The Fat Girl in the Mirror

I won't pretend to know what it's like to be 100 lbs overweight, but I do know what it's like to look in the mirror and not recognize the person looking back. It was during my first pregnancy when a combination of taking the phrase "eating for two" a little too literally and retaining what seemed like gallons of fluid caused me to swell up like an inflatable balloon and gain 50 lbs. It might not have been so bad had I not overheard the whispered comments of concerned relatives or had to endure the endless questions about whether I'd been tested for toxemia. (Yes, I had, no I wasn't!) Instead of looking in the mirror and rejoicing about the life growing inside of me all I could do was stare at the stranger, the sad, heavy girl who appeared one day and wouldn't go away.

I couldn't have been more disappointed when I stood on the scale for the first time after my son was born by cesarean section and saw that I'd only lost 12 lbs. More than half of the weight was the baby. I shuffled back to my hospital bed feeling defeated but at the same time motivated to get those pounds off and welcome back the girl I'd been before the pregnancy. While the doctor said no exercising for 6 weeks there was no reason that I couldn't lose weight by watching my diet, or so I thought. On Thanksgiving day, 4 weeks after my son's birth, I hadn't lost a single pound. Talk about discouraging. Eventually, by working out religiously 7 evenings a week I was able to finally say goodbye to the stranger in the mirror.

While it was a relief to say goodbye to the big girl in the mirror, I'll always be grateful that I met her. She taught me compassion. She taught me that words hurt, even the hurtful ones that came after the weight loss. "I was so worried about how big you got." or the lighthearted "My daughter called me yesterday and said, 'I'm retaining so much water, I look like Karen.' " made me recall the pain of feeling less of a person because of my size. You never really get over the hurt that insensitive comments cause.

No, I don't know what it's like to be 100 lbs overweight but I do know what it feels like to be the fat girl in the mirror.



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Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

The clock this morning said 6:33; my alarm was set for 6:50. The wind, howling like a pack of feral cats, hinted at the frigid temperature outside. In 17 minutes the alarm would blare and I'd have to leave the warmth and comfort of the cocoon that was my bed. How easy it would be, I thought, to slip my arm out from under the comforter and click off the alarm, drift off to sleep, let the day ahead wait for me this time. But I knew from experience that strategy would backfire. I'd sleep for two more hours, wake up groggy and spend the rest of the day playing catchup while simultaneously beating myself up for wasting precious time. In this case, sacrificing comfort was the right choice.

On a journey to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, disciplining ourselves to make choices that are sometimes uncomfortable is a lot like forcing oneself to get out of bed on a nippy winter's day. Choosing the comfortable route will give temporary pleasure, but it's guaranteed to eventually come back and bite you directly in the tush. Generally, rides on the comfortable path are short ones that lead to dead ends. The pleasure you get from eating those extra cookies or skipping a week's workouts in favor of a date with your remote control can end abruptly when you see the extra pounds on the scale or you are unable to zip your favorite pair of jeans.

I got out of bed at 6:50 when the alarm went off. The room felt chilly and I was still a little sleepy. I slipped on the cozy robe my husband bought me for Christmas last year and opened my bedroom door. My little Murphy, our 10-year-old pug, was waiting outside my door excited to see me. Seconds later the door to my daughter's bedroom opened and she came out, dressed and ready to leave for school. "Hey mama" she said with a smile as she bounded down the stairs in a hurry to warm up her car. It was worth getting out of bed to see those sweet faces, my reward for doing something that was a little bit uncomfortable.

Anything worthwhile requires getting comfortable with discomfort.

Quick and Easy Hummus

After my last post I had a request to print my hummus recipe. This recipe came from Najah Joseph, the owner of a local restaurant. If you've ever paid $5 for an itty bitty container of hummus from the grocery store you'll never go back after trying this. It's simple and takes only about 10 minutes using a regular blender. Best of all, it makes a huge amount of hummus, enough to take to a party and still have some left over for yourself.


Najah Joseph's Hummus

19 oz can chick peas
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. tahini sauce
1/2 c lemon juice


Drain half the water from the chickpeas. Put peas with remaining water and garlic into blender. Blend until you have a smooth puree. Add tahini and blend again to mix well. Add lemon juice and pinch of salt and continue to blend until smooth.

When serving, spoon hummus onto a flat serving dish and pour 1 tablespoon olive oil over. Do not stir olive oil into mixture. (I skip this step as it is delicious without the extra fat and calories.)

Notes:

Tahini sauce, also known as sesame paste, is available in the international food section of most grocery stores.



Try adding hummus to a pita filled with veggies, use it as a substitute for butter or cream cheese on a bagel thin or use it as a dip for fresh vegetable slices. It's a good way to add a little extra protein to your meals or snacks.

Meal Planning that Works for You

Successful weight loss starts with meal planning and prepping.

A few years back I ran into a friend in the produce section of the grocery store and she showed me her detailed shopping list. As a busy working mom she said that she planned out her meals for the week then made a list of each ingredient she'd need before heading to the store. I was in awe of her organizational skills. She found the system that worked best for her family and it helped make evenings less stressful in their household.

While my friend's plan was a success for her family, it wouldn't work as well for mine. Because my kids both work a few evenings a week and my husband regularly has evening meetings, it's pretty rare that we all sit down for meals any more. What works best for us is having the makings for healthy meals available so that we can eat whenever it's convenient.

My daughter's favorite, Greek salad, is something you'll find regularly in our frig.

