171.4 Dog - a dieter's best friend

Always visit folks with dogs and offer to take over their dog-walking responsibilities. Then treat the dog to longer walks than usual. Only the windiest, coldest days limited the length of my walk - even then, walking around the perimeter of Federal Hill park prevented me from jumping ship mid-stream. Normally, at home without a dog I use audio-books to motivate myself and then walk by the clock (30 minutes out and then back). With a dog, in the city, there are so many more interesting walking options. All in all, this has been quite a sedentary week without exercise classes. Yet, here it is Sunday and I appreciate having a change in routine. I am re-energized. From day one when I behaved like a zealot afraid to eat any offending carbs, as the week progressed we had pasta and totally enjoyed dinning out at Ullswater's off their restaurant week menu.

Whatever the new regime, the balance of diet and exercise is working nicely for a vacation experience. I am off all grains until dinner and taking two walks daily. My departing gift to Floyd, my grandchild beagle, is the restaurant week Osso Buco veal shank bone.
Day 23

172.6 temptation strikes

Sometimes the stars align and good things happen when you least expect them. I never got to Zumba class; it was sunny and inviting for a long walk, and the dog barked incessantly when I left him, so he won. Had rather a large lunch of leftovers and then my first sugar craving of the new year hit. I had brought my daughter a bag of Trader Joe's chocolate covered pretzels: very dark and too salty for her, but exactly what I couldn't resist. The worst thing about cheating it that it's an out-of-body experience: the rules that work well normally - pacing, stopping when you've had enough, and eating slowly - fly out the door. Then for dinner, we ate instant Uncle Ben's brown rice because it was all she had on hand.

What's important is maintaining perspective. Some dieting books say not to start dieting until you have optimal control over your life (no trips, holidays, etc). That's just not life and it is certainly not going to fit with A Year of Eating Wisely. If I can take a one or two week trip and gain only three pounds, I will be most proud of myself. I just need to think about all the bad temptations I have resisted. All in all, I'll appeciated the gift of today's weight.

173.4 A Sour Tooth

Discovered my daughter really likes pickles. Warms my heart. To me, it makes sense that eatting what our ancestors ate should be good for us; not in the popular sense of eating a cavemen diet, but eating what our personal ancestors ate. My Eastern Europeans ate lots of sauerkraut and pickles which you must go out of your way to incorporate - Martha Stewart doesn't do pickles. My Lithuanian grandfather would make lunch on a serving bowl-size serving of sauerkraut - the entire large can.

A chemistry teacher told me that I have a sour tooth rather than a sweet tooth, and it's true, I am much less tempted by sweets than those around me. My weight problem comes from fat and salt.

Vinegar is frequently sited as having beneficial properties. When I was newly married I would drink it with brewer's yeast. Can't say there was a direct correlation to having a better bod, but can't see vinegar hurting. For cooks, it really is the secret ingredient to bring life to stews and soups. As a child, my girlfriend and I would walk up to the stores and buy big dill pickles - a nice memory. So I stopped by the farmer's market and bought us a large pickle to share.

174.4 - Too close for comfort

The great thing about new scales is seeing fractions of a pound. When it gets too close to major steps, make it a wake up call.
Without eating much, the wrong types of foods and limited exercise confirm, for me, carb control is essential. It has been difficult to hear, "you're not much fun anymore," even if it is in jest from my daughter; true but difficult. The fact is that I am not cheating during the day, even though I am left alone with cupcakes and ice cream. With the long weekend over, only sharing dinner should make it easier to regain control. Made shrimp and tequila over spaghettini for dinner. Bought De Cecco brand pasta which advertises a better carb profile.

