Mini Goals

I tend to get overwhelmed by the amount of weight I want to lose. It's a lot! I have a long haul ahead of me and it's going to be hard work. It's going to be hard because I'm older and I have a lot of deep seeded patterns to turn around. It's like turning around the Titanic. There's a lot of it.

One thing that is helping me immensely is setting mini goals that provide attainable things to work towards. My goal for this week was to lose 2 lbs. by Thanksgiving so that I could gain it all back again after the fantastic meal we are cooking and not feel bad about it. My goal is to just get through this food based holiday without totally blowing my diet. Yesterday I spent most of the day in the car driving to Santa Barbara. I bought some fantastic pistachio nuts and small bag of  a dehydrated vegie combo at a roadside market in Moss Landing. The vegies were a mixture of dried beets, yams, green beans, carrots and other things. They were so crunchy, lightly salted, filling and so satisfying! It only took a few to fill me up. Aside from that and a stop at Starbucks for my iced latte, that was all I had the whole trip. I managed to avoid all the fast food places which was the big thing for me. Setting the mini goal was the only thing that got me through yesterday. I pushed through it and am happy to say that I lost 4 lbs. Yesterday was hard on so many levels, but I am so thankful for the mini goal that totally helped me stay focused. If I can keep this type of thinking up I'll be well on my way to a healthier life.

Take time today to really think of all you have to be thankful for. Not just "things", but the interactions we have with other and what we can do to connect and put forth a spirit of love and understanding on this most glorious days. My goal for today is to kick back and enjoy a slower, non- stressful day full of goodwill towards others, friends, inspiration, laughter and good food.

Wishing everyone a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Late Night Hunger

I get hungry from about 7:00 PM on and it's a real challenge not to eat in the evenings. My appetite is funny that way. I am hardly ever hungry in the morning but I eat something anyway. Usually some plain yogurt with a banana or sometimes I'll make a smoothie.

Come lunch time, I'm starting to develop an appetite... but even then, I need to eat something light or I get incredibly tired at around 3:00 in the afternoon. I'll usually eat a salad or have some soup for lunch. It's always something on the light side so my blood sugar doesn't plummet.



It's not until around 6-7:00 in the evening that I really start to feel hungry. It starts around 7:00 and builds from there. I'll start off having a light dinner which is usually really good and on the healthy side. Then two hours later I'll feel hungry again. I start off by telling myself not to eat but the sensation of hunger is so overwhelming that I begin to eat. I start off with something small like a couple of tortilla chips or a slice of cheese. The problem is that it doesn't stop there. It just makes me hungry for more so I'll make something like a tortilla with salad and some salsa and cheese inside and eat that. Or maybe I'll take some cold cuts and eat them wrapped around some pickled vegetables and cottage cheese. Maybe I'll eat three of these before I feel full.

I have always been like this. Even in high school, I can remember getting hungry at night. The reality is that often I can't sleep unless I have had something to eat. The hunger is so overpowering that it will keep me awake.

Eating after dinner is the number one eating dysfunction of mine. I'm going to look online to see what I can find out about this. I remember hearing something about it recently in the press. Something about how a lot of people had this problem and I think there was a term for it. The fact is that I did well with not eating past 8:00 in the evening for about 1-1/2 weeks and now it is starting to creep back in again. I play mind games with myself that attempt to validate it. I realize the absurdity of it all but the hunger is so great that all reasoning gets thrown out the window.

I'm writing about this because presently it is the biggest obstacle for me to overcome and I would like to really spend some time addressing this issue.

Staying the Course...

This has been a challenging week for me. The holidays are kicking in big time with so much good food around. The "taste" approach is working but in some instances just wets my appetite to want even more. For instance with anything crunchy, (like crackers), I can't do the taste approach because crackers are my nemesis. For now I have to avoid them completely. Lucky for me, I've found crunch in other food items that are less likely to throw my diet under the bus. A small handful of almonds is very satisfying. Keep it to a handful though because frequent snacking on nuts can  totally derail a diet.

I find that setting small attainable goals along the way is extremely helpful. My current goal is to lose 2 more pounds before Thanksgiving. I know I'll gain them back immediately afterwards, but planning ahead for it now will help me stay on track and put me in control of my eating. Which is the point of my diet... for me to be in control and not my dysfunctional food addiction. I have to remind myself of that periodically. That it's not about the calories for me as much as it is about my eating habits. Of course I want to lose weight but that will happen through being in control of my eating patterns. It's important for me to focus on that and not on the ups and downs of weight loss.



Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. To me there's nothing better than spending time in the kitchen with friends / family / whoever... creating a beautifully prepared meal. I enjoy the ritual of preparing the meal from scratch and not using a lot of prepared ahead / processed or canned ingredients.  From cooking the turkey and peeling potatoes, to tearing and drying the bread the day before for stuffing and the popping of the fresh cranberries when cooking... I love it all. I love sipping sherry in between adding it to the sauces. The combinations of traditional Thanksgiving foods pair well with alcohol and it's always an opportunity for me to try new spirits. This year it's the Jalapeno vodka from Stoli and a private reserve port. I also like to try new recipes out and this year it's the spiced pumpkin soufflé with bourbon sauce for dessert. It sounds divine and I liked the lightness and no crust aspects of it. Pumpkin and bourbon are made for each other and I'm so excited to try this new recipe out!

