MUFFIN TOPS AND PANCAKE BOTTOMS

I never was much of a breakfast eater but it has been said time and again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I was always smart enough to figure out that fat-filled pancakes, biscuits, sausages and bacon and definitely Cinnabon sugary cinnamon rolls oozing with icing just don't add up to a good breakfast.  I think the point is that morning meals are essential for revving your metabolism and kick-starting your calorie burn, but chowing down on a fat and calorie-laden breakfast from the local fast food chain doesn't cut it. Research shows that people who ate a BIG morning meal consumed an extra 400 calories a day... hence setting themselves up for muffin tops and pancake bottoms.

But then again I wasn't that smart.  I just love muffins and I started eating the muffin tops from the The Second Cup.  Sometimes I graduated to the whole muffin.  Recently, they came up with a deal to go with my morning latte.  For 99 cents I could get a muffin with the latte.  They were slightly smaller than the ones they usually sell so I was thinking it was A-okay to eat one for breakfast.  My favourite was the morning glory muffin with oranges, carrots and sunflower seeds on the top.  It sounded pretty healthy to me but now I am not sure.  Sadly, Prevention magazine said that muffins are calorie sinkholes. The Starbucks Zucchini-Walnut muffin seems healthy enough, boasting both zucchini and walnuts but we are told not to be fooled by the veggie-based name.  It has close to 500 calories and 28 grams of fat. 

After reading these statistics today, I decided to make mini banana muffins.  I had done that before but somehow it got away from me when the freezer ran dry of home-baked minis.  I figure they are 1 to 2 points each.  While shopping today at the grocery store, I flipped over the containers of mini muffins in the bakery department to see what these store-bought muffins contained compared to the big ones offered at the coffee houses.  I was pleased to see that store-bought mini carrot muffins only contained 160 calories for 3 muffins.  Once I bought them and took them home I put the information through the Weight Watchers calculator.  It turns out they were only 1 point each.  They were fresh and didn't have the preservatives the Weight Watchers packaged products do to ensure their shelf life.  These were pretty good both taste wise and weight watching wise.

Anyway, back to the kitchen.  It takes a little more work but I found Norene Gilletz's book on the Food Processor Bible and found there are some delicious low-fat, low-cal and nutritious recipes that could be made in a snap. As busy as I was today I managed to make 48 banana muffins that were mixed in the food processor that came out great.  Then I was on a roll.  I made salmon patties like you have never seen before that had 2 and 1/2 cups of corn flakes, a carrot and a whole onion and 1/4 cup of fresh dill.  They were really tasty and they were all mixed in the food processor.

So I am saying good-bye for now to bought muffin tops so I can get rid of the muffin tops around my waist.  As for pancakes, they are much smaller and less caloric when made at home.  No matter how much weight I lose, I will never have a flat pancake bottom.  Genetically, I have a black person's butt even though I am totally white.  However, I am sure my butt will look better without eating pancakes and muffins out. 

GIRL GUIDE'S MOTTO: BE PREPARED

Not every day fits into the mould of perfection.  Every day is a challenge.  Today I focused on a child friendly meal that my grandchildren would eat and added some heart-healthy additions for the adults.  That was the plan.  The lunch was great and I was gratified that my grandchildren actually ate and enjoyed it as well as the adults.  There were enough choices for everyone.  At the end of the preparation, I actually fell into the children's food category as did my son, Noah and my husband.

I was thinking how I could make fun food healthy for the little ones.  I took ripe bananas and cut them in half.  I melted Nutella and first rolled a half of banana in it and then rolled it in a casserole dish of crushed bran flakes and put them all in the freezer for about a half an hour.   It was delicious for everyone and I had a half too.  My slender daughter-in-law, Erica made a valid suggestion that I could cut the bananas in slices to make smaller pieces.  I still think big but I am always open to a good suggestion like that.  First it is a good idea to freeze it a bit or else it becomes a sticky mess.