174.0 Circuming to the winter blahs

Clearly the evidence of a depressing cold, rainy day spent inside without exercise and with a certain amount of emotional stress. Little to choose for lunch, led me to open a can of Indian lentil soup, so good, I ate the whole thing. Out for dinner to a local bar: chose the best option - great broccoli, baked sweet potatoes and crab cake. When trying to eat wisely, it's essential to have appealing options on hand, especially when travelling.
Day 16

171 - Visiting a Loved One - An Emotional Tight-Walk

Why is it so difficult for my daughter to understand my desire to diet and support me in my self-control efforts? The answer is simply that love and eating are emotionally intertwined, and we must walk an emotionally charged tightrope.
It's dinner, the shared meal, that is most difficult to control. The first night there was nothing to eat at home and we were both tired; soup and salad sounded wonderful. The reality was that we ate at probably the best Mexican restaurant ever and I simply could not resist the basket of homemade chips and three unique salsas.
Our second dinner was proceeded by supermarket shopping. By the time your daughter is well into adulthood the art of mutual grimaces and sighing is so finely tuned as to be comical. I suggest beautiful tuna steaks, she pouts. She suggests hamburger, I sigh. She wants me to make her favorite bruschetta; I see a loaf of bread. Hamburger and salad wins against my better judgement as it is simply something that doesn't fry up well on the stove, and the too lean meat is tasteless. She has been trained well and I admire her sensible serving of Dove's Ultimate Chocolate in small mousse cups, but I also cannot resist.
Did log in five miles of urban walking.
Day 14

170.2 - Mentally Packing for Dieting on Vacation

Travel is always preceded by an excited night and joyous morning. Packed a divine lunch and snack for dealing with a day in transit. The magic of Sugar Busters, or any similar low carb diet has struck. During the flight, it was effortless and a pure pleasure to say "no" to the honey roasted nuts and chemically flavored chips.

Having to remain with heavy luggage, prevented me from walking laps in the terminal. We can only do what we can do. It's definitely more frustrating to accept external interruptions to my regime, than to accept my own transgressions. Bulky boots and heavy outerwear psychologically seem to weigh you down; that's one point for the sunny climes. I won't sweat the sweat next time around.
Day 13

170. 4 - The Many Faces of Motivation

When I started using MyNetDiary online I subscribed for six months which was to end with my daughter's June 11th wedding in Italy. Just found out that primarily because of the rotten economy, it will be here in Vero in late May. I just lost one month of dieting.

Those less than optimal blood test results have tuned my radar to notice anything associated with lowering LDL or cholesterol. What did I just read about 12 weeks of yoga reducing LDL?

I'm not in this alone, my husband's active commitment definitely needs stoking. Bought him three pairs of shorts for Christmas; he kept one that fit well, but too loosely for his anticipated new self. So I returned the others for a size smaller. Now, he asks for another size smaller. That's such a hopeful message.

My daughter's upcoming wedding promises to bring with it many unintended consequences. My husband has for the last several years been furious with photos of himself that suggest a weighty girth. As father of the bride it is doubtful whether he can escape the camera's relentless clicking. Wish I had thought that one up myself; that's why it's so important to broadcast your intentions when tackling a bold initiative.
Day 12

170.6 - "more" exercise

Read about a doctor who advocates far more exercise than is normally recommended. This struck a nerve for two reasons. First, earlier in life when living on a farm and raising my children, I had the time to take five mile walks regularly. It was at the beginning of my love affair with BOT. For the past 14 years since moving to Florida, walking has remained my favorite exercise but was limited to weekends and summer, as I had a more than a full-time job. Second, being now retired, I have the gift of time which can be squandered, abused, or directed with purpose. With the onset of 2010, I have been recording my exercise daily to have visual feedback of commitment and have done something everyday. How do I feel about doubling that. Think of how many more books I could listen to.
Day 11

171.0 - Encounter with a Skinny

171.0 That's a number I haven't seen for several years.

Ran into an old friend I hadn't seen for six months who'd lost 50 pounds - WOW was about all I could say. There's no religious experience that builds converts like a newly skinny friend. Could not make it home without purchasing his magic book, despite having over a dozen diet books at hand. Not that that is really so bad other than it being embarrassing to have 2 feet of book space devoted to a holy grail still beyond reach. Bought it for my husband who is already cheating after a week on SugarBusters. He tells me I don't appreciate how hard it is for diabetics to lose weight. He's right; the introduction to The Skinny is worth reading, even if you don't care to try that diet. Dr. Aronne is the first writer I have seen who really conveys how difficult dieting is and how it is not lose of willpower that does most of us in. Now to find time to read it.