So this is my wish for all of us struggling with eating disorders this holiday season:

• That we will allow ourselves to enjoy food and drink without letting it overpower us.
• That we focus on the absolute joy of the season and sharing it with friends and family.
• To partake in the spirit of giving through the kindness and understanding that we show towards others.
• To let the spirit of the season connect and inspire us towards greater objectives.

Looking forward to a season of new beginnings!

Festive Light Bites

I love appetizers with flavors that mingle together in one bite. These Greek salad bites do exactly that.

My son makes a fantastic Greek salad but the salami pushes it over the top for added calories. The flavors of the cucumber, tomatoes, feta and olives together are a perfect combination of savory, salt and crunch.

 

 

This is like a mini Greek salad on a stick. It’s very satisfying and light making it the perfect appetizer for when you’re craving the taste of Greek salad without all the added calories. It has the added benefits of being gluten free, easy to eat and makes for a beautiful presentation.

Eating Out

Tonight I met a friend at a local Polynesian Tiki Bar restaurant which I love! They have a happy hour that goes until 6:00 so we took advantage of that and ordered off of the appetizer menu. They have a number of great tasting appetizers and we chose the Vietnamese fresh spring rolls and the marinated beef kabobs. Both items were fabulous!

Vietnamese fresh spring rolls are one of my all time favorite foods. I make these at home a couple times a month. They are labor intensive and have to be made fresh because they do not keep well. The wrapping becomes too rubbery and dried out after even 1 hour in the fridge. They are light and filling. The ones we had tonight were filled with strips of tofu, vegetable and mint. The mint totally makes it no matter what the filling is. I fill mine at home with shrimp, pickled vegetables, avocado, lettuce, rice vermicelli noodles and mint. I make big rolls and cut them in half. I like less of the wrapper and more filling. The dipping sauce is important and is the element that binds all the flavors together.



 



The beef kabobs were small cubes of marinated steak with pineapple and green onion chunks in between and then lightly glazed and grilled. They were delicious! I will definitely be making them at home.

Frequently when I go out to eat, I will order a couple of appetizers in place of a meal. They are usually just enough to fill me up and I like having different tastes of things instead of a lot of one item. Tapas and appetizers are the perfect food format for me and are an excellent choice for weight loss.

Tolerances

 

 

With the holidays just around the corner, I’m finding myself increasingly in social situations that involve buffet type displays of food. The one tonight had a full array of chocolate items. Cakes with gnache centers, truffles, fudge, hand dipped tropical fruits and some gorgeous little petit fours. I mean we’re talking beautifully crafted chocolate works of art! How can a foodie like me possibly say no to such delectable treats? Why would anyone want to?

Bottom line, losing the weight and addressing my dysfunctional eating patterns are more important to me than a bunch of chocolate. That is my truth and I need to honor that decision. After all, this is the foundation of my whole weight loss journey.

I have had a long career in the apparel industry and there is a control factor in production that we refer to as tolerances. Basically, this is a set standard that allows for error. Things move quickly through production and so the amount that a measurement can be off is important to specify so the silhouette and fit do not get distorted. For clothing, the tolerances set are in proportion to the length of the seam. The shorter the seam length, the shorter the tolerance. Most seams have a standard 1/4" tolerance.

Tonight I thought I would apply the same theory to food. So what are my tolerances? How much of a piece of cake can I have before it alters my diets outcome... and is this playing with fire? It’s hard making these decisions especially when it’s something like chocolate staring you in the face!

I decided that my tolerance factor for everything not in my diet plan would be a “taste.” A taste is just that. Not a handful, not a slice, not two tastes.  A taste is a small enough amount to get the idea of the flavor and the texture without compromising the integrity of my weight loss.

I need this buffer for the times when it is important to allow for food experiences.  There’s nothing wrong with tasting a spoonful of ice cream or tiramisu. It’s simply unrealistic for me to cut all food experiences that are potentially dangerous out of my life. Yes it’s playing with fire but I look at it more as a controlled burn. For now, I’m going to allow for tastes and see how that plays out.

Cravings

I was really hungry today. Starting my diet last week was not difficult. It went incredibly well and I wasn’t that hungry most of the time. This week is different.

I’m craving meat and more substantial foods. The vegetables aren’t as satisfying this week and I want bulk. I’m craving textures that can be chewed and have a heavier weight. A steak would really do me well about now… or something like fettuccini with clam sauce or lasagna. I’m craving the feeling of being full from bulk and not full from fat burner soup.

I managed to stay on track by allowing myself to have more bulk at dinner tonight. I cooked up ½ lb. of lean hamburger with spinach and onions and sautéed apples as sides. The total portion was larger than what I would usually allow myself to have but hey… it was satisfying and got rid of the craving so I’m happy about that.

 



I feel like my body just needs more today and that’s OK. It’s important to be able to differentiate between the cravings that drive the bus from the ones that throw you under the bus. My body is changing and today it needed to have more protein type energy. I’m going to keep more hamburger and chicken breasts on hand just for days like today when I need them. I’m glad to be making these types of decisions about what my body needs as opposed to having it all spelled out in advance and just blindly following a plan or fad regardless of what is going on inside.  For me it’s just as much about changing my eating patterns as it is about losing the weight. The eating patterns are going down kicking and screaming. I can already tell that it’s really going to take a conscious effort on my part to keep from falling back into old behaviors. Yes it’s OK to have a big burger, yes it’s OK to have larger than normal portions. No it’s not OK to do this every day and NO it’s not OK to beat myself up over it. Years of poor eating habits aren’t going away over night and one way or another, I’ll learn to deal with it.