Friday Snack & Dinner

For a snack this afternoon I had some fresh-cut honey-dew melon with Italian prosciutto, a very thin salty ham that was absolutely fabulous. I felt like I was eating on the patio of an Italian villa on vacation.
I'm very proud of these green beans--all homegrown. There's Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans, Royalty Purple Beans, Beurre De Roquencourt Wax Bean, and Blue Lake Green Beans (and I had a couple sugar snap peas I threw in during the cooking process). I cooked them in some chicken stock I made and froze into ice-cubes. I think that I finally have this making stock thing down--the trick is to simply heat it up, then let it simmer or even sit hot to cold for a whole day and then you get that good Umami essence.


For dinner, I had my homegrown green beans with some frozen enchiladas (also note, that's 30 calorie fat-free cheese melted on top). I also had a BL Lime with this meal.

Here's a close-up of a couple homegrown sugar-snap peas. These were HANDSDOWN THE BEST SUGAR SNAP PEAS I'VE EVER EATEN. In this picture, the appear to be breaking Lisa's "no glistening" food, but I didn't use added fat, its just an effect of the flash on the camera! I swear, they don't need to be added to the "This Is Why You're Fat" website!

Women & Weights

Over at Mark's Daily Apple, he's got an interesting post up about the constant emails or questions from female clients about "not wanting to bulk up" when toning. I've heard this tons of times, just in casual conversation or when reading about general fitness. This idea that if you (women) work out with weights, suddenly you'll become some Soviet-Block Era steroid man-lady. He's lays out some general factoids about toning with weights and how good it is for you--for any HUMAN BEING and he tries to debunk the myths. He even has a video up from the Women's 2007 Weight Lifting Championship which shows some very fit, but not "scary" women lifting lots of weight.

So, why I bring this up is because I'm trying to do more with weights/toning in general because I'm not very strong and as I learned a few months ago, 1lb of muscle burns much more resting than fat--50 calories vs 2. And second, I'm interested in how gender and anxieties about performing gender can get in the way of health. Yes, during the 80's especially, weight lifting women were typed as she-men, Eastern Block, and ugly--and that probably had to do with tons of steroids involved in the sport at the time. Like with many sports, weight lifting has had to clean up its act--see, Baseball. Steroids are bad for your health, so there's no question there. But, muscle is not--muscle is good for your health and muscle accounts for why men get to eat more food than women, even when said man/woman is of equal height. It is just that the male gender is statistically more likely to gain muscle, more easily due to a variety of biological pre-dispositions, but women also need and should work on their muscle development.

We all have human bodies that benefit from muscle, regardless of gender. Yet, women are soooo damn worried about "looking masculine," many are willing to forgo the benefits of a regular toning regime because of a phantom, illusionary fear of becoming a member of the East German Weight Lifting team.

So listen up ladies--TONE YOUR MUSCLES and stop freaking out about how being female equals being dainty and weak. Strength is good.

Friday Breakfast & Lunch

Well, that picture didn't work--I tried to copy/paste and crop the picture from my earlier GF Bagel and Almond Butter post in order to recreate this morning's breakfast, but it looks like a postage stamp--regardless, you get the idea. I also had Chai Tea with it.

I haven't posted all my glorious produce I've brought in from the garden this year--I will post some back pic's soon. Here's a yellow squash, green and royalty purple beans and one very unripe tomato. There are TONS of tomatoes on the vine, but this particular tomato's nearest neighbor was eaten by a pretty big creature because it wasn't touched by bugs, more likely a racoon or squirrel. I accidentally dislodged this tomato when trying to pick and dispose of the other (to not attract more pests). Calliope is outside guarding the tomatoes right now, so hopefully things will be alright. I'll just try to ripen this tomato in the window.

Pretty salad for lunch (pre-dressing and chicken--I think that the veggies alone make a better picture, but both versions will be posted).

My super favorite red-pepper and tomato soup, honestly I love this stuff. I didn't quite have a whole cup :( must go to the grocery.