Day 10.

174.6 - Food Abuse

Weekends, cold weather, felling under the weather, celebrations, travel, irresistible aromas, special treats - an almost endless list of temptations. It was still black Saturday morning, when I left to perform Zumba at a fundraising event. It was the coldest, rainiest day of a spectacular week's siege of cold to hit Florida. Definitely earned points for myself in the exercise department. It's interesting to note that I am far less easily tempted to skip exercise after a year of exercising than I am to be tempted by food.

It was perhaps the most memorable breakfast of my life. A friend made an Ethiopian biryani served on banana leaf placemats: in all ways enticing, and I had thirds. I actually remember feeling full after two large servings and returning for "a little more". I entered willingly and knowingly into food abuse. After 63 years, I know myself and I excuse myself and allow myself these indulgences. However, it was a cold, miserable day and my family dictated that I must eat a substantial dinner and a crockpot chicken with cheddar and broccoli totally pushed me over the top. Then my husband whimpered for just two Goldberger's candies. In the process of retrieving them from where they were hidden (he had purchased a case of them, and then asked me to hide them), I smelled them and could not say no. I wish I knew the lesson learned here. Maybe part of it is that he should take responsibility for his own transgressions, but he is diabetic.

So up two pounds, and I want the recipe for the biryani.

Day 9

172.4 - Blood Testing

There's a lot more to eating wisely than losing weight, namely I'm after improving my health. To get a benchmark early in the dieting process, I took advantage of a local medical center that offers a "women's blood work-up" package once a week for $25. Wednesday morning after Pilates I dropped by and got blood drawn and picked up the results today. Much as I suspected, my cholesterol, at 247, is way too high, as is LDL at 166. Optimally, these need to be less than 200 and 100 respectively, although the accompanying report showed a range of 91 to 130 for LDL. Back in April, these had been Cholesterol 225 and LDL 137.9. Clearly, despite increased exercise, something has been amiss.

Some light research shows that green tea, dark chocolate, a little 1 1/2 - 3 oz. alcohol, and 12 weeks of yoga might prove beneficial. Five beneficial foods recommended by the Mayo Clinic include the following, although I can't imagine drinking anything artificially fortified.
1 1/2 c oatmeal and oat bran (10 grams of soluble fiber daily)
walnuts, almonds and a mix of nuts (1.5 oz = a handful)
oily fish twice a week or more: lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon
2 T+ olive oil (not light versions)
2 grams of foods fortified with plant sterols (2 glasses of fortified oj, yogurt drink)

Goal for the year: carotid artery test.

Day 7

172.2 - Beans, Beans, Beans

Beans are assuming primary importance in our diets. There was a time, not long ago, when potatoes, pasta, orzo would all crowd out beans. For my hubby, beans meant two things: chili or hot dogs. After years of being totally religious about breakfast, it happens now when my stomach signals me, usually 10:30 to 11:30. A small bowl of canned black eyed beans with jalapenos was sitting in the frig, leftover for a couple of days. Perfect with a little coriander. For lunch, I defrosted a lentil burger, mixed in a tablespoon of tahini and stuffed the mixture into half a whole wheat pita - delicious served with buttermilk.

Cooked a bowl of Cajan mixed bean soup for dinner, incorporating one leftover frozen hot turkey sausage. I know sausage is not acceptable, but one in 3 quarts of water shouldn't do too much damage. And it was wonderful. Probably should have had one and half bowls but did two. On the side, cut a pita in half and topped with cheddar and jalapenos under the broiler. Very nice side dish.

Really not missing sweets. A very new food routine, not bad, just different.

Day 6

Oops - Alcohol

I think I am a very moderate drinker married to a moderately heavy hitter. He married me despite my keeping a jug of relatively inexpensive wine under the sink; now we enjoy his newest hobby, a subscription to the WSJ wine club. When I have cheaper wine to drink, I drink less of it. So, if I lived alone this would be easy.

