turn the camera sideways to get a full length shot, I have no idea how to rotate the photo so that it displays correctly here on blogger.

So, out of the 20 or so photos I snapped, only one was usable here. Next time, I'll try for a full length shot so you can get a better idea of my results. I'll also try to find a "before" snap one of these days, and if I can figure out how to blur my face or cut off my head, I'll post that too.

As to the photo above, as you can see, I'm not half bad looking for a 48 year old. My biggest disappointment in my weight loss/fitness/health journey is the stubborn refusal of my post-menopausal, post-pregnancy "muffin top" to dissipate no matter how much cardio and mid-section toning I do. While I won't stop trying to lose that mid-section roll, I guess it may be a permanent feature, and I'll have to live with it.

Yep, losing weight after 45 is the biggest bitch of all, but if I'm healthy, fit, have a good BMI, and feel good about myself, that's all that matters.

This is Why I don't Watch Paula Deen

I am a cooking show addict. When I switch on the TV looking for something to watch, the Food Network is one of the first channels I check. I'm always looking for new recipes and new things to cook (I love cooking), as well as just learning more about how to prepare really good food.

But, I have to admit there are a number of shows that I don't bother to watch. Sandra Lee bases her whole show on using processed foods, so I don't bother with her. Everyone else may think Rachel Ray is adorable, but she annoys the hell out of me.

And, the few times I've bothered to watch Paula Deen, I was just appalled at what she was making.

Well folks, the above creation of Paula Deen is exactly the reason why I just continue flipping through the channels when her show is on. It's a bacon cheese-burger on a buttered crispy Kreme donut. If you really want to pack on the pounds and increase your risk of a heart attack, you can add a fried egg.

I kid you not. Paula has made this caloric disaster on her show and serves it in her restaurants.

The health statistics of this cardiac arresting abomination are just outstanding. The donut bacon cheeseburger packs in a whopping 1,500 calories and 45-70 grams of fat (depending on whether or not you add a fried egg).

To burn off 1,500 calories, I'd have to walk on my treadmill at a 3.2 miles an hour at a 7% incline for 3 1/2 hours. I don't think it's worth it. Do you?

In case you think I'm besmirching Ms. Deen's name, here she is making it:

It's Not About Looking Like an Anorexic Teen-ager

I've been thinking about my previous post--the one about Ralph Lauren firing a 23 year old, five foot ten inch model who weighed 120 pounds for being too fat.

Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight shouldn't be about trying to look like the photo-shopped images of almost adolescent girls we're bombarded with in the media.

Losing weight and maintaining that weight should be about feeling good. Feeling good about ourselves, and feeling good health wise.

The reality is that carrying excess weight is bad for us health-wise. It can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a host of other problems.

And, there's something to be said about making ourselves feel good about ourselves. I was not happy with myself 40 pounds ago. I avoided mirrors and never let myself be photographed unless I was hiding my body behind something.

I worked hard to lose those 40 pounds not because I wanted to look like a model in a Ralph Lauren ad, but because I just wanted to feel more attractive. And, the only person I wanted to please was myself (sorry hubby).

I now feel good about myself, and I feel better than ever. I have the energy to tackle projects that I couldn't when I was lugging around 40 extra pounds of flab.

So Mr. Lauren, get real. I don't suggest using any tubbies in your ads, but at a minimum if your model is 120 pounds and 5 foot 10 inches, you don't have to photo-shop her to make her look even thinner.

If She's too Fat, then What the Hell am I???

Ralph Lauren fired this 23 year old 5 foot 10 inch model that weighs 120 pounds for being "too fat:" http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2009/10/14/2009-10-14_model_fired_for_being_too_fat.html

What does that make me at 5 foot 2 inches and 128 pounds?? Obese??

Even more amazing, is how the Ralph Lauren people digitally distorted her image to look emaciated for a recent ad. Check it out at the link above. It's pretty obscene.

Rethink that Snack

I was reading an opinion piece concerning adorable Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver (Jamie, if I wasn't a happily married gal, you could cook for me anytime!) when I came upon this interesting factoid regarding snacks:

Oliver wants to change the way low-income communities approach meals. The problem is that the evidence suggests meals aren't driving the rise in obesity -- snacks are. A 2003 paper by economists David Cutler, Ed Glaeser and Jesse Shapiro looked at an array of different ways to measure caloric intake, and found that most meals aren't getting much bigger. Dinner, in fact, might be getting a bit smaller. The big increase in caloric intake actually came between meals. In 1977, Americans
reported eating about 186 calories outside of mealtimes. By 1994, that had rocketed to 346 calories. It's likely even higher now. That difference alone is enough to explain the changes in our national waistline. And it won't go away if we begin cooking dinners but still are purchasing 20-ounce bottles of Coke at
the office.

You can read the entire opinion piece here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/10/what_the_naked_chef_jamie_oliv.html

I have to admit to being a bit of a "grazer." I like to much all day. Recognizing that this was unlikely to change, I made a conscious effort to change what I was munching on. I now usually have carrots, grapes or something similar to snack on throughout the day.

Repulsing the Monkey

I've taken several tai chi classes, and I'm really enjoying them. I studied ballet until I was sixteen, and the slow, flowing movements of tai chi are reconnecting me to my inner child-hood ballerina.

What I particular like is the "homework" you're given at the end of class. The instructor gives each student a series of movements to practice at home until the next class.

I've gotten into the routine of doing ten to fifteen minutes of tai chi practice most nights before I climb into bed. I do a short warm up, then practice my tai chi movements a few times. It's calming and relaxing and the perfect pre-bed routine.

Plus, tai chi burns approximately 230 calories in an hour, so if I do ten minutes a night that's approximately an additional 270 calories burned a week which could mean an additional 4 pounds lost or not gained in a year!!!

Apples in the Air???

Funny, I blogged about apples this morning and then came upon two articles touting apples health and weight loss benefits.

You can read about how apples are one of the five healthiest foods for Fall here: http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/10/five-healthiest-foods-for-fall/

Here's a piece touting research on how eating apples helps with weight loss: http://weightloss.about.com/b/2009/10/11/an-apple-a-day-keeps-elastic-waistbands-away.htm

The Apple of My Eye

My attempt to take the kids apple picking on Friday was thwarted by the weather, but the rest of the weekend was beautiful so we went apple picking on Sunday afternoon.

We took a long leisurely drive through Litchfield County to this beautiful orchard set high on a hill top. We picked Rome, Red Delicious and Green apples with a backdrop of New England foliage.

What can I say? It was just one of those perfect days.

But picking apples was about more than just enjoying the scenery. Apples are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. There is a reason for that old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

A large apple has just 115 calories, but is loaded with fiber, Vitamin C and has 0% fat.

Just one large apple fills me up for most of the morning, and two large apples is a breakfast that gets me through the entire morning.

I also love to juice apples--either alone or in combination with other fruits and veggies. Apple/carrot juice is surprisingly yummy.

Thwarted

Someone on my local board of education thought it would be just peachy to turn Columbus Day into a 4 day weekend by giving the kids today, the Friday before Columbus Day, off. I guess the board thought it would be nifty that we could all take four day mini-holidays.

The only problem is, of course, that my husband doesn't get Columbus day off (does anyone other than school or government employees get the day off anymore?). That means we're not going anywhere, and it also means I have to entertain the kids, by myself, for two full days.