Then to put more nutrition into the pancakes, I put in a whole container of ricotta cheese and mixed in a little water instead of milk to thin it a bit.  I added mashed bananas and cinnamon sugar which my grandson, Linc loves.  That went over well.  I ate 3 small pancakes myself.  Also, for the kids I made bacon.  I was pleased to see I could buy bacon with 33% less salt than regular.  I must admit I did share that very well with the kids and my guys.  I did account for everything though in my tracking and didn't eat breakfast prior except for a small iced skim latte.

I made hard-boiled eggs for my go-to meal but chose to go with the kids' meals instead.  Erica said she could eat a whole bowl of  hard boiled eggs.  My granddaughter, Chase also loves them.  Well, I didn't eat the eggs but I still have a few left over that I will pack with me tomorrow to eat after my workout at the gym.  That will stop me from eating evil muffins that I so enjoy.

I also made a fresh fruit salad this morning with apples, oranges, watermelon, blueberries and raspberries.  It was delicious and although I didn't eat it for lunch, I had enough leftover for a mid-afternoon snack plus I think I will put some in a container tomorrow to eat in the eating area at the gym after my workout.  Some of the meal may have been decadent but the good, healthy stuff is still available for me to eat tomorrow.

For the most part, I have always tried to be prepared, something I had learnt as a young Girl Guide.
It is a constant, that can never be let up in every part of your life.  It is organize, organize, organize so that you are prepared when you walk out that door whether it is take-along eats or what to know before you dine out. 

I have maintained my weight for the last month which is not as bad as gaining.  Of course, there were ups and downs but the net as of yesterday made me even and I was pleased about that since this month entailed travelling, eating out, partying with friends which can be more daunting food wise than the 3 months of gala events prior to that. 

Some of the tricks of the trade of dieting involves carrying food with you.  Life is busy and sometimes it is good to stock my car with a few essentials in case I am caught in traffic or can't make it home after working out.  I really have to have things I can eat with one hand since I am driving.  So even though the single-serve fruit cups or apple sauce sounds like a good idea, it doesn't work well.  So I carry bananas, apples, raisins, cheese strings, baby carrots and the like. 

Another idea is to pre-track.  Write down what you plan to eat before you put one bite in your mouth whether you are at a restaurant or at home.  It makes you less likely to overdo it and helps to budget points.  I tried for 3 days when I was away not to track at all but that didn't work for me. People who plan what, where, and how much they will eat are more likely to be successful at weight loss.  That is a fact. 

Whether or not my blog is funny, it is basically for my own self-expression.  Journaling helps me explore my feelings and thoughts.  Sometimes, simply identifying them can prompt me to act on them directly.

THE CONFESSION

I have sinned.  I have transgressed.  I went 3 days without tracking and I thought I could carefully watch what I ate and although I didn't go all haywire, I still snuck in the odd cookie, the odd glass of wine and then finally the best bread basket I had ever eaten at our own Acqua Restaurant in our Sunny Isles Beach condo.
The pastry chef is to die for.  She is enormous and no doubt why.  Yesterday, I felt like a little cookie and 3 were brought, 2 oatmeal raisin and one chocolate chip.  I took the one....   then another and then... oh screw it, took the third.  That isn't all I did.  That night we ate in the indoor part of the restaurant, a more formal dinner.  I didn't order the plate of cookies but one of the very fit and thin ladies at my table did.  I had to break off a tiny piece of a white cookie just to see what it was.  It was the most delicious, soft and chewy almond cookie I had eaten.  I broke off a tiny piece for Paul to taste but then bit by bit, consumed the rest of it. So now I have confessed.

I am going back to tracking and hopefully that will help keep me in check but I can't be assured.  I am still in the situation of eating out and relying on others to cook food right without the added butter, oil and the like.
Even if you tell them, the chef seems to have a short memory and they forgot the shrimps but added a cup of oil.  I can't totally blame them but for sure the food in front of you doesn't help either.  Lead us not unto temptation.  You can speak for yourself but not for the others who want the bread basket, the cookies and the like. The flesh is weak especially if you are a foodie and there lies the temptation. 

I started the day, with the cleanse, so to speak.  It goes for everything you do.  I removed the old nail polish, brushed my hair to perfection, cut my bangs, super-flossed my teeth and deep-cleansed my face.  I don't yet have an appetite for food probably from last night's delicious meal.  It wasn't the stone crab claws or the salad that did me in.  It was the mustardy mayo, the bread basket with butter, the cookies, the second glass of wine... did I really need to ask for more butter or the second glass of wine?