Before dinner my husband requires a drink or two to unwind. Therefore, at the time of day when I am most hungry, I must wait an hour for dinner. Typically I consume a dinner's worth of calories snacking, before we sit down for the main course. In thirty years of marriage I have not been able to budge this routine. So, no matter how good I am earlier in the day, this is where DAMAGE CONTROL needs to focus now.

A delightful habit is Skype cocktail hour. My best childhood friend and I meet once weekly for an hour face to face on our computers. It is long enough for one heavy drink or possibly two wines. It's cold, so last night I weakened and decided to have a vodka, poured generously by my hubby (it's white and has a better reputation). Had a single glass of fine red wine for dinner, and was so totally sacked out after dinner that I never woke up to finish my coffee. What can I do about it? In warmer weather, I might enjoy iced tea. Learning to Eat Wisely is about solutions: next week we'll try pushing up virtual cocktail hour from 5 to virtual tea time at 4 pm.

The real problem with alcohol, is that I don't really like it. It is 2:30 in the morning now, as I write; when I drink hard liquor I am very prone to waking with hot sweats, so sleep quality is seriously affected. Empty calories in beverages have always been one of my pet peeves; seems to me you are paying good money for nothing. My children were raised with one weekly soda in the house; we never purchased beverages. I simply do not get enough enjoyment out of routine drinking to justify the calories, but it is very difficult to "listen to the tinkle" of ice cubes and look at the lovely shade of wine, and not succumb.

Day 5

174.4 - Measuring In

Weight slowly heading in the right direction. With a scale that indicates percentages of a pound, you definitely want to weigh in the same time and nude daily. If weight goes down slowly, measurements are far more difficult to track. The weather dropped unexpectedly this week, and two pairs of jeans I tried on were four fingers from zipping up.

Today's about recording measurements. I wrote them down on Day 2, but it really won't matter in the long run if you wait a week. This diet is less about losing a finite amount of weight as it is about developing a new eating mindset. It is more about what I will look like, feel and be at the end of the year. It is ultimately about who I am by the end of the decade.

So, here's the start. I am 5'8.5", medium boned. Can't ever remember having a waistline. For at least a decade I have looked slightly pregnant. My natural waist is wear the measuring tape slights to the narrowest part of my circumverence. The "largest tummy" and "bust"need no further definition. I consider my legs to be my greatest asset, but when my upper thighs measure larger than Scarlet O'Hara's waist... Wait a minute, my calf is closer to here mythical waistline! I threw the tape measure around my shoulders, rather like a shawl, and recorded the broadest measurement; this is what separates the women from the girls, and what allows us to wear the same size tops regardless of how much weight is lost; up to a point, of course.

Natural waist: 40.5
Largest tummy: 45
Bust: 42
Upper thigh L: 23 R: 23.25
Calf L: 16.25 R: 16.5
Shoulder: 43.75

So that's it. Since these measurements seem to bear little resemblance to clothing sizes, they translate into a pretty comfortable 14 "this year". Given that the fashion industry is keeping up with the obesity problem in the USA, by ever increasing its sizes, I was wearing a 14 or 16 even in high school, but there is no way those clothes would fit today. I have a large size 16 jeans collection from 15 years ago, in my winter box from pre-Florida - they're all too tight. Personally, it's all about the bottom. There's little hope of changing those shoulders, until I look at my dad who age has shrivelled into a much shorter, tiny image of his former self.

The fashion industry allows us to get a little fatter each year and go to the store, buy the same size and not feel too bad, until we pull out previous year's clothing.

Day 4

174.8- Zumba friend, motivator, accomplishment

Look at that - broke 175, of course, I had done that before Thanksgiving, but this time I can see success.

Just heard my book group will meet Saturday morning which is grand of the hostess, as she knows I will be out of town much of the month. Remarkably, after that moment of pleasure, I was struck by the fact that allows only two Zumba sessions this week. Last week was the first time in a year that I had gone three times, but already I have scaled that plateau and am a bit bummed. Also, this morning, I felt a little definition in my arm muscle. You cannot know how motivating this is. At 62, I have been watching loose skin take over my upper arms and never expected anything could reverse that process. I purchased one pound Zumba weights about a month ago; that's not much time to feel such improvement.

