M.I.A.

Missing in action, not! It may seem like it has been a while since I have posted. In reality, I have just completed a class at Stanford Continuing Studies - Writing 2.0, Blogging and Beyond taught by Allison Carruth. During the course of the class, I not only changed my blog look and feel, I changed the platform too. If you are interested in seeing my new blog and new posts, please visit dontwastecalories.wordpress.com. It is there that you will find me again.

Whey To Go!

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a Tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away

There are several people in my life that would welcome a visit from a spider any day instead of eating whey. Years ago, I too would have agreed because at that time I had no understanding of what whey was.

My first introduction to whey protein was in 2004 when I learned about Ann Louise Gitttleman and The Fat Flush Plan from a work colleague. We were at an Electronic Design Automation trade show and he explained to me that his wife had be following this program with immediate success. Upon my return home, I not only purchased the book for myself but also for my girlfriend Daryl. We read the book, jumped on the Gittleman bandwagon and followed The Fat Flush Plan. 


One of the suggested recipes included in the book was a fruit smoothie made with protein powder. Daryl suggested using whey powder because during this time, her mother was battling breast cancer. Daryl had been researching foods to help her mother and she found that whey protein had many attributes that she would benefit from; "Whey protein is an excellent protein choice for cancer patients as it is very easy to digest and very gentle to the system. Whey protein may be added to a wide variety of foods and beverages to increase the protein content without affecting taste." 

Portion Distortion

Is bigger really better? When I was growing up, before I was consciously aware, I always gravitated towards the largest Christmas gift, or the biggest slice of pizza or the piece of Grandmother Stafford's fruit cake that contained the most candied fruit and nuts. Sometimes, I would sneak into the 5 gallon pail of vanilla ice cream and eat several scoops directly from the melting pail, thinking of course that I was not really consuming that much when in reality I was consuming more!

When it comes to food and drink in regards to loosing weight, knowing the appropriate serving size in relationship to the calories associated is a good habit to make a part of your diet regime because most of us have portion distortion issues.


For example, if you ordered a glass of red wine and received the larger glass featured on the left side in the picture above, you would probably think, WOW this is a REALLY large pour and drink the glass. If you gave it a second thought, you would most likely think that calories for this glass of wine would be higher than the approximate 100 calories per 5 ounce glass that you already know but hopefully not much more. After finishing the glass perhaps you might order a second and happily leave thinking that you probably consumed only 300 calories? NOT!  The larger glass in the picture holds an entire bottle of wine, which is about 27 ounces. The smaller glass is my 3.75 ounce wine glass that I referenced in my That's Amore post from April. I realize that this example might be extreme, but this is what happens when there is no awareness regarding what an appropriate serving size is and the calories associated with it.

"I get by with a little help from my friends...I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends"

Real friendship is shown in times of trouble; prosperity is full of friends. 

                                                                                                                                                    Euripides

My mother always told me "if one has only a few true friends in one's lifetime, one is lucky."  At the time, I did not quite understand what she was trying to explain. Now that I am older and wiser, the meaning is loud and clear!

"My People" have seen me through "thick and thin," literally. They have been there through every conflict and crisis, diet - fad or legitimate, death of loved ones - human or four legged, depression and sadness, layoff and promotion, and celebration and marriage. They are privi to my deepest darkest secrets, my wishes and my wildest dreams; I can be my true, raw, naked self with them and they are still by my side. I think that Ralph Waldo Emerson sums it up nicely "A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud." "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

Celebrate good times, come on!

There's a party goin' on right here

A celebration to last throughout the years

So bring your good times, and your laughter too

We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now

Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time

It's time to come together
It's up to you, what's your pleasure

Everyone around the world

Come on!

The Magical Fruit

Beans, beans the musical fruit

The more you eat, 

the more you toot

The more  you toot, 

the better you feel

So eat beans for every meal

Most everyone should know this silly little tune and most everyone probably finds the subject of flatulence humorous, even if you do not laugh out loud. Growing up, this  topic usually came up during dinner and resulted in tear filled laughter.

Up until recently, I have hardly paid attention nor have I eaten legumes of any sort. However, my thoughts began to change on January 12, 2011, when I watched Stephanie O'Dea do a crock pot cooking demonstration on Good Morning America: Stephanie made Chicken Enchilada Chili that included beans.

Immediately, I set out to make the recipe. Surprisingly, I had everything on hand to prepare this dish except for the beans, or so I thought. Then I remembered that I received a gourmet gift box for Christmas from the Women's Bean Project.

Stack Attack!

Fresh Ink Card by Hallmark sent from Daryl

For all of you stackers out there, 

this one's for you!

I did not realize April marks the 17th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide that claimed over 1 million lives. Barbara Walters reminded her viewers of that fact yesterday on The View by discussing Same Sky and introducing their beautiful line of bracelets.  

That's Amore

When the moon hits your eye 

Like a big pizza pie

That's Amore

When the world seems to shine 

Like you've had too much wine 

That's Amore

First made famous by Dean Martin in 1952, That's Amore still has meaning today. I definitely find pizza and wine to be "Amore." I think that one of the most romantic things in life is to share a pizza and a nice bottle of red with the one that you love in a small, intimate restaurant; better yet, if the restaurant happens to be in Italy during truffle season. 

Unfortunately, pizza and wine are two things not on the top of the "what to eat while on a diet" list. So, what do you do when that craving for pizza and wine envelope you? Do you ignore it and hope that the yearning fades away? Do you go to your favorite pizza parlor and "pig out" on your favorite pie and promise to get back on your diet track tomorrow? 