Altogether now: salad with mixed greens, snow peas, red pepper, avocado, chicken, goat cheese, and lite balsamic dressing; red-pepper tomato soup, and a glass of iced-zinger tea with a smidge of lemonaid in it.

Wednesday Dinner

For dinner Wednesday I had curried rice with lamb and some egg-plant (not pictured). I could have sworn I took a picture of the egg-plant, but I guess it didn't take. The curried rice with lamb was given to me by my Mom and Dad--thank you! It was delicious.

Thursday's food is not pictured because although I bought the battery recharger/rechargable batteries, you have to take them out of the package and charge first--which I didn't do until today (Friday) and the camera (newly found) was out of juice. It was a high-calorie day, Mexican Food and Birthday Cake for a co-worker's birthday.

Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals

5 Ways to Set Sensible Weight Loss Goals

When WebMD asked the experts for their tips on setting realistic weight loss goals, their recommendations came down to a few simple strategies. But before you put these to use, remember to talk your weight loss plans over with your doctor.

1. Resolve to lose slowly
2. Do the math.
3. Set short term goals.
4. Track your progress.
5. Think about long-term goals.

Must Read Article

There's a great article at Pandagon called "The Dangers of Imbuing Moral Danger on Health Concerns" which deals with all this "concern" journalism about how fat Dr. Regina Benjamin is (probably size 16-18) and how no person struggling with weight could possibly ever be a good Surgeon General. Amanda Marcotte talks about how dangerous it is in general to relate negative health results (cancer diagnosis for example) with moral weakness or failure. This is so often done for a couple of reasons, 1. health insurance companies want to get out of covering chronic conditions and 2. people don't want to think that these health problems could happen to them, so if they think "hey, I'm a good person, I don't smoke, I'll never get cancer" they can blame the fatties and the smokers for all ills and feel safe (even though they are not).

There's also a great quote she offers from Frances Kissling that I'd like to share:

We need more mature, holistic views about these things. Frances Kissling gets at it in this comment:

This country is full of above-average weight women and children struggling for dignity as well as to lose weight. Achieving either of these is not easy. (Never mind that none of these criticisms have mentioned any actual health concerns Benjamin might or might not have, instead presuming “obesity” as a catch-all for bad health.) Having a confident, big-bodied and big-spirited woman as America’s family doctor could do more to improve their health than skinny HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius. It’s good to know that even doctors struggle with their weight—and lead full and active lives in spite of adversity.

Can I get an Amen?

Honesty About Exercise

Taking a queue from Thealogian I will do a personal Blog post.


As you know I am doing WW and with the program I have to obtain Activity points (Measurments of Exercise). The ultimate goal is to obtain 24 points a week when you are at peak fitness and weight health.

Well I give myself about 9-13 points a week. Yet to get honest with my self I took yesterday city walking and recaluated my milage using http://www.hopstop.com/ . What I found out was yesterday's life walking was the equvilant of 1.21 miles. Which is about 24 minutes of lesiure walking and equal to one activity point and not the 2 activity points I give myself. There I should be given my self 4.5 - 6.5 points a week.

The reason this is important is that I tend to eat my points versus reserve them. Therefore, I am not reaching my goals because I was eating more points then I earned through exercise.

Therefore, when feeling defeated with weight gain go back and recalculate your actually habits more accurately so a white lie/delusion doesn't turn into 20 lbs.

This Is Why You're Fat

There's a website, This Is Why You're Fat, that archives pictures/calorie counts of outrageous food products/meals out there in the American marketplace. Its kind of like "I can has cheezeburger?" which collects pictures/captions of cats doing funny things, expect this site looks at deep-fried pizza, smoothered everythings, cheeseburgers made with Krispy Kreme donuts in place of the bun, etc. I'll admit some of the stuff looks good, which is part of the problem. Check it out if you dare...