So, I had a whole day planned out of hiking and apple picking today. The hike would be hearty exercise, and the apple picking would (hopefully) inspire the kids to actually eat the apples we pick.

The weather, however, wouldn't co-operate. The report this morning said chance of rain. Being the optimist I took the kids out early for the hike. Twenty-five minutes in, however, the rain started coming down. We managed to get 40 minutes of hiking in prior to the real heavy stuff coming down, and the leaves on the trees provided somewhat of a natural umbrella for us.

By the time we got back to the car, apple picking was definitely history, so it was off to the stores to get some errands accomplished.

Now we're back and it's only 2:30 in the afternoon!!! Suggestions anyone???

Maybe we'll make a gingerbread haunted house.

Really??? Soy Can Make you Fat???

I found this article on the Estrogen-Fat Connection incredibly interesting: http://www.bodaweightloss.com/blog/the-estrogen-fat-connection/

I of course knew that excess estrogen is one reason why women gain weight as they age. But it was when I got to the recommendations as to what to do to avoid excess estrogen that I got blown away. I already knew that synthetic chemical were a culprit in spiking estrogen (a good reason not to use them in your home and to eat organically.)

But she also recommends cutting back on soy intake.

Now I don't eat a lot of soy because it makes me congested (another side effect of soy is mucus production just like dairy)--but it adds to estrogen???

Now that's something I didn't know.

Weight Nags

You have to love this--a website that nags you once a week about losing weight. Check it out here: http://www.weightnags.com/

Here's what they have to say:

"Tired of not being motivated to work out?

Face it, Fatty, you need someone to bug you about it every 15 minutes don't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be looking for an online personal trainer.

You need to be motivated and WeightNags will do what you can't."

And for those of you who want a bit more tough love, for $4.95 a month they'll text nag you.

I think I'll sign up for the once a week free nag. After all, I loved "Skinny Bitch," which was one long harangue.

Call Me Fat and You Die

To me being fit and losing weight is about making myself happy and being healthy. I'm too often reminded, however, of the external pressures that society puts on us, particularly if we're women, to meet some idealized standard of beauty which may not actually be healthy.

After all, we all can't be anorexic teen-age girls who live on cigarettes? Yet, that's exactly what many models are, even though they're wearing clothes meant to be worn by women who are considerably older.

Here's a good example of what I mean. Nicole Eggert used be be one of the Baywatch Babes. Here she is years later, after having put on a few pounds. From what I gather, she's been getting heavily criticized (excuse the pun) for doing what we women do naturally when we get older-we get heavier.

Now, after watching this video I have to say that Ms. Eggert should definately scrap the too small bikini, but she would still be quite attractive in a nice Tankini that covered her stomach. Another thing about getting older--you have to dress your age.

Ms. Eggert looks healthy here, and while she could stand to lose a few pounds, she certainly isn't "fat." I love her sense of humor in answering her critics. You go girl!!

Nicole Eggert is BACK IN BAYWATCH! from Nicole Eggert

There seems to be some problems in viewing this video via Blogger, so check it out here at this link: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4dd3ce1cb8/nicole-eggert-is-back-in-baywatch?rel=player

Culture Clashes

My husband and I are one of those argumentative couples. We both like to argue, and whether it's politics, the media, fashion, who should sit next to who at a dinner party etc., it's bound to an active debate between the two of us.

But probably the biggest area of clashes revolves around food--both how we should eat and how to feed the kids.

I grew up in a somewhat unusual situation. My mother, most unusual for the 1960's, worked full time. My grandmother, who lived with us, actually raised my sisters and I and did all the cooking, cleaning etc.

My grandmother, being an Italian immigrant, cooked like an Italian immigrant. Everything was cooked from scratch, there was little meat, and most meals revolved around vegetables, beans, eggs and pasta. She also did the shopping and never brought home what she called "American Food" meaning boxes of processed cookies, cereals or candy.

This was, of course, the food my mother grew up with so she had no complaints. My father, the son of Italian immigrants, was substantially older than my mother (and was in fact only a few years younger than my grandmother), so it was also the food he was used to eating.

We never ate "dessert" in the traditional sense, other than on Saint's feast days, holidays or at a party. Our "dessert" consisted on my father bringing a bowl of food to the table every night, cutting and peeling that fruit, then distributing it amongst the rest of it.

Thus, the only time I was ever to eating steak for dinner or processed foods like Hamburger Helper was if I ate at somebody else's house. It was a huge treat to get chocolate pudding at a friend's house.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in a Jewish household in a family that had been in this country for several generations already. He routinely ate meals like pot-roast, steak, and brisket. He says he couldn't remember a single meal growing up that dinner center around meat. Additionally, his mother kept boxes of sugary cereals, like Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops, in the pantry along with boxes of Chips Ahoy and Oreos. Candy was a frequent treat and no one regulated how much or when he ate.

Once I left home my diet "Americanized" somewhat in that I started buying and eating processed food. But I always seemed to focus on what was "healthy" and "natural." Once I started living with my husband, while I gave in and cooked meat more and more frequently, I still refused to buy what I thought of as processed "junk food." My husband, bought it for himself, because I didn't even want it in my home.

Now that we have children, the real culture clashes have begun, and though I was losing for a while, I think I'm finally making headway with my husband. My husband often takes the kids for ice cream (sorbet for my son who's allergic to milk), candy and other treats (like going to fast food restaurants which I abhor).

For years I've been arguing with him that he's doing his children no favors by filling them with junk, and that he makes it harder to introduce them to food that's good for them. Why eat a healthy plate of baked potato when you know Daddy will get you French fries tomorrow? His response has always been "They're kids, they should be able to eat like kids."

But I always say that what you teach your children now, carries over into adulthood. Why teach them bad eating habits now that they'll have to unlearn later?

Now that my husband is having his heart scare, he seems to be finally listening to me. Maybe finally, I can convince him to just stop buying the junk.

Another Theme

I've been pretty busy with work in the last week, so I've been somewhat derelict in keeping up with my daily reading of my fellow diet bloggers. When I do get around to it, I seem to pick up running themes.

This time I noticed that Jack Sh*t Gettin' Fit, and Queen of my Domain both wrote about sticking with your weight loss routine even if things aren't going exactly as you had hoped (i.e., your weight loss isn't what you wanted it to be.) Check out Jack here: http://jackfit.blogspot.com/2009/10/dial-spiel.html, and QOMD here: http://www.queenofdadomain.com/2009/10/19-weeks-133-days.html,

I remember when I started my weight loss journey I had all these crazy goals to lose X pounds by this event. Well, it didn't happen. In fact, for the first two months despite increasing my exercising and cutting back on my eating I lost a grand total of two pounds. It was very frustrating and I seriously thought about just giving up.

Setting goals to lose a certain number of pounds by a certain date can do more to discourage your weight loss efforts than to encourage them. As the name of my blog says, Losing Weight after 45 is a Bitch. It takes a lot of real hard effort and self control to even lose 2 pounds a week, never mind five (which really is an impossibility if you want to lose it long term).