I have cleansed.  I have confessed.  Today is a new day.  I am back to tracking.  I have been partying for a month now. The result is 3 pounds of flab I don't need.  As a matter of fact, there is more flab where that came from that I haven't even tackled yet.

PRESERVE YOUR LOAF

I was thinking that I wouldn't be writing my blog while I was on vacation just because my plan was to have no plan at all.  Then I happened to read an article that I thought was worthy of sharing about keeping bread fresh.  If you would have asked me, I would have said that putting it in the fridge was the best way to keep bread fresh.  It seemed to work for me since it delays the development of mold.

Now, I know that this is actually a fact.  It really does delay the development of mold but there is a chemical change starting soon after the bread is removed from the oven, the structure of the starch molecules change and little by little water is forced out of the bread and it begins to get stale.  We all know that bread tastes best when it is fresh and comes right out of the oven but I didn't know that starch retrogradation occurs more rapidly at refrigerator temperatures.

So if we can't make fresh bread every day and don't want to go to the bakery every day, what is the solution? One is storing the bread in the freezer.  It prevents staling as the freezer temperature delays retrogradation, holding the bread in a stable state.  Then to get the most out of your frozen bread, you have to consume it as soon a possible after thawing. 

The other alternative is just storing it at room temperature, just make sure it isn't exposed to air and is wrapped well. Plastic bags are supposed to be good for the common storebought loaf with a tender crust but the ones with a crusty outside bought at the bakery are supposed to be stored in the paper bag the bakery gives you.  You can often refresh your loaf by heating it in the oven for a few minutes.

I don't know how true any of this but I will give it a try.

CALORIE CURVE BALL

Why is it we seem to gain more weight than we figured it should be when we eat out?  For a while, I would order Rose Reisman meals when I was eating at The Pickle Barrel.  It was always such a surprise that I received such a large plate of food and it was so low in calories.  Perhaps if Rose had made it herself it would be more diet friendly. 

I was surprised to read that on average "lite" meals were 18% higher than average than they claimed. 
A lot of it depends on the chef.  He or she in the kitchen may decide the food doesn't look the way they would like it to and so some give larger portions.  I suppose you have to know this yourself with your own measurements like the palm of your hand being the right amount for the protein portion in your meal.  As well, the chef may not follow the recipe exactly and decide to add some enhancers like oil, butter, cream or sugar.  I suppose you have to make a special request and ask how it is made.

I am reminded of the egg white omelette I ordered the other day that was fried in oil and had extra sides I didn't order.  Don't you love going out to breakfast in Florida and ordering an egg white omelette and get home fries or grits on the side or maybe even bacon or sausage?  Well, maybe the grits are more Florida but the rest can happen anywhere.  If you are in the deep south, you will receive it with biscuits. 

There is one lady at Weight Watchers as thin as a pin but is only there to keep her 13-year-old daughter company.  When asked how the group made meals light she piped up and talked about using muffin tins to make her pizza light for the kids that arrived after school.  She was asked to bring in the recipe for all to share.  Mom had spent many years in Atlanta and brought in a book from Georgia with the recipe she was using.  There were no calories, fat or other details shown.  She just thought it seemed lighter.  When she described it to me, I asked whether she used phyllo dough as a base and she said, oh no, that wouldn't be sturdy enough to hold the contents.  When I looked at the recipe, the base was the biscuit base you could buy in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.  She filled it with ground meat and cheese.  She didn't bring copies for the group and it was probably just as well.  I figured by the time she put in all those ingredients, she would be better off to serve a thin-crust veggie pizza.  I asked her how she maintains her weight and she said her family can't believe how small her portions were.  Go figure! She knows zippo about nutrition.

Many people I know order grilled fish in the restaurant because they think it is lighter in calories.  Sometimes it gets a pat of butter on top before it leaves the kitchen door or do we really know what they put on the grill.  When I ordered my stove top, I ordered a grill in the centre.  What I received was a flat surface and not one with slats to drain off the fat. When I asked the manufacturer they told me that was their grill and the one I wanted was called something else. 