Wednesday Snack

So, I figured there's no way I'm going to be able to drive home, stop by the grocery store and pick up ingredients for the cake I'm making for my co-workers B-day tomorrow, and then get on the treadmill if I'm already starving. So, I opted for my Thursday breakfast designated yogurt for a 4:15 p.m. snack--so I guess I'm just having that breakfast I missed at 4! See how that eating psychology works? The balance has been restored. Now I really must get on the treadmill tonight because I missed yesterday.

Wednesday's Eats

No breakfast to share because they took FIVE vials of blood from me at the doctor's office today--a full work-up plus a celiac disease screening. So, I had to fast--which is so funny how when you are told to fast, its harder than say, just skipping breakfast because you're in a hurry.

So, when I got into town to work, I stopped off at Quidoba to get a Naked Burrito (no tortilla), just rice, beans, meat, roasted veggies, corn salsa, pico, cheese, and some sour-cream. Not the lightest, but it really hit the spot.

Then I had a diet coke with both lime and lemon in it--very decadent. Honestly, the diet coke thing is becoming quite regular again which isn't that great. I used to have quite a habit, then I gave it up for a year or more, only having it a few times the whole year, now I'm getting back in the habit, though I haven't bought it and brought it into my home, which is where I draw the line. We'll have to see if cold turkey is the answer for a while, or if I can try to cut back again.

Tuesday's Eats

For breakfast I had some blueberry Chobani Greek yogurt with Flax-Plus Granola and some Black Tea with 1/2 & sugar. I like eating at my desk first thing in the morning better than a smoothie in the car. I do like smoothies, but somehow if I drink it while driving, I feel like I miss a meal. Its psychological, of course, but the psychology of eating is crucial to understanding one's on habits and how they inhibit or promote a good relationship with food.

For lunch Tuesday (and Monday, though I still hadn't found my camera), I had Cajun Beans & Rice with Andouille sausage, some fat-free swiss, and a 1/8 an avocado. It was fabulous! I'll definitely make this again.

For dinner, I wasn't really feeling that hungry (at first), so I had a gluten-free bagel with Almond Butter and milk. Quick, yummy--but then a couple hours later, I was really hungry and I realized that since I wouldn't be able to eat until lunch Wednesday (I had to fast to get a blood panel done at the Dr's Wednesday morning) I would probably starve if I didn't eat something else. So, I had two eggs and a piece of millet toast (not pictured because I forgot).

This was definitely a low-veggie day for me! Just the blueberries in the yogurt and the avocado--honestly, that's really rare. I love fruits and veggies--I have a honey-dew melon in the fridge right now, several zucchini/yellow squash from my garden, three egg-plants (small) from the Farmer's Market, tons of green beans from my yard and the FM, and a cabbage (which I've promised to cook up and share with the folks). So, you should see mondo veggies the rest of the week!

Found: Camera

Yay, I found my camera and I've bought a battery recharger/rechargable batteries so that my food journaling will be more eco-friendly. Here's my glorious salad from Monday night. Mixed greens, a corn salsa, mandarin oranges, goat cheese, boiled chicken, avocado, all over some Olivia's Organic Mixed Greens. I had this after working out on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I didn't do the full two miles because I started to feel a slight pain in my left leg. I stopped, stretched out, and then decided to just take it at a higher incline (about 3) for a fixed period of time, but slower. Then I did some arm exercises with my 3lbs weights, which even for me are pretty light, so I brough home my 5lb weights because I figure I'll use them after the treadmill more often than in the office.

Jada Pinkett Says Hollywood Helps Her Marriage

Pinkett and Smith have been wed for almost twelve years, a lifetime in show business! The Hawthorne star shared her secrets with the mag on how she keeps her relationship fresh.

"Staying in shape!" Pinkett laughs.

If staying in shape is the key to marriage I guess that is why the American obsesity and divorce rates stay on the rise. LOL.

Renee Zellweger Signs on to Play Bridget Jones Again

Zellweger, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Cold Mountain, was nominated for 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary and also starred in the 2004 sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

For the roles, Zellweger famously had to pack on about 30 lbs.