Realistic weight loss for the long term may only be 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. And, many weeks you won't even lose that. So instead of focusing on losing 10 pounds in 10 weeks, just focus on losing 10 pounds, and set up a reward for yourself when you finally reach that goal. When the day comes when you step on the scale and you've gone from 150 to 140 pounds, go get a massage at a fancy day spa, or get that Blue Dress you know will show off your new figure.

By focusing on losing pounds, instead of focusing on dates, you don't set yourself up to be discouraged when you don't meet those goals. And, attitude is everything when you're trying to slim down and get healthy.

New Food Shopping Rule

I've frequently seen the advice to "shop the perimeters" of the grocery store because the interior aisles contain most of the unhealthy, over processed crap that hamper dieting goals.

Well, I thought up a new rule--make the majority of your food-related purchases (cleaning products don't apply) fruits and vegetables. In other words, more than 50% of your food purchases in any given grocery store visit should be from the produce aisle.

Of course we all need to make non-produce food purchases, such as pasta, rice, etc., but if you really make the conscious effort to fill your cart with mostly produce, you'll eat mostly produce.

Try it on your next shopping jaunt.

Drink Up!!!

Turns out that moderate alcohol consumers (about 1.5 glasses of wine a day), exercised more, on average, than light or moderate drinkers. Check it out here: http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/10/moderate-alcohol-consumption-yields-increased-exercise/

A recently released study proves that moderate female drinkers, those who imbibe more than 45 drinks a month (which seems like a lot of drinking, although it really only averages out to
just shy of 1.5 glasses of wine a night) exercised 14 more minutes per week on average than those light drinkers who drank one to 14 drinks in the month. These women also reported exercising on average 20 minutes more than those who abstained from alcohol altogether. Also, drinkers of both sexes were 10 percent more likely than their sober peers to exercise vigorously in any given week.

I have to admit that I'm one of those people who likes a glass of wine or two at the end of the day. I grew up in one of those Italian households were the adults drank wine every day and insisted it was good for you to do so. It seems that they are now being proven right in study after study demonstrating the health benefits of moderate wine drinking.

My husband and I often sit around sipping a little vino at the end of the night and just talking. I almost never drink hard alcohol or never developed a taste for beer (which is good considering the calories in both).

So, I guess my end of the day wine habit may be, in actuality, a good thing.

No, I'm not Stupid, But You Must Think I am

The New York City Department of Health has a new campaign trying to convince people to drink less soda, because it leads to obesity and obesity leads to health problems. The campaign features posters which say "Are you pouring on the pounds."

Here's what the NYC Department of health had to say:

"On average, Americans now consume 200 to 300 more calories each day than we did 30 years ago. Nearly half of these extra calories come from sugar-sweetened drinks. When Health Department researchers surveyed adult New Yorkers about their consumption of soda and other sweetened drinks, the findings
showed that more than 2 million drink at least one sugar-sweetened soda or other sweetened beverage each day - at as much as 250 calories a pop.... The Health Department advises parents not to serve their kids punch, fruit-flavored drinks
or "sports" and "energy" drinks.... If you order a sugar-sweetened beverage, ask for a "small."....if you enjoy sugar-sweetened beverages, make them an occasional treat and not a daily staple.

Now you don't think that Big Food would take that lying down do you? I mean, if the NYC health department actually convinces parents to think twice about serving that sugar laden chemical concoction to their kids, it could cut into profits.

So, the above ad appeared in today's New York Times. A full page ad, I should add. The ad plainly states that it was paid for by the Center for Consumer Freedom. Well, who the hell do you think the CFF is? It's a rather nefarious group set up in a way that allows its donors to remain secret (http://www.foodpolitics.com/2009/01/center-for-consumer-freedom-exposed/)

Gee, I wonder who would want to fund an attack ad against a city-wide campaign trying to get people to limit soda consumption and keep it a secret? Maybe Coca-Cola or Pepsi?

Come on guys, you asked if we're stupid, and lucky for us we're not. If you really believe in your ad, then have the balls to fund it in a way that allows people to see who's funding it.

Normal Food

You're just fooling yourself if you think eating low-cal, low fat, ultra processed foods is really going to help you lose weight.

I was watching Dr. Oz the other day on the Morning Joe show, and he commented that when you eat eat nutritionally devoid food, your body absorbs the calories and turns them into fat, but then still craves more food because it didn't get the nutrients we need to survive.

So, eating a 100-calorie pack will not satisfy your hunger, because its nutritionally dead.

I came upon this little piece in a newsletter which further emphasizes the point . It's rather short so I'll paste the whole thing here:

Article compliments of Letter from the Editor, Jurriaan Kamp, Editor and Chief of Ode Magazine, June/July 2009 issuehttp://www.odemagazine.com/

'There's an old Dutch expression that says, "Act normal; that's crazy enough!" I'm not a big fan of this proverb, so characteristic of the modern mentality in my homeland, where anything different, creative or fun tends to be disparaged. But when it comes to eating, I'm all for it. In the past century, processing food has turned into an industry. Cooking has
become much less laborious.

It used to take all day to make supper; now you can have it on the table in the blink of an eye. That's the good news.Slowly but surely, however, the corporate food giants started to add and subtract all kinds of things. This led to confusion at the supermarket. Sugar was considered bad, so sugar-free products were invented (even as fluoride was added to toothpaste to protect our teeth). Alcohol and caffeine were undesirable components of beer and coffee, so we came
up with alternatives. Carbohydrates were cast as too much of a good thing; Thus, we were presented with low-carb products. Fat was no good either because it led to high cholesterol, which was tied to coronary artery disease, hence the proliferation of low-fat items. These "smart" products were hugely profitable but haven't made us healthier. Obesity is rampant, the
incidence of diabetes is exploding and these trends go hand-in-hand with our changing eating habits.It's better not to manipulate food. It's healthier to eat it as it is, without additions or subtractions, without artificial
ingredients, colors or other craziness. Tomatoes are healthier than ketchup; sugar - in moderation - is better than the substitute aspartame, which has been linked to cancer. Flour, too, is better the less it's refined; it's more nutritious with vitamins and minerals intact. Even fat isn't as
bad as we've been told. We need fat, the good old-fashioned stuff we've been eating for centuries, not the manipulated variety. Ordinary fat (again, in moderation) is healthy.

The simple message is: Stick as closely as possible to the original food. That means no chemicals, such as
fertilizers or pesticides. It doesn't mean there's no place for
convenience. You can make a pizza without odd ingredients; check out your natural foods store. The trick is to eat "normally" - which is crazy enough.'

So eat real foods if you want to be healthy and lose weight.

I Sense a Theme

I was catching up on reading my fellow diet bloggers, when I noticed a theme.

Jack Sh*t Gettin' Fit talks about not being happy or satisfied until he meets his weight loss goals: http://jackfit.blogspot.com/2009/09/serious-post-that-lost-its-way.html

Bitch Cakes talks about Emotional Eating: http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/2009/09/weekly-meeting-topic-managing-feelings.html

Prior Fat Girl was feeling a bit Cranky and skipped her work-out: http://www.priorfatgirl.com/2009/09/moving-on.html


And T-Rez over at Queen of My Domain was getting a little whine on: http://www.queenofdadomain.com/2009/09/hey-would-like-little-whine-with-that.html

Emotions and how we feel really do effect what we eat, and how we exercise. So we need to recognize that we do sometimes eat or crave a particularly fattening food because we've had a bad day and not because we're hungry.