As I mentioned in this post Sunday afternoon is the best time for me to get meals ready for the week. If my kids aren't working or with friends they're usually quietly finishing up their homework. My husband can usually be found watching whatever game is on that afternoon. I have the kitchen to myself. I hunt through the pantry, freezer and refrigerator for whatever ingredients are left over from the week that I can prep then to make whipping up meals less time consuming later. Generally, I spend less than 90 minutes a week doing this. This week I clocked in at 1 hour and 15 minutes. Besides the salad pictured above that short time was enough to do all of the things mentioned below:

Make a huge container of hummus and chop up red peppers and cucumbers for dipping.

Saute a large bag of spinach with a small amount of olive oil and garlic.






Section two large grapefruit

-Hard boil a dozen eggs

-Clean and prep a batch of green beans that can be steamed or roasted later

-Peel and chop a cantaloupe

-Clean and chop two bunches of celery

-Slice an orange to add to a pitcher of water (the most effective way I've found to get my kids to drink more water.)


The whole wheat pita on the left (below) could be filled with the Greek salad and a little hummus for a grab-and-go meal. Ditto for a couple hard boiled eggs and some veggie sticks. The grapefruit is a family favorite to eat with any meal of the day. Hummus and veggies are a great snack as is a bowl of cantaloupe. Having the green beans prepped and the spinach ready to reheat for side dishes leaves just the preparation of an entree-something as simple as baked chicken for my meat eating family or a simple pasta dish or tofu for vegetarian me.



Not shown above is the frozen blueberries, strawberries and raspberries that my daughter loves to throw in her after-school smoothies. She uses soy or coconut milk and Greek yogurt to give it a richer taste.

This is the system that works best for our family. It might not work for a family with young children involved in weekend sports or individuals who spend their Sunday afternoon at a house of worship or with extended family. Regardless, if you can create a system and find the time to carve out for meal planning each week your chances for successful weight loss/maintenance becomes increasingly more likely.

Have you developed a meal planning system that works for you?

P.S. Prepping once a week saves time on clean up too!

Speak Up or Shut Up?

Experts in the area of etiquette state that the only time it's appropriate to correct another person's grammar is if said person is a child and you are his or her parent or teacher. But what about advising someone who has wildly erroneous ideas about what types of food or exercise routines will bring about better health or weight loss?

Before you answer, consider these real scenarios where I kept quiet but inside my head I was saying, "Oh honey...really?"

-Individual whines about inability to lose weight but orders the largest steak on the menu and gobbles down every last morsel along with loaded baked potato. Statement is made that it's a reward for 30 minutes on the elliptical machine earlier in the day.

-Individual has been on one unsuccessful "diet" or another for the past 13 years and just finished describing the diet cookies that Woman's Day magazine claims will help her lose weight.

-Individual states that weight gain is the result of friends' invitations to go out for meals several times per week.

-Individual beams with pride over choice to give up regular lunch of burger and fries and replace with two granola bars.

-Individual has gained weight while on an exercise routine that consists of walking on the treadmill while reading a magazine.

-Individual expresses frustration over steady weight gain while staying vigilant about diet. Is observed on several occasions using two scoops each of powdered coffee creamer and sugar in coffee and slathering copious amounts of mayonnaise on sandwiches. Note: Individual's freezer is never without at least two half gallons of full fat ice cream.


My theory is that etiquette pros would advise me to listen without comment or suggest that the individual seek the assistance of a professional.

What say you? Is it ever okay to give unsolicited advice? What about asking a leading question that could get the person to view their situation from another side?

You Can Lead a Horse to Water...

I could hear the frustration in my friend's voice as she described to me an argument she had with her husband. Apparently he was quite exercised over the amount of money she had been spending weekly on groceries. He picked up the grocery list she'd prepared for the week and started reading: Red peppers, romaine lettuce, whole wheat bread, organic blueberries...He told her that she was selfishly buying only things that she'd be eating and not considering his needs. He turned the paper over and made his own list of four items: White bread, Beef-a-roni, canned beans and hot dogs.

What made my friend feel defeated more than anything was the fact that her list was a reflection of her desire to help her husband. You see, recently her husband's cholesterol levels were tested and shown to be sky high. When his doctor warned him that if he didn't start exercising and eating right he'd need medication her husband curtly replied, "Just give me a prescription."

Maybe next time her husband complains about the money being spent on food, real food, she should point out that his prescriptions, visits to the doctor and hospital bills for the bypass surgery he'll ultimately need might put a dent in their savings too.

Paula Deen the Next Healthy Lifestyle Advocate?

Via PaulaDeen.com

It's been rumored that everyone's favorite butter-loving cooking show hostess will soon announce that she suffers from Type II diabetes. Could this be an opportunity for Ms. Deen to find a second career as an advocate for making healthy lifestyle changes? With her larger-than-life personality and contagious laugh you can't help but take notice when she's on the screen.

A clue about what message Paula Deen will be sending in the future?

Paula Deen is in a unique situation where she can influence a great number of people and lead by example using her show as her stage. Will she be ditching the sticks of butter in favor of olive oil? Will baking and grilling take the place of deep frying in Paula's kitchen? Is there a low-fat cookbook in Paula's future?

Will scrambled egg white omelettes be taking the place of bacon burgers served on glazed donuts at Paula's next brunch?

Only time will tell if Paula Deen will find a second career as The Food Network's next healthy meals hostess.

Do you think fans would tune into a show called "Paula's Healthy Kitchen"?


*It's been rumored that Paula Deen has already penned a deal with a drug company to act as a spokesperson for a drug to treat her condition.