The other sneaky calorie curve ball are the free sides that come with the meal.  It isn't easy to eat out. 
It might be easier to not look at the menu and just order what you want and the way you like it.  Most good restaurants have the standard things in the kitchen and will accommodate you. 

Anyway, I am off for vacation for the next week and will probably be eating most of my meals out.  I will have to be extra judicious in my choices.  Now that I know what I know about so called "lite" meals on the menu, I think I will circumvent them and go for the main menu items done my way and watch out for the bread basket and all the other sneaky sides that appear as part of the service.

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE

I am sure you have heard there is a time for everything and everything has a season.  There is a time to be born and there is a time to die.  In between there is a balance of life and how we live it.  Everything is about balance.  I have heard people tell me that they don't have time to eat or sleep, watch TV, read a newspaper or workout. I have always had time for those things and yet I probably produce more and network more than most people I know other than my husband who has managed well to keep his life in balance apart from the fact he is a workaholic.  He still has time to do all the things we just discussed.  If he didn't balance his life he wouldn't have been able to have achieved so much because variety also has a lot to do with well-being as well as having the basic necessities of life in order.

People make choices in life every minute of the day.  Some people set their minds on sorting their sock drawer or washing their hair and because they have set their minds to it, they are unable to prioritise if something more meaningful, important or time sensitive comes up.  They are comfortable with their planning and can't move out of their groove.  That is how they see their balance on life.  They are not spontaneous but each person has to find his or her own balance to make his or her life liveable.

Balance is even on a more minute scale such as how, when and what we eat.  This goes for how we cook as well.  Now, not everyone cooks but if they do, they should know how to balance cooking times and seasonings to make the dish edible.  Again, it is all about the balance.  Especially, we expect professionals to know how to cook food properly. For example, I went a place called Tutto Pronto yesterday and ordered an egg white omelette with spinach, mushroom and mozzarella cheese.  That sounds simple enough but it obviously wasn't for the cook (I won't dare give the person the distinction of the word "chef").  Instead of a fluffy white omelette that had been well beaten with a little water or milk added, it was a flat piece of rubber, dark brown on the underside and swimming in oil.  Yuck! It was inedible.  It was poorly seasoned.  It had far too much mozzarella cheese and ended up being a cholesterol bomb.  It was off balance. 

It wasn't much better today when I ate at the Royal York.  You would think that the salad part of the meal was the easiest but alas it sucked.  It was called Niagara Pear and Endive salad with walnuts and blue cheese dressing.  It was luck I ordered the dressing on the side because it was sour.  The salad itself wasn't much to look at and the walnuts were some other unrecognizable nut and not walnuts and they were burnt beyond recognition... definitely, not balanced.

Although Weight Watchers have gone to a point system several years ago and say you can eat what you want within the point system, it also outlines on the daily tracking booklet some Good Health Guidelines.  They suggest you have 6 liquids, 2 healthy oils and a multivitamin daily.  Then they separate Power Foods and suggest you eat 5 to 9 fruits and veggies daily, 2-3 non-fat and low-fat dairy products, and suggest you eat whole grains and lean proteins.  They also ask you to remember to watch your intake of sodium, added sugar and alcohol.  I think this makes the programme very balanced.

Of course, at the meetings there are those that just don't have time to eat or prepare food and even to do daily tracking.  Maybe it should be suggested that they review their balance in life.  After all, they have chosen to join Weight Watchers and that is all part of getting their lives back in balance.

THE MINDLESS MUNCH

After yesterday's blog, I was bombarded with every kind of recipe and readers told me how they liked their popcorn whether it was sweet and salty with caramel or drizzled with chocolate.  That didn't bode well for any of us.  By evening's end everyone was down the garden path and led astray.  Even my houseguest diverted her travels to Whole Foods and bought popcorn drizzled with chocolate when she arrived home about 7 p.m. last night.  Well we hadn't yet eaten dinner and devoured the bag between us mindlessly munching and talking.  It got worse from there.  We cracked open the wine and waited for the sushi order.  Needless to say, the scale reminded me this morning of last night's indiscretions. 