But beyond recognition of our emotional eating, I think its a good idea to look at why we're feeling the emotions we're feeling in the first place. Instead of using food to try to make ourselves feel better, we should try to, well, just make ourselves feel better.

Now, I am certainly not belittling anyone who has any kind of serious clinical depression, or anyone who has gone through an honest to goodness trauma--like losing a loved one.

But, oftentimes, we do let the little things get the better of us. Life is too damn short to let petty disagreements and problems get in the way of our happiness.

Something I've been leery of revealing here is my son's disability. My son is on the autistic spectrum, and classified as mentally retarded. When you're the parent of a disabled child, you tend to hang out with parents of other disabled children--of which there are two types.

First you get the kind, like me. We have a disabled kid, and we just deal with it. We find the joy that our children present us, and don't fixate on the the difficulties.

Then you get the sad sacks. These are the parents who think their lives are miserable because their children present challenges. These are the parents who root out the "pity givers" and come to meetings with other parents of kids with disabilities just to cry about how awful their lives are.

So, its all in how you view things. Both sets of parents have the same situations and the same challenges. But some of us choose to not focus on the negative, and others can't think of anything but the negative.

But the reality is not only does focusing on the negative make us miserable, it doesn't do a damn thing for our kids.

So, in the end, it's all just wasted emotion.

So, the next time something goes a little wrong in your life and you find yourself going for the box of Ring Dings.

Take a step back, and ask yourself "is it really that bad?"

Chances are it isn't, and you really don't need that Ring Ding.

Dinner with the Boss

Usually after a day of heavy eating, I like to go super light for the next few days. Monday was Yom Kippur, and I'm still feeling the heaviness from the food in my stomach.

Well, it turns out that my husband's boss is in town (he's in from Seattle), and so last night I had to go out to dinner. Normally I would have eaten a salad last night, but instead it was off for a fancy restaurant meal.

Now, I tend to always be leery about eating in restaurants because I think restaurant chefs tend to use a lot of fat to make the food taste particularly yummy.

Luckily, the restaurant we picked was Tavern on Main in Westport. It's a traditional New England place in a 150 year old building with exposed chestnut beams, and fireplaces (which actually work). The chef is quite good, and doesn't rely as much on fat and salt to make the food taste good.

After the introductions to the boss and the standard chit chat, I got to work scanning the menu. I knew that there would be plenty of fish on the menu, but not all fish is created equal. The polenta crusted sea bass I knew would be a caloric disaster.

Luckily I spotted a grouper with a pomegranate glaze over a bed of sauteed spinach. Perfect. The only problem was that it came with mashed potatoes (likely loaded with butter and/or sour cream). A quick discussion with the waiter, however, revealed that I could substitute brown rice for the potatoes. Yippee. I asked for the chef to go easy on the glaze (likely to be sugar) and got a garden salad to start.

While the men got dessert (I'm proud to say my husband got sorbet), I sipped on a bit of chamomile tea. Dinner with the boss accomplished.

Lightening Up Yom Kippur

Yesterday was Yom Kippur--the Jewish day of atonement. I may be a nice, Catholic school educated, Italian girl, but I married a nice Jewish boy who's entire family came here to break fast yesterday. Somehow, for someone with very little exposure to Jewish culture prior to college, I managed to become the hostess for most of the Jewish holidays.

I have to say, if you have to host a Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur is the one you want to host. There's no cooking involved. Essentially, you go to the Jewish deli the day before and pick up a bunch of food. The only thing you have to do is arrange it on platters.

The traditional meal for breaking fast is dairy, and bagels with cream cheese and lox is standard. In addition to bagels and lox, you're supposed to serve an assortment of artery clogging, caloric filled foods. Things such as chopped liver, whitefish salad, gelfilte fish, blintzes, Challah bread, rye bread, etc. Jewish cuisine is not all that diet friendly.

But, the amazing thing is, no one in my husband's family (with the exception of my husband), really wants to eat a lot of the traditional foods. Both of my in laws have heart and health issues, and my one brother in law is a major health nut who basically eats nothing but grilled meats and fresh fruits and vegetables.

On top of that, my sister and law is doing her on raw diet cleanse (she's already lost 18 pounds and looks fab).

After years of throwing away food after Jewish Holidays, I told everyone in advance that A) I wasn't going to buy as much food as I had previously, and B) while we'd still have a lot of the traditional foods, I was going to pare back and add more fruits and vegetables.

This year during the "appetizer phase" of the meal there was no gelfilte fish. It was the one item that everyone said they could do without. We still had chopped liver and whitefish salad, but I only ordered 1/4 pound of each for ten people. Everyone had a taste, because we all love it and it's traditional, but even then there were leftovers (which were thrown out because no one wanted to take them home). Instead of the traditional rye bread and crackers, I bought the thin sliced, whole grain rye bread.

The big change was that in addition to the traditional Jewish appetizers, I put out a huge platter of raw vegetables with a Hummus dip. We had fresh, sliced cucumbers from the garden, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, celery and sliced zucchini. It was a hit, and everyone loved it.

For the main course we had bagels, cream cheese and Nova lox. It was the one part of the meal everyone said they couldn't do without. The big change was that I served mini-bagels instead of those huge, bread circles which serve as bagels. Everyone loved them because they wanted to cut back on carbs. There's not much you can do about cream cheese (except spread less of it on), but by ordering the more expensive Nova lox, those watching their salt intake didn't have to be as cautious.

Along side the bagels we served the Challah and deli pickles. The non-Jewish part of the meal was a big salad with a fresh mix of baby lettuces from the farmers' market, raw almonds, chopped red onion and dried cranberries. I served a home-made lemon vinaigrette on the side. Everyone helped themselves to a big serving of salad along-side their bagels, and everyone loved it.

For dessert, I served a small chocolate Babka, and a huge platter of fresh fruit, including apples, clementines and grapes. The clementines were a huge hit with the kids. My one nephew ate seven!!!

So, in the end, we were able to observe tradition, without busting our guts (or our arteries). We sampled and tasted the foods we love, and which help my husband's family connect to their past, without overindulging in them.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I just got back from my first Tai Chi class. I've been interested in learning a martial art for some time, so when my girlfriend, who has a black belt in Karate (and teaches it to children), mentioned she started Tai Chi, it was obvious that the time had come.

I loved it. I obviously didn't do that much today because it was my first class, but I could see Tai Chi as something I really would like to master.

Tai Chi is a moving meditation. You learn sequences of movements which you perfect and time to breath. That appeals to me. I've always had a tendency to gravitate to exercise routines which teach a skill rather than just move for movement's sake. Zumba is fun, but I always ask myself afterwards: "What's the point?"

And, there are apparently a lot of health benefits to practicing Tai Chi. According to Wikipedia practicing Tai Chi promotes balance, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. And, according to the calorie calculator I used, I burned 232 calories during the course of my one hour class.

My teacher taught me a sequence of three movements today which I'm supposed to practice at home, so I now have something new to do to get me off my ass and moving. Hmmm, I can see a Tai Chi break being very beneficial when I'm working.

Upping the Raw Percentage

Since the news that my husband's heart condition has worsened, I've been doing a lot of research on what he should be eating to control his hypertension.