Can I just tell you my body is whacked by the time we finish one of those?" she told the British Daily Mail of gaining weight for the films. "It doesn't know what has happened because it thinks there's supposed to be a baby and there's no christening."

Here is just another chick who has lost perspective when it comes to her craft. Renee Zellweger got an Oscar nod for her role in this movie, yet she is still bitching about the weight. Chick needs to realize very few woman centric movies get a multi-movie franchise. So she better count her blessings and go eat a damn cookie.

TV Show: How to Look Good Naked

The show "How to Look Good Naked" allows for a body image rediscovery.

Here is the process.

1. Woman describes herself. Mostly woman focus on the negative.
2. Host describes the positive.
3. Host allows woman to line herself up among 6 other woman to compare her size to hers. Most of the time the woman places herself to be much bigger then she actually is.
4. Host places a giant poster of the woman without head so strangers can comment on her looks. Strangers always rank/describe woman better then she does in step 1.
5. Woman get make over from professionals starting with new underwear. Most woman are wearing a bra two small for them. Then new outfit, hair and makeup.
6. After the makeovers, they take a semi-nude photo that is then placed up in a major trafic area for the world to comment on.

I have seen the show a couple of time and it does allow woman who have a warped sense of self gain some presepective by getting out of their own head.

Summer Drinks and Calorie Break-Down

Fitsugar has a useful alcoholic drink by calorie break-down up right now, HERE. I was shocked to learn that a Gin and Tonic has 200 calories yet a Mojito (both 8oz) only has 175. Of course the best bets were the light beers and wines. I like the BL Lime is only 116, I'm such a girly drinker, I can't handle a stout or hops-centric beer.

Dr. Oz's The 14-Day Plan

Traditionally, the medical community has focused on reversing the acute illnesses associated with aging—cancer, heart disease and stroke. But to add serious, high-quality years to your life—years when your body continues to work at its peak level—you have to lower your risk for all diseases. And the only way to do that is by slowing the aging of cells.

Rather than treating your body as a disposable product, this 14-day plan will teach you to take care of it in a way that keeps it performing like new. The following two weeks of tips, quizzes, shopping lists and action steps will prepare your mind and body to make lasting changes.

Why 14 days? Because that's how long it takes for many healthy behaviors to become healthy habits.

This is the list that caught my eye.

Your Daily YOU-Do List
1. Walk 30 minutes.
2. Floss and brush the teeth that you wish to keep.
3. Drink several cups of green tea with your copious water intake.
4. Take your pills.
5. Sleep seven to eight hours a night.
6. Meditate for five minutes at some point during the day.

Obama's Pick for Surgeon General: Dr. Regina Benjamin

NPR has a couple segments about Obama's pick for Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, that I recommend checking out. She sounds like an outstanding choice--both for her public policy knowledge, experience in the field, and her dedication to the wellbeing of her patients that inspired her to drive to them when her clinic was destroyed (oh, three times--first by hurricane George, Fire, then Hurricane Katrina). She's even accepted oysters and fish in payment for medical services (which in her service area where medical care, let alone medical insurance, is low, and poverty is high was a struggle for her to do and doctors shouldn't have to suffer as much as she has to get by).

She's an advocate for rural health, for the health of low income and improverished individuals, and now--for every American's health. Let's hope that the confirmation process will be less politically charged (especially considering that she's a woman of color and apparently Republicans believe that non-white individuals are by nature racists--wow their formulations are getting crazier by the day) than Justice Sotomayor's hearings going on right now.

Oprah's Focus for 2009

Below is what Oprah's personal focus for 2009:

So now everybody's asking about my new plan to take the weight off. And here's what I've come to: My focus is no longer on the weight. My focus this year will be on how to achieve optimum health, get support when I need it, find ways to nurture myself, deepen my spiritual connection—and have some fun.

If I can shift the paradigm from weight to optimum health and well-being, I know for sure my best life is waiting to unfold.

I think it is good for her and other dieters to start focusing on health, well-being, and balance. Obviously focusing on weight alone has not kept her thin and if she can't stay thin with her money then weight loss has to be more than just the tools we use to lose weight.