Zumba provides gentle group pressure. When the instructors introduced weights, I was not going to buy into another "obvious" marketing gimmick. As it turned out, the shipment was delayed for over a month allowing me to gain confidence working through the routines without them and to slowly adjust to the fact that almost everyone had gotten them. My good friend was ecstatic about her arm definition. I began to pleasantly anticipate their arrival. I had heard that thw day after you first use them you'd really ache, but not for me - it was a totally positive experience and it breaks up the class routine.

Day 3

175.4 - On Track

While I know it is largely water loss, it is exhilerating to see the weight gain reverse. Those Chinese food containers staring at me from the frig had to go. Finished 3 tiny duck legs; tossed the skin. Would normally die for hoisin sauce, but when I put a little on the shredded cabbage, I really didn't enjoy the flavor and washed it off.

The beige jeans didn't fit by a good two inches; more motivation. Made it to through a movie without the large popcorn; actually thought the theater smelled stale. Last week we had consumed over 7000 calories on heavily buttered servings. Haven't found anything that's worse to eat.

Day 2

178.6 - The Real Thing

You've got to be kidding. This is what you call serious motivation - payback time for several over-indulgent days.
It's the first anniversary of attending Zumba twice a week. This is from someone who HATES to sweat, or I guess now, "hated" is more appropriate. I've always been very lucky, and so a year ago, I entered a contest and won two weeks of free Zumba lessons. I put them off until the semester ended, but finally had to do it; couldn't waste anything free. And, of course, then, I had to maximize my winnings, so I went three or four times a week. A friend in New York had taken me as a guest, so I knew what to expect. In Florida, the class is very Latin which I prefer to Long Island rap. When I thought of quitting, something my daughter said, motivated me to stay: you can't do Zumba without smiling. So that brings me to this morning, the first time I clocked in three times in a week, and found myself actually enjoying the dynamics of the larger Saturday bumper crowd for Resolution Time - a lot more shouting and group comraderie. So one year later, I love Zumba. Am I thinner, no, but I'm sure my body's in much better shape and my endurance enormously improved. Don't expect to ever get out of the back row; but that's fine, I am proud to be one of the class's oldest members.

No breakfast, but I try never to leave home without water and an apple. So one MacIntosh and a coffee sufficed til 5:30 when I got home. Stopped by Sam's to graze; had a few kernels of low fat popcorn in my mouth when I remembered that corn is out for SB. Ditched the container proudly.

Dinner was a Latin Seasoned Flank Steak with a can of Black Eyed Peas with Jalapenos and a salad with lime, olive oil and garlic dressing. Couldn't resist a small glass of wine. Maybe in the future, if I hit a plateau. Yes, I know all the "shoulds" - eat multiple small meals, eat breakfast. But the reality is that when I leave home, sometimes there is just too much to do before I return. So, day one's ending with a great cup of coffee. All and all, a success.

Day 1

The Eve of Jan.2

I couldn't start on a holiday. The cinnamon-raisin bread was in the freezer screaming "French toast". Hadn't my dad, 88, said how much he liked French toast; granted it was months ago and he can't remember what he ate this morning, and granted, of course, that he is the sort of man who almost never expresses an open preference for anything. And there's no way I could have tossed the leftover Peking Duck, it's fabulous sugary hoisin sauce and the exquisite, but slightly cornstarchy hot and sour soup. So it was decided for me.

I had finished reading The New Sugar Busters last night, New Year's Eve. I'd been on a dry run for dieting since Thanksgiving - one of the major lures of the new iphone was MyNetDiary. I signed up for six months - that's all I need to lose 20-30 pounds by my daughter's wedding in June. Not exactly sure how much I need to lose to fit into my wedding dress. I weighed 140 when I wore it 30 years ago and was 178 today. So far I have disproved the myth that simply keeping track of everything eaten gives you control. Did lose three pounds before Christmas, but had no strategy in place to cope with all the endless eating events that define holiday time.

But now, I have studied the blogs, tracked my zen. This blog is my public commitment. I am prepared to start this.