Guess what? Everything I read says he should be eating a primarily vegetarian diet with lots of fresh (i.e. raw) fruits and vegetables.

Now, getting my recalcitrant husband to do this when he's not with me will be difficult. I can, at least, do something when it comes to dinner.

Last night I didn't have a lot of time to cook (my daughter had tap from 5-6), so I took some previously made caponata out of the freezer to toss with pasta. Then I thought about getting more fresh vegetables into my stubborn mate, and went to the refrigerator and found a bag of fresh baby spinach from the farmers' market.

I tossed in the spinach with the caponata and pasta and threw in a handful of cherry tomatoes to boot.

That way, I not only got some additional fresh vegetables (and no meat) into my husband, but upped my raw percentage as well.

Heart Aches

Despite my best efforts my husband has awful dietary habits. Although I refuse to bring junk food into the house, he constantly buys himself snacks, like a bag of corn chips and jarred salsa, and then will eat it all in one sitting watching a foot-ball game.

For lunch my husband usually has a ham, salami or other cured meat on rye bread with pickles. If he goes out for lunch, it's not unusual for him to have a bacon cheeseburger. On the week-ends he likes to go to the local diner for breakfast and get eggs with both bacon and sausage and fries.

He refuses to eat fruit (unless its baked into a pie), and thinks nothing of ordering two meals for himself when we go out to eat.

And, my husband is the typical arm-chair athlete. He only works out (barely) once a week, and after that weekly work-out he goes to the local Jewish deli and gets himself either two hot-dogs with sour kraut, or two bagels with cream cheese and lox.

You'd think he'd weigh over 300 pounds. But he doesn't. My husband is 6 foot 4 inches and weighs less than 200 pounds. He is lucky in that he has the metabolism of a teen-age boy.

But he's also unlucky. My husband has hypertension, a heart condition, and was told three years ago that if he didn't watch his diet and exercise more, he could have a stroke or heart attack.

But was that enough to get him to change his habits??? No, he always thought that he's in great shape and doesn't need to reduce his salt intake, fat and cholesterol because he's thin.

This week he went to his cardiologist and was told that his heart condition has significantly worsened. I pestered him to give me permission to speak to his doctor. I got the permission and spoke with the cardiologist today.

To say that this poor man is frustrated by my husband's behavior is an understatement. I found out that my husband has been blowing off this professional's advise for years (such as refusing to get his cholesterol tested). I got the sense that the doctor is ready to just throw in the towel and bide his time until my husband finally does have a stroke or heart attack to say "I told you so."

Needless to say, I'm not content to sit back and wait for that to happen. I sprang into action by calling his parents. My father-in-law is a doctor, and understood the diagnosis, prognosis, and necessary lifestyle choices my husband has to make. He'll pester him from the professional angle.

My mother-in-law is a Jewish mother, so she'll pester him to the point that he'll probably make some changes just to get her off his back.

It's not the first time I had to resort to my in-laws. Years ago when a routine physical found that there might be heart issues, my husband refused to see the cardiologist. My in-laws got him to the cardiologist, and have made sure he returned regularly.

I do what I can at home. Despite his protests I make him eat fish and eat a vegetarian meal at least once a week. When I do make meat, I make a lot less of it, and I've switched to whole grain rice, pasta and breads.

It's what he eats when he's not in the house or brings into the house that's a problem.

But it goes to show, eating healthy is about more than just being thin. My husband is thin. But, he's probably more unhealthy than a lot of men with spare tires who do watch what they eat and exercise regularly.

Yes, it is a Hell of a Lot More Fun to Put on Weight

Putting on weight is so easy and fun. You get to be lazy, hang around on the sofa, and eat ice cream, cake, cookies, pie, french fries and anything else your heart desires.

Losing weight, on the other hand, is a bitch. You have to put in long hours of exercise for minimal calories burned. Hell, 40 minutes on a tread-mill won't even burn off one Big Whopper. You also have to eat next to nothing, and what you do eat has to be mostly fruits and vegetables.

There's an amusing piece in the New York Times today about using phone applications to count calories. It actually sounds like a good app, and if I had an iPhone, I'd be inclined to use it myself.

You can find the entire article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/fashion/24spy.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=pencil%20skirt%20diet&st=cse

Here's some of what she has to say:

"Actually, it was a new iPhone app called Lose It! Which sounds like a diet, if you ask me. For weeks he’d been keeping a food diary on his phone — all the calories he ate, and all the calories he burned — and it was constantly generating cool little charts and graphs to let him know whether he was meeting his goals.
“I’ve lost 12 pounds,” he said.
“Get it for me,” I hissed. “Now.”
Less than a minute
later, my husband had downloaded it to my phone and was entering a few personal data points — such as my age, weight and gender — to create a custom weight-loss plan.
Well, semi-custom. I couldn’t actually bring myself to get onto a
scale, so I guesstimated the “current weight” number.
“How much do you want
to lose?” my husband asked.
“Five hundred pounds a week,” I said.
Instead he set it for a half-pound a week, which he thought was a reasonable goal for my new lifestyle. Lose It! said I could eat 1,630 calories a day.
This is precisely the point where a typical “lifestyle” plan falls apart, unless your lifestyle involves, say, a penal colony. I’ve had breakfasts bigger than 1,630 calories.
But I decided to give it a shot. Lose It! has its own database
listing the calories in a few thousand different foods. And if a food was not listed? I could always find it in another iPhone app, the LiveStrong calorie counter, which lists 450,000 foods.
At breakfast the first day, everything went fine, at first. I had teensy portions of Raisin Bran, Greek yogurt, sliced
banana, blueberries and coffee with milk. But then I typed in the meager quantities, and was shocked — 499 calories for a breakfast that didn’t even include bacon or butter.
When you’re serious about keeping a food journal,
this is the kind of disturbing news you learn all the time: how much more you are eating than you think you are eating.
But because this was the first dayof the rest of my lifestyle, I stayed upbeat. There was a helpful bar graph that
indicated I still could eat another 1,131 calories before midnight.
I checked the database to plan a dinner menu. But when I saw that five ounces of white wine, alone, totaled 121, I knew emergency exercise would be necessary.
So I spent the afternoon building up a calorie reserve. According to the database, walking for 40 minutes was worth an extra 105 calories; an hour of doubles tennis, an additional 345.
At midnight, I finally relaxed. I had come in 196
calories under the allotment, which earned me a calm, congratulatory blue line on my bar graph.
I was hooked. Before I knew it, I had joined my husband at
the table, meal after meal, punching in calories as if we were scoring a boxing match.
“What did you give the salmon?” he’d ask.
“I’m calling it ‘Alaskan chinook, broiled,’ so we brought six ounces in at under 300,” I’d say."

That's right, losing weight is never easy, but putting it on is tons of fun (and you'll eventually weigh a ton as well).

In Praise of the Lowly Sweet Potato

I made hot dogs for dinner last night. My husband and kids all love hot dogs. I always thought they tasted gross. I was probably the only kid who went to a barbecue and only ate the bun with mustard when hot dogs were on the grill.

As I aged, rather than resist my hot dog hatred, I gave into it. It's enough of a bitch keeping weight off as it is without imbibing artificial casings full of mystery meat, chemicals and fat.