I also suspect that Oprah also found out what many dieters find out the hard way:

Losing weight does not fix any problem besides obesity.

Therefore, if you have emotional, financial, and/or social problems they will still be there when you lose the weight.

6 Steps to Sustainable Eating

1. Start small. Changing everything all at once never works.

2. Go local. Visit LocalHarvest.org or EatWellGuide.org.

3. Play the (green) market. Visit your local farmers' market.

4. Branch out. Try a fruit or vegetable that you didn't think you liked when it's at its peak.

5. Learn the story behind your food. When you connect with the men and women who grow what you eat, it tastes all the better.

6. Plant a garden—however small. Seeing the miracle of a seed turn into a delectable ingredient instills an appreciation for all it takes to grow great-quality food.

Khloe Kardashian: I Lost 20 Pounds!

How'd she do it?

"I try to do just 30 minutes of cardio, mandatory," Khloe, 25, tells Us. "Obviously if I have more time, I want to do weights, but really that cardio is what works for me because I'm bigger. Cardio is what leans me out, and it still works your muscle definition too. Any kind of cardio."

And to avoid a monotonous routine, she makes sure to switch hers up.

Here exercise program seems very reasonable. It is something that all people seeking weight loss can do.


Besides her workout routine, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star tells Us her dieting secrets.

"I eat whatever I want until noon. Then from noon on, I watch what I eat," says Khloe, who adds that she is also launching a diet product called Quick Trim with Kim. "I only drink champagne. 100 calories in a glass, and I'm good."

This is where she is getting into disorder eating. I personally think time table eating as a hard and fast rule is stupid. Third shift workers eat after 9pm and are able to maintain a healthy weight. Therefore, the time you eat does not determine the weight gain or loss.

I think the biggest factor in time related weight loss is "are you eating your bigger meals before the times you use most of your energy for the day?"

Also the statement "I only drink champagne. 100 calories in a glass, and I'm good." Has she ever thought of drinking water? If she did maybe she wouldn't have gotten a DWI.

Valley Swim Club in Pennsylvania

You may have heard last week about this horrible story coming out of Pennsylvania--a private swim club that leases out its facilities to non-members, recently ejected a group of black children from their pool. The manager's initial response to why he did so was that they would "change the complexion of the club" but now he's changing his story stating that too many of the children couldn't swim therefore crowding the shallow end of the pool. Well now, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter (Democrat, formerly Republican) has asked that the Justice Department investigate the club for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (yay, Senator Specter).

Regardless of the club's official line on this matter, it needs to be noted that only three parents let their white children swim with the black children--in fucking 2009! Most took their children from the pool and complained specifically about "black children."

Here's an exchange quoted from the story linked to Pandagon above:

"A couple of the children ran down saying, 'Miss Wright, Miss Wright, they're up there saying, 'What are those black kids doing here?"'

Wright said she went to talk to a group of members at the top of the hill and heard one woman say she would see to it that the group, made of up of children in kindergarten through seventh grade, did not return.

"Some of the members began pulling their children out of the pool and were standing around with their arms folded," Wright said. "Only three members left their children in the pool with us."

This is absolutely disgusting and the fact that these children in 2009, with a Black President in Office, still have to be scarred emotionally by racist hatred in the USA enrages me.

This case also illustrates how racism denies children of color equal opportunities for quality exercise and active lifestyles. Predominately black neighborhoods traditionally have less clean, safe parks, pools, and recreational centers than predominately white neighborhoods--because of systematic racism. So when the community group that is over-seeing this fun summer camp wanted to take the kids swimming, they leased swimming rights in a predominately white swim club--yet even after paying good money, they were ejected, most apparently because the management did not understand that the children would be mostly black. You can see the swim club's phone number in the picture I have posted above, if you would like to take direct action and call for the manager to be fired. We must show that this is unacceptable!