Now that I am in the mood for confessing, I might as well tell you that I had eaten the popcorn left over from the meeting the day before which was left over from New Year's Eve's party.  I had bagged it and put it away after New Year's and brought it out again on Monday to fill a decorative silver bowl in the middle of the table.  Last night, waiting for Deb, I got hungry.  I started off with a banana which was good but ended up taking measuring cupfuls of cheese coated popcorn from the silver centrepiece. I went back again with my 1 cup measuring cup, then again. 

What can I say, I am still in party mode?  Or, that I am not around long enough to weigh in at Weight Watchers?  That may be true but here it is... the quote of the day "If hunger isn't the problem, then eating isn't the solution".

Solution #1:  PURGE MY PANTRY
I am almost teary-eyed to think I will be saying good-bye to all my favourite popcorn, chips and the like.  All I need is an hour and a garbage bag. 

Solution #2:  PRACTICE SAYING NO
I am always amenable to chillin' or partying.  Sometimes, we all need to say no... to your colleagues, your friends and your family... for the sake of your health.  This is another sad moment for me to deal with when I would rather not do that but here it is "No thank you... No thank you... No thank you!"

Solution #3:  SCRIBBLE EVERY NIBBLE
The only time I don't write every bite is when I transgress ... like last night.  But... Here we go again, mark down the chips from your mate's plate, the granola bar that was stashed in your glove compartment... it is so easy to mindlessly munch.  How about the food tasting especially in Costco?
No Thank you ... Practice Practice Practice and if you must.... SCRIBBLE EVERY NIBBLE.

Solution #4:  PASS THE POPCORN
The fancy stuff is going into a garbage bag this morning.  No more cheese covered, caramel or chocolate drizzled good stuff for me.  I am not saying no to popcorn though.  Like too much dressing on salads and sauces on foods, these things can make good things bad.  So here is the scoop:  three cups of air-popped (and fibre-packed) popcorn made from a quarter cup of kernels in your own kitchen is ok.  You can add a little butter ... a tiny bit but account for it.  Hold the salt but maybe add cinnamon, chili powder or garlic instead.  Voila.... cravings curbed.

Okay, I have said it all.  Now to put it into practice.  Please don't talk to me today about chocolate, caramel or sugar.  I will be busy purging the pantry and the only popcorn I will be eating will be my own from my air popper.

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?

I am always amazed about the milk debate, whether it be chocolate or not.  When I was growing up and didn't want to eat, my mother would say at least drink your milk.  It is good for you.  Every morning I would put chocolate mix in my milk and nobody said that it was bad for me. Canada's Food Rules used to stipulate how much milk was necessary and kids needed more than adults.  I won't quote exactly because I don't remember whether it was 3 or 4 glasses of milk a day.  In times when some people say that children don't actually need milk because they still get calcium from other foods and that animals don't drink milk after being weaned, I say bull roar. I have 7 grandchildren and most aren't good eaters.  Water today is the drink of choice but I am still a believer in eggs and milk being the purist of foods.

The debate today is about chocolate milk in the schools.  There is supposed to be a reversal of fortune and chocolate milk is making a comeback.  We had lunch at home so I was never faced with that when I was growing up.  My kids went to a private school and the lunches were awful and carb and fat laden and they ended up bringing their own.  I didn't even know that chocolate milk was considered as bad as candy or soft drinks in promoting childhood obesity and quite frankly don't buy into it too much. 
I wasn't a great eater in my early years and milk was the go to and if I didn't want it then we added a little chocolate to it.  I can't blame that on getting fat because that didn't happen until later years.  The vitamins and minerals in milk outweigh the drawbacks of some extra sugar.  Meanwhile what about all the soft drinks that were available in the schools when my kids were there?

Well, that is the milk part of the debate.  Now what about the chocolate.  My Mom didn't buy chocolate milk we just added a couple of teaspoons of chocolate drink mix to make mine chocolate and it was only in the morning.  Today they say breakfast is very important but what if your kid doesn't want to eat?  Does that mean don't give them chocolate milk?  Is it really better to throw the baby out with the bath water?  What about the need for breakfast to make the brain work?  Oh, no let's not give them what they want for fear of sugar.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my beef is with the sugary cereals and all the rest of the crap like fat-laden sausages and bacon filled with nitrates and nitrites.  So let's not give chocolate milk a bad rap.