My husband and kids, however, love tubular meat, so I do, on occasion, indulge them. I, of course, buy them organic, nitrate free, natural casing dogs.

Hot dogs are an easy meal for me when time is limited. I just slap them on my grill pan for five minutes or so, throw them on buns and Viola! dinner is served.

When hot dogs are on the menu for the family, I take the opportunity to go completely vegetarian. If I'm trying to have a completely raw day (or just up my percentage for the week), I'll make a salad or have raw veggies and dip.

Other times I'll steam veggies and have them over brown rice, or, my favorite, I'll bake up a sweet potato.

Last night was a sweet potato night. I baked two sweets over an hour at 400 degrees until the insides were good and mushy and the skin extra crispy. Then I mashed up them with a little salt and cinnamon (no butter needed). It was really, really yummy. It was like eating desert for dinner without all the bad processed sugar and calories.

What's not to love about sweet potatoes? They're not only delicious, but full of all kinds of healthy stuff. The orange flavor is a sign that there is plenty of beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant that converts to Vitamin A which is marvelous for the skin, helping it remain clear and wrinkle-free.

There's also plenty of dietary fiber in sweet potatoes which is good for the digestive system, and all the Vitamin B6 protects against heart disease and stroke. Best of all, there's less than 100 calories in the average sized sweet potato.

So, have desert for dinner (or lunch). Eat a sweet potato. Just stay away from loading it with butter.

Can a Food Allergy be Stalling Weight Loss?

I know a little something about food allergies. My son is allergic to both wheat and all dairy. If my son gets anything containing either wheat or dairy or derived from wheat or dairy, he'll either vomit or break out in a rash.

So, I found this following article by a holistic nutritionist extremely fascinating: http://www.bodaweightloss.com/blog/food-allergy-and-weight-gain/

Apparently, a food allergy can be a reason why weight loss is so difficult for you. If you are allergic to something, such as milk, gluten, eggs, soy or nuts, you may not experience anything as dramatic as an anaphylactic reaction or vomiting, but it can cause puffiness and water retention.

Even more interesting, we tend to crave the very foods we are allergic as well, which leads to even more weight gain.

Here's what the author had to say:

"Now I know there are a couple of potential culprits, one of which is food allergy. When you eat a food to which you are allergic, partially digested bits of it seep through your intestinal lining and into the bloodstream and eventually to the tissues. This causes inflammation. In an attempt to dilute this irritating material, your body produces water. The fat cells also bloat up
to create a buffer. And voila – water retention and puffiness.
Interestingly, food allergies can also lead to food addiction, which in turn leads to more weight gain. When you eat a food you’re allergic to, the resulting biochemical reactions create a feeling of being high. I’m always suspicious when a client
says “I LOOOOVE cheese!” or “If I could never have bread again I would be really bummed!”. Obviously, if you are addicted to a food, you’ll consume a lot of it, creating more and more toxic reactions in your body. The allergic reaction itself can result in a drastic reduction in blood sugar which then causes weakness, hunger and irritability. And allergic hunger isn’t like normal hunger: you stay hungry until you eat the offending food!

Early on in my weight loss journey, I stopped consuming dairy for a while. I've always been a bit of a "cheese addict," but it was recommended that I go off dairy to lose weight and to clear up a persistent post-nasal drip.

Viola!! Within weeks off stopping dairy consumption weight started to come off finally. And, not only did my post-nasal drip clear up, but the constant bloating and gas I had been experiencing for years as well.

Maybe I too have a dairy allergy? And, maybe you're allergic to something as well that's hampering your weight loss efforts. The only way to find out is to do what I did. Just stop eating something for a while and see what happens.

The author recommends seeing a nutritionist, and while that's always a good idea, the nutritionist will probably just advise you to cut out any food you feel you may be allergic to, or maybe put you on an elimination diet.

I still indulge in dairy foods from time to time, but I now know it can't be an integral part of my daily diet as it once was.

Parlez-Vous Francais?

Thirty years ago I spent a college semester abroad in France, and the first thing you notice when you're in France is that the only fat people there aren't French. Despite petit dejeuners of bread with jam or butter-laden pastries, and butter and creamed soaked lunches and dinners (accompanied by lots of alcohol and cigarettes), the French are positively gaunt looking.

Part of it is the portions. The French give you smaller portions (and charge smaller prices) then we do here in America. An American croissant looks like it had a dose of steroids compared to the French version (which tastes so much yummier as well because French flour isn't as refined and processed as it is here in the US).

But the other part of it is that the French naturually incorporate additional exercise throughout the day. Remember that burning an extra 50 calories a day can mean a 5 pound weight loss by the end of the year.

Well, the author of French Women Don't Get Fat gives some advise on how French women "exercise" which you can find here: http://www.wowowow.com/style/getting-fit-sans-la-gym-379607?page=0%2C0.

What's notable is that much of the advise is just simple stuff that anyone can do without joining an expensive gym. Some of the notable methods of French "exercise" include:

1. Don't save steps, multiply them. Always take the long way, or park your car as far as way from where you're going as you can.

2. Do discreet isometric exercises throughout the day.

3. Do light resistance training with 3 to 5 pound weights.

4. Use Your bike as transportation.

5. Do Yoga.

6. Take the stairs.


"Vive la France!"

What the F*ck Part Deux and a Wonderful Hike

Last week I wrote about how my weight skyrocketed from 126 to 130 in just a couple of weeks. Yesterday morning I stepped on the scale and I was at 127.

Go figure?

My daughter had a birthday party yesterday afternoon and my husband was loathe to tear himself away from some sporting event on the boob tube (I can never keep track of them, but all I know is that all seem too important to miss). Not wanting to waste an absolutely beautiful New England afternoon, I took my son for a long hike.

Not having to drag along my eight-year old, daughter was rather freeing. My son, who's fourteen, and I really pushed ourselves, taking a particularly long route, and we hiked at a very quick pace.

I could have gone even further, but at the point were we could either go back to the car or hike another mile or two, my son was huffing and puffing pretty badly and sweating like a dog (it's pretty disconcerting when your baby gets BO). So we took the trail back to the car and ended the hike.

When we got home, my husband was still in his place, on the sofa, yelling at the TV screen because his team wasn't doing that great. He was miserable, but I was ecstatic.

So, there's a lesson to be learned. Why sit in front of a glowing screen getting fat and miserable when you can go out into the woods, have a great time, and burn a load of calories?

It's a no brainer for me.

Inspiration to Work Out

I love this. This video shows how you can go from pudgy to buff by working out every day.

Please Mr. President Tax My Soda

Not to get on my political high horse, but if they are going to raise taxes to finance health care, taxing soda and sugary soft drinks is the way to do it. The New York Times writes about the debate here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/business/17soda.html?_r=1&ref=business.

The CEO of Coke thinks the proposal is "outrageous." Gee, I wonder why??? Could it be that he's afraid that if the unhealthy drugs he's pushing are taxed, people may just decide to quit the way smokers did when cigarette taxes were put in place?

I'm proud to say that if you offer my kids soda, both will say "no thanks." Both would rather drink water, lemonade or fruit juice instead (not that lemonade or fruit juice is all that great either). Frankly, I don't know how I did it. I never gave them soda ever, and they've just never showed any interest in having it if its offered to them.