Peace

Beets

So, I bought a great hall at the Farmer's Market today and I thought that I'd give beets another try. My camera is still missing, but I did try to take a picture via my new cell phone, which I'll upload latter to show what I got at the Farmer's Market. But I wanna take a second to review my history with beets. I vaguely remember seeing them on salad bars, I had them roasted once (along with some other root veggies by my minister at a potluck once--it was a great combo of assorted root veggies we never ate at home), and I tried to do a root veggie roast myself a few months back, which wasn't very good at all. So apparently, the trick (according to the farmer I spoke with and a helpful older lady buying produce at the same stand) is to NOT PEEL THEM PRIOR TO BOILING/ROASTING. You peel them afterwards. Well, I roasted some and I've peeled them and they are delish! I'm roasting separately some red potatoes form the FM, a huge zucchini from my garden, and some carrots from the store (Whole Foods actually, but still, corporate carrots). I'll add the peeled (already cooked) beets at the end. Then I think I'll need to parcel these out and freeze some because I already have a gumbo over rice planned for lunch Monday/Tuesday, so I'll need to have salad or protein/non-starchy veggies those days, Wednesday I'll probably pick up sushi after my doctor's appointment and head into work, Thursday we're going out to lunch because its a colleagues birthday (and I'm bringing the cake). Okay, at this point I'm thinking via blog, not blogging about a thought out menu--but the point is: these types of mixed veggies often freeze well after roasting and re-heating isn't a bit deal. I'll save out a serving for tonight and Sunday night, but otherwise, I'll bag and freeze my beet/red potato/zucchini/carrot veggie experiment for future meals. Have I mentioned that I need more people to cook for?

Oh, back to beets: by peeling afterwards they stay sweet. When I pre-peeled before, somehow they went to starch and lost that sweetness. So now I know--and so do you, dear reader.

peace

Confession

Confession: I can find my camera! I'm going to find it tomorrow and get back on the food-blogging in a more concerted way, but the lack of camera is particularly sad today in light of two food experiments I'd like to share.

The first was a breakfast experiment. I've read about "overnight oats" at a couple of other health/food blogs, so I thought I'd try them. First off, the concept is to soak the oats over night and have cold, raw oatmeal which keeps the maximal nutrients intact. I also wanted to add Chia seeds to this overnight oats experiment because I head that they are loaded with Omega-3's and that they produce some sort of gel when soaked that also contains antioxidents. Unfortunately, Whole Foods did not have Chia seeds and Good Foods Co-op only had a large container at $17.99 per, that I deemed to rich for a mere experiment (I'll try to order a sample size first and get back to you regarding Chia seeds).

So, I mixed some of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats (many oats are processed at plants that also process wheat products, but the GF variety are processed at a dedicated plant and are test for gluten, so THANK YOU BOB! Here's the company link, I love their products soooooo much).
I mixed the oats with vanilla low fat yogurt, flax seeds, and milk. I think I put in too much milk because they were a bit too runny for my taste. I'm not giving up on the concept, but I will have to try differing configurations to get my desired result.

The other menu item I wanted to share was my evening salad--it was absolutely gorgeous! Organic mixed greens, red pepper, carots, avocado, boiled and cubbed chicken (which I really like boiled chicken on salads--I'm going to try that more often), strawberries, chevre, slivered almonds, and balsamic vingrette! Beautiful and delicious! No camera, no sharing my pretty food is sad. I also had some tomato/red pepper soup--that stuff is addicting! Even in summer.

There will be pictures--I will find my camera! Triumph is within reach--or at least maybe under a cushion?

Meryl Streep on Gaining 15 Lbs.: 'It Was Worth It'

Meryl Streep walked away from her role as über-chef Julia Child in director Nora Ephron's upcoming Julie & Julia with more than improved cooking skills. "I gained 15 pounds, I'm still trying to lose it," Streep, 60, says in the August issue of Ladies' Home Journal (on newsstands July 14). "It was worth it."

Why is it that woman actor have to decide to skip a role that requires weight gain for their craft for fear of killing a future career.

Hollywood has gone crazy.