I never know what to eat for breakfast.  I was reading the paper this morning when I came across the great chocolate milk debate.  I was having a Ryvita with peanut butter and cherry jam and thought I might go to hell for the sugar in the cherry jam after reading this diatribe.  Now here is an eye-opener for all the chocolate naysayers.  For years studies have shown that favonols, the antioxidant-rich compounds found in cocoa, improve circulation.  Now new research indicates that because those compounds increase blood flow to the brain, they may also help you see more clearly.  Two and a half hours after consuming 720 milligrams of flavonols (the amount in about one ounce of dark chocolate), study participants' visual function and ability to detect motion direction improved dramatically.

So here is some more research on chocolates.  It is better to have your chocolates after a meal, just one or two pieces, about 150 calories with a glass of milk (which has protein).  (haha ... read this you naysayers of chocolate milk).  Choose dark chocolate, not that it will lower the calorie count but the antioxidants in dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure and may help protect your skin from sun damage.  So if you aren't eating it from a 70% pure bar like I often do, then go for the nuts if you are picking it out of a box of chocolates. Nuts have heart-healthy unsaturated fats that can give you an added nutritional boost.  What about chocolate covered strawberries? Yum!  They complement the taste of chocolate. Chocolate also complements the taste of strawberries and you can get some fibre and feel full faster and won't be so tempted to eat too much sweet stuff.  ...  Only one thing...  don't go for the cream-filled centres.  Those are a killer and had too much sugar.

So, I say, let the kids have their chocolate milk and pay more attention to the processed and packaged foods and fake sugars and spreads pretending to be butter.  I don't think the chocolate milk debate was worthy of front page news and certainly didn't need to be continued inside the paper.  It must be a short news day.  With all the erroneous information out there, it must be really confusing to the young mothers of today.  I still think nutrition was better when we didn't have so much controversy in what was right and wrong many years ago.  Just too much information!

PARADISE GAINED

We have all heard of Paradise Lost.  Well, this is Paradise Gained, a beautiful place with sand and sea where mojitos and champagne flow while we are just chillin' and relaxing and partying.  This has been my last 5 days in Florida.  We stayed in a hotel for 4 of the 5 days and 1 day in the apartment. I have not so much as made a coffee for myself and have been served and waited on everywhere I have been.

It is hard to take out the crying towel for me, I understand that!  But under Gina's Weighty Matters, my first realization was putting on the navy fitted cocktail dress last night and noticing some old bulges reappear.  My first thought, was I hadn't tried it on since I purchased it on my last trip and maybe it wasn't fitting as well as I had thought.  So I partied in it last night in the darkened rooms elaborately decorated like the Hollywood Glamour of the flapper era.  After a few champagnes during the long cocktail hour, I helped myself to two trips to the buffet amounting to 4 lamb chops instead of 2 and double the amount of wild rice as well.  I tasted each of 3 desserts as well. 

I am used to weighing myself every day so I don't get into too much trouble.  During the 4 days at the hotel, the scale looked like something that came out of the 50's.  It was white, textured plastic that bowed in the middle.  I weighed myself the first day and when the numbers came up 95 pounds I laughed and said to myself, oh well, I won't be weighing myself on this scale.  I must have been a kid when I weighed that. 

Today, back in my apartment in Sunny Isles Beach was the first reality check.  Up 3.7 pounds.  My son, Rob left yesterday and he said he was back to "Clean Eating".  I totally understand and that now goes for me too.

We leave Paradise Lost today and for me it means, waking up earlier, exercising and watching my P's and Q's.  I am leaving my navy cocktail dress here and hopefully when I return next week, it will fit a little better.