Myself, it took me years to knock my own soda addiction. My parents, thank the lord, never allowed us to consume soda on a daily basis. But we could have a Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Root Beer, 7-Up etc. at a party or at a restaurant.

When I got to be a teenager, buying soda at school etc., got to be a bit too routine, and I eventually did what any teen-age girl concerned about her weight did--I switched to Tab (remember Tab?) and other "diet" sodas.

By the time I was studying for the bar, I as drinking a liter of Diet Coke a day. A few years later I realized that my soda addiction was a problem and I had to get off the stuff.

So, please Mr. President, tax my soda. I may not drink the poison anymore, but I want an incentive to stay away.

And, if taxing soda does not yield enough revenue so that people in this country can go to the doctor or hospital without having to worry about losing their house or going into bankruptcy, then feel free to tax Twinkies, Ho-Hos, candy and every other over-processed, nutritionally devoid imitation food product.

I may get pissed at you for other things Mr. President, but you pass this tax you'll get my vote in 2012.

What the F@ck is Going On?

Losing weight after 45 is really a bitch. Just a few weeks ago, back in early August, I was ecstatic because I finally got down to under 125 pounds. Two weeks later I was at 126 pounds which didn't concern me two much at the time. Weight fluctuates and generally I've found that when I reach a milestone it takes a few weeks more for it to finally settle in the new lower range.

But I held steady at 126. Also not a concern, the more weight you lose the harder it is to lose.

So my response was to increase my exercise a bit more. I upped the intensity of my walks, made them a little longer, and spent a little more time on yoga practice.

I didn't change my diet much, and I definitely was not eating more.

But then last week I got on the scale and I was 128 pounds. This morning I got on and I was 130.

This is so, so frustrating because it took my months and months to get from 130 pounds down to 124.6 and just a few weeks to go from 124.6 to 130.

Yes, losing weight after 45 is a major bitch, and keeping it off is even a bigger bitch.

A Most Excellent Hike

Now that the kids are finally back in school, my hiking buddy and I finally got our schedules co-ordinated and we hiked for close to two hours this morning.

The weather is absolutely beautiful--perfect for hiking. My friend and I, who have been able to get together all summer, caught up on everything from our kids' lives, our health and detox efforts to new recipes and restaurants to try.

I also managed to burn quite a few calories. Using the calories burned calculator found here: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc I found out that I burned 604 calories on my morning hike.

Exercise and camaraderie. You really can't beat it.

Bitchcakes

Every time I find a great new weight loss blog, I just love to toot its horn. Well, BitchCakes is the place to go if you want a little sass and vinegar in your weight loss journey: http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/

The lady who writes this blog bikes 50-plus miles around Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens etc., on a pink one speed bike (with matching pink water-bottle) in a leopard tank top, skirt and black pumps!!!

She also writes some serious, thought provoking posts such as this one on thinking beyond taste: http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/2009/09/thinking-beyond-taste-part-2.html

Here's what she has to say:

Since posting my "Thinking Beyond Taste" blog, I've continued to give this concept a lot of thought. In fact, I think of it every day - especially when I am going to eat. I question why I am eating - am I eating because I am actually hungry or because I want the *taste* of something? This thought process and awareness has been life changing for me.What I have finally realized in the last few years is that losing weight is about so much more than just weighing less. I've completely reframed the entire process, and changed how I think about what I am doing. I realized that I had to stop focusing on trying to control my weight. Instead, I needed to focus on controlling my food and behaviors. By getting the food and behaviors under
control - the things I truly have control over - then the weight will be under control as a result.

Keep up the good work bitch-cakes!!!

More On GMO

T-Rez over at Queen of My Domain has a great post explaining exactly what GMO is and has examples of some of the more bizarre concoctions that scientists have created. Check it out here:

http://www.queenofdadomain.com/2009/09/talk-to-me-fruit-whats-your-number.html#comment-form

Big Food is Making Us Fat and Sick

One of my favorite food writers, Michael Pollan, has a brilliant op-ed in the New York Times today: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

I found myself just nodding in agreement with everything Michael had to say. Essentially, the biggest problem with Health Care in America today is not the health care system. The biggest problem, and the reason why we spend so much on health care is that we, as a country, eat too much junk and as a result are too fat.

According to Pollan we are spending $145 billion to treat obesity, $116 to treat diabetes and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and many types of cancer linked to the Western diet (i.e., lots of fat, processed foods and too many calories).

As Michael wrote here:

The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care. The president has made a few notable allusions to it, and, by planting her vegetable garden on the South Lawn, Michelle Obama has tried to focus our attention on it. Just last month, Mr. Obama talked about
putting a farmers’ market in front of the White House, and building new distribution networks to connect local farmers to public schools so that student lunches might offer more fresh produce and fewer Tater Tots. He’s even floated the idea of taxing soda.

I'm all for taxing soda and junk food. Let's get real, the country is going broke and they need to raise taxes somewhere. The already tax cigarettes and alcohol, so why not tax something that is potentially even more damaging to our health? You can drink that Pepsi or Coke and eat those Twinkies, but you should pay extra for doing so to offset the health care costs you'll incur later on (which are passed on to all of us through higher insurance premiums).

Maybe the extra costs will even dissuade people from consuming junk foods, just as high cigarette taxes have worked to cut down the number of smokers.

But, it's unlikely to happen in the short term. The reason no one is focusing in on this issue is that agribusiness is so strong, that reforming the food system is politically even more difficult than reforming health care.

As Michael wrote:

But so far, food system reform has not figured in the national conversation about health care reform. And so the government is poised to go on encouraging America’s fast-food diet with its farm policies even as it takes on added responsibilities for covering the medical costs of that diet. To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.

Why the disconnect? Probably because reforming the
food system is politically even more difficult than reforming the health care system. At least in the health care battle, the administration can count some powerful corporate interests on its side — like the large segment of the Fortune
500 that has concluded the current system is unsustainable.
That is hardly the case when it comes to challenging agribusiness. Cheap food is going to be popular as long as the social and environmental costs of that food are charged
to the future. There’s lots of money to be made selling fast food and then treating the diseases that fast food causes. One of the leading products of the American food industry has become patients for the American health care industry.
The market for prescription drugs and medical devices to manage Type 2 diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates will afflict one in three Americans born after 2000, is one of the brighter spots in the American economy. As things stand, the health care industry finds it more profitable to treat chronic diseases than to prevent them. There’s more money in
amputating the limbs of diabetics than in counseling them on diet and exercise.

It's plainly obvious that our government is not going to protect us and our children from agribusiness. We have to take the steps to just so "no" to food that has been processed to the point that it is nothing more than fat-inducing calories.

We have to vote with our wallets and not buy conglomerate food. Instead, we need to sustain ourselves with locally grown food that is not only more nutritious, but less fattening.

Just Step Away from the McDonald's Big Mac Snack Wrap

This "snack" contains a whopping 350 calories and 21 grams of fat. So just stay away.


http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/09/fast-food-nightmares-mcdonalds-big-mac-snack-wrap/

Keeping Your Weight Under Control During Menopause

I can really relate to this article: http://weight-loss.families.com/blog/keeping-your-weight-under-control-during-menopause

I know that when I started going through menopause my weight just ballooned out of control. I had to drastically cut back on calories and increase the intensity of my workouts just to maintain my weight. It was like my body just started screaming "YOU CAN'T REPRODUCE ANYMORE SO YOU MUST GAIN WEIGHT SO THAT YOU WILL NEVER EVER BE ATTRACTIVE SEXUALLY EVER AGAIN."

Well, even if I can't have kids, I am not happy when I'm chubby. I don't even care about being attractive to men. I just feel better about myself when I'm thinner, and I actually feel healthier and have more energy as well.

So, if you want to lose weight (or just not gain it) as you approach menopause, do as the article says. Eat less, exercise more, drink lots of water and eat healthy. Menopause is natural, but there's no reason not to fight the weight gain.

A Little Bit of Raw with Every Meal

A couple of weekends ago I took advantage of a particularly nasty, wet, rainy day to have a cook-a-thon in the kitchen. I made batches of roasted peppers, caponata and pesto to store in the freezer.

Tonight for dinner I'm taking advantage of my garden's largess by using some of the pesto I made that wet, rainy day.

Pesto is and of itself is a raw sauce, but I'm upping its raw credentials by adding a pint of sliced cherry tomatoes and a finely chopped, yellow, bell pepper into the mix.

The pesto will be tossed with the tomatoes, pepper, Romano cheese, salt, pepper and whole grain pasta for any easy dinner.

I just love having a freezer full of garden bounty!!!

Avoiding Frankenfoods

If you're trying to lose weight, you should be trying to eat as organically and naturally as possible. As I've previously written, ridding your body of toxins makes it much easier to shed fat.


So, of course, you should want to avoid genetically modified foods. The bad news is that GMO foods are creeping more and more into the food supply chain (see here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/business/29gmo.html?_r=1) The good news is that an industry group is working to label food items free of GMO ingredients (see the same NYTs article).


Until that day comes, however, there one thing you can do now in the supermarket if you want to avoid GMO fruits and vegetables (and they're not always labeled). It's a handy trick that someone told me about. Read the little stickers with four numbers that are on every item in the produce aisle. If the first number is 8, it means it's GMO (sometimes the numbers are stamped on the bag the produce comes in as well).

Additionally, if the four numbers start with the number 4 its conventionally grown, and if they start with 9 it's organic.

So just remember "I hate eight, but if its nine it's mine."

And, if there already wasn't enough of a reason to avoid processed sugar, check this out from the NYT's piece:

The most recent agricultural sector to convert is sugar beets. Once this year’s crop is processed, close to half of the nation’s sugar will come from gene-engineered plants. Monsanto,
a major developer of such seeds, has said it plans to develop biotech wheat, and scientists are moving forward on other crops.

Eat Like a Billionaire

T-Rez over at Queen of My Domain has a great post on Dole's CEO who's going strong in his 80's thanks to a mostly raw food diet. You can read her post here: http://www.queenofdadomain.com/2009/09/eat-like-billionaire.html#comment-form

I actually wrote about Mr. Murdock a while ago here: http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/2009/05/33-of-healthiest-foods-on-earth.html

It just goes to show, if you center your diet around eating primarily fruits and vegetables and exercising every day for the rest of your life, you'll not only be thinner, but healthier.

Is it Better to eat Early???

I sometimes wonder about this kind of research, but here it is: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/late-night-eating-linked-to-weight-gain/

The gist is that new research on mice suggests that if you eat late at night, you're more likely to put on weight.

I actually pretty much always stop eating around 6 or 7, not so much for weight loss reasons, but I find it's harder for me to fall asleep and stay asleep right after eating.

But, I still wonder about how when you eat could impact what you weigh? Maybe it has more to do with your body wanting to consume more calories if you delay eating, it would then mirror those studies showing that people who skipped breakfast consumed more calories throughout the day.

Never Mind Losing Weight, Sometimes Just Not Gaining it is a Triumph

I ran into a friend today in the midst of what I call the "dieting blues." This friend has managed to put on over 25 pounds over the last two years and began to diet and exercise in earnest over the Summer.

Her grand total in Weight loss?? Zero, zippo, zilch. She hasn't lost a single pound.

As I explained, way back when here: http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/2009/04/never-mind-losing-weight-just-not.html, if you had been gaining weight for a while, then when you start to diet and exercise, your initial efforts may only serve to stabilize your current weight.

Let me explain, in my friend's case, she had been putting on over a pound a month. That means she was consuming some 3,500 calories over what she needed to maintain her weight every month. My friend said her new exercise regime consisted of a 20 to 25 minute walk three or four times a week. A walk of that length only burns about 125 calories, so she was probably burning about an additional 1,750 calories a month.

That's a good start, it's more than half of her calorie "excess" a month. She also said she was eating less, but obviously it wasn't enough to lead to significant weight loss.

I pointed out to my friend that while she hadn't lost weight, the good news was that in the last two months she hadn't put o the extra 2 pounds she as averaging.

So, that, I pointed out was a triumph.

The next step, was, of course, to boost the intensity of her workouts and cut back even further on the calories she was eating. I suggested she try to walk faster and extend her walks to 30 minutes, and think about increasing the amount of raw fruits and vegetables she ate.

The Importance Of School Lunches

Funny, I just blogged about school lunches this morning, then I found this blog by Alice Waters over at The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alice-waters/want-to-teach-democracy-i_b_276420.html

Our kids are our future. Let's stop feeding them crap.

It's the Most Happiest Time of the Year!!!

The kids started school yesterday. The only bummer is that my son's bus picks him up at 6:55 am!!! I now have to get up even earlier than I have been to get my power walk in so that I can be ready at 6:25 am to try to get my 14 year old son out of bed, dressed and fed before the bus comes (which isn't easy).

It was nice having the kids around, and we've done some fun things together in the last few weeks, but I have work to do. I've tried working with them home, but then I feel guilty that they just sit in the other room playing computer and video games. I took them on hikes, to the beach etc., but once they got back to the house it was straight for the electronic crack.

So, now at least they'll be a supportive, educational environment for most of the day, and, thankfully, our school system changed to a new "healthier" cafeteria menu a few years ago. The food is made with all whole grains, there are no vending machines with soda or candy, and every meal is served with fresh steamed vegetables and fresh fruit. They even banned chocolate milk above the elementary level.

So I can rest assured that they're eating right as well. I'd like to take credit for the healthy foods in school, but the credit goes to two other mothers who, a few years ago, pushed for the change. Some kids at the high school level, initially griped, but in the end everyone accepted it.

As it is, most of the parents here in town were feeding their kids nothing but whole grain pasta, bread etc. and limiting the candy and soda so it wasn't that dramatic change for them.

And, as one young figure-conscience young lady told me, it's better not to have the temptation in the lunch line when you're trying to watch your weight.

Pump Up the Volume

T-Rez over at Queen of My Domain has an excellent post on meal volume and the studies of Dr. Barbara Rolls. Check it out here: http://www.queenofdadomain.com/2009/08/turn-up-volume.html#comment-form

Essentially, Dr. Rolls' studies show that people who eat high volume foods lost more weight. It makes sense, eating high volume foods, i.e, raw fruits and vegetables, cuts down on caloric consumption so weight comes off and stays off. Her studies also showed that eating a salad before a meal cuts down caloric intake by 20%.