MINDING MY P'S AND Q'S

It has just occurred to me that I will be missing Weight Watchers meetings and weigh-ins until the end of the month because of travelling primarily.  So I really have to mind my p's and q's ....  portions and quality.  So I have decided I have to be really careful on what foods to eat.  I am not into nasty tasting health foods, fake cleansers, weird tips or fairy dust.  It isn't easy to sift through the scams.

It is good for me to actually write down what I plan to eat especially since I will not be making my own food.  I have always said I am a sugarholic even though some say that term doesn't exist.  I also know that many people say sugar is the #1 enemy.  I am not totally sold on going sugar-free but I realize that too much sugar can make you release too much insulin and you get tired, cranky and hungry.  I also know that not all carbs are created equal.  Whole wheat bread, pastas, cereals and crackers all contain a lot of sugar.  The alternative is rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, fruits and veggies.  They contain more fat burning carbs. 

There are also good fats vs. bad fats.  The right kind of fat can increase your metabolic rate and that is a good thing.  So I am going to avoid hydrogenated oils, canola oil, margarine and any fake butters.  That really isn't too difficult because I wouldn't use them anyway in cooking. The only way I would eat it is if it were in something prepared I didn't know about like packaged snacks and the like.  But they aren't REAL foods.  Butter, eggs, avocado, nuts and extra virgin olive oil are good fats as well as being what I call REAL foods.

If sugar is the #1 enemy, then processed foods have to be #2.  Processed foods contain tons of sugar and chemicals.  So watch for artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and processed soy products when you are buying anything packaged.  I am going to go back to making sure I shop the perimeter of the grocery store where they have meat, dairy and vegetables.  It is always better to stick to one ingredient rather than a concoction unless you are sure of the content. 

I am beginning to sound like a saint but I am not.  I am just reiterating some tried and true beliefs that natural is better than fake and the quality of food is extremely important.  Of course, we have to watch the portions as well.  These are the p's and q's.  I am just going to try and eliminate bad foods and garbage foods and eat the right foods. I like to eat a lot so I have to consciously try and watch my eating habits. 

I have got into the bad habit of buying Weight Watchers snacks like their cinnamon pops.  That could have caused me counter intelligence when losing weight.  They use fake sugars to create low cal, low point snacks.  The diet Skinny ice creams do the same... except they have to call it frozen something or other and are not allowed to use the words ice cream. 

Well, I have given myself an incentive.  I am going to rid my cupboards of fake stuff ... or hide them somewhere.  My go to snacks will be unsalted nuts, apples, air popped popcorn, apple sauce, bananas, hummus, chick peas and raw veggies without the dip.  We will see if the end of January when I weigh-in at Weight Watchers if there is significant difference.  I still plan to count points but am just going to watch my p's and q's.

TAKING STOCK OF VICTORIES

Barbara writes: "I am so happy for you and proud of you.  I knew when we had lunch a few months ago that you were headed for success...it is really a journey and I wish you many more red boots and pleasures."

Florene writes: "Congratulations on your success.  I have to say, that last week at Terry's, I definitely noticed, not only your weight loss, but the spring in your step.  Your hard work is paying off for you.  ... I'll sponsor you again for your Herbie walk also!!"  I forgot that was another achievement to walk through the Zoo.  Last year, I wouldn't have made it from the parking lot to the administration office.

Comments like these inspire me to stay the course. We haven't quite got it down pat today yet.  Breakfast was perfect but I took last night's delicious hors d'oeuvres over to my son, Noah's and my daughter-in-law, Erica's house.  And although I got them out of my house, it didn't mean I didn't have my list kick at the cat and sampled it all there.  They are gone now and I am looking forward to getting back on track. What I took home with me were Erica's delicious non-fat, mini muffins made with no oil or butter.

Dinner is soon.  I am making roast lamb and broccoli. There are enough fresh fruits and veggies in the house to round out this meal.  I knew that last night would be my night to howl and arranged to the next two dinners at home that would be simple and good and definitely less calories than eating out in a restaurant.  By Wednesday I will be in Miami at a birthday party at the famous Fountainebleau... yet another challenge.  I am still working from the 80-20 rule instead of the 20-80 rule which I used to do.
These numbers represent percentages of good and bad meal choices.  I figure if I can stay ahead of the game 80% of the time I am on the right track.