Tool Time

Life is much easier if one has the correct tools to complete the job successfully. A surgeon needs a scalpel, a dentist needs a drill, a jeweler needs an anvil, a hairstylist needs a scissors, a painter needs a brush and Tim needs tools for Home Improvement. What about the dieter? 

                                                              

One of my friends lost 15 pounds recently after many unsuccessful attempts over the years. She claims that one of the reasons for her success was the food log she faithfully kept; her trainer recommended that she record everything that she ate and drank daily. Over time, this became not only a habit for her, but also an awareness; an awareness of portion size and calories.

Tracking your food intake is part of many formal diet programs. Two that I have followed during the course of my life, The Diet Center and Weight Watchers both suggested recording what you eat. Once even, I went to a nutritionist; she too requested that I keep a food diary. Of course during the beginning of any program when the excitement and motivation of losing weight was a buzz, recording was a motivator.  When the excitement wore off and weight loss was slow, the tracking element fizzled away and so did the diet plan; hence, weight loss goals were never achieved.

I want my MBTs

Masai Barefoot Technology; yes, I am talking about those funky, chunky and clunky creations of this Swiss based company. Originally introduced in 1996, this unique, revolutionary shoe was developed after studying the walking patterns of the Masai tribes of Africa. MBT set out to create a shoe that would "mimic walking on soft, uneven ground."

After reading and hearing about these shoes for a long time, "curiosity killed this cat." I purchased a pair of Fora Black. I went to Shuz of Los Gatos, a European walking store. They had a large selection of styles to choose from; in fact, they had several styles that were less "chunky and clunky" than the original. There are less expensive "knock offs" out there, but like the fact that I don't like to "waste calories" on anything bad, I don't want to waste money on the "wannabes" either. I wanted to try the product developed by the company that put this shoe technology on the map.

Give us this day our daily bread

It is rare that I use the word daily and bread in the same sentence. It is also rare for me to eat bread. This is mainly due to the carbohydrates and the calories. However, when Daryl makes her special Irish soda bread; or I am in France, splurging on a fresh baguette is tops on my list.

In January, 1993, during our honeymoon in Chamonix, France, Bob and I discovered the most wonderful "Baguettes Cereals." It was the 11 seed/grain bread of The Restaurant Albert 1er. Over the course of the week, I ate it every chance that I had; it is no wonder that I came home carrying an additional 10 pounds! The kitchen invited me for a 3:00 am bread bake but I politely declined; what regret I have today for choosing sleep over learning the secrets of making this French luxury. The restaurant was kind enough to send me off with the recipe which I treasure to this day.

My daily diet does not include splurging on bread; in fact, I try to keep the thought of it out of my mind. However, when I do have a hankering, there are some alternatives that meet my criteria - calories, carbohydrate and content (fiber, protein, whole grain, etc.). Keep in mind, these are not French baguette substitutions; these are healthy, satisfying breads made from bakeries that have interesting stories. 

Cleansing Conclusions

It has now been one full week since completing my 3-day BluePrintCleanse (BPC) and the 1-day "ease back onto solid foods" recommended recovery regime. I am satisfied with my results and I am a believer! BPC did help me to get off the plateau that was holding me back. I am now again well on my way to reach my weight loss goals of 1 to 1-1/2 pounds per week. Ultimately, after the completion of my 4 day program, I dropped 4.9 pounds. As you may guess, all of this did not stay off. After one week of "eating, drinking & being merry (with conscience awareness)" with "real" food and attending two dinner parties, my final result <3.7> pounds. It's possible that my results could have been greater by forgoing the dinner parties all together; however my goal was to break my plateau not to use the cleanse as my main weight loss mechanism.

After this objective test, I will incorporate BPC into my quarterly regime for plateau problems, over- indulgence from a celebration or vacation, or just getting myself back on track. I will even purchase their raw concoctions to have on hand for a morning or afternoon snack. I hope that they have a more San Jose centric location for purchasing these products soon.

When discussing BPC with a friend who works with a lot of brides, she suggested that this would be a great preparation for a wedding or a big event. I concur! In fact, BluePrintCleanse offers a "Bride to BPC" program.

The next time that I do BPC, I will avoid intense exercise. My 4+ mile walk was too aggressive for the amount of caloric intake while on this cleanse. From past experience on cleanses, I already knew this but had to try anyway. Instead, I think that a gentle yoga class, relaxing with a good book or meditation in a hot tub would be better alternatives for the mind, body, and spirit.

Whether you take on the BluePrintCleanse for the reasons that I did, or for reasons of your own, as the BPC folks say,  it's about the "juice, the whole juice and nothing but the juice;" I believe it!

Let Them Eat Cake!

There is much debate about these words that Marie Antoinette supposedly shouted "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!" If she actually did, perhaps she was not referring to "cake" as we know it.

Growing up, my Grandma Stafford made beautiful cakes for all of her children and grandchildren for many, many years. Everything she created was from scratch, including the gardens of flowers she used to embellish them. It is a shame that I did not appreciate them or indulge in them as cake was never really one of my things; unless of course, it was fruitcake or Galette des Rois, both topics for another time.

the Art of Eating

This beautiful publication created by Edward Behr in 1986 is for all of you "Foodies" out there. It is very hard for me to call this a magazine because to me it is more like art; food and drink art.

I had never seen or heard of this publication. Before Thanksgiving, I was meeting with my friend Barbara in Palo Alto and asked her for a grocery store recommendation near California Avenue. She replied, " Molly Stones of course." I went there, did my shopping and got in line to check out. the Art of Eating was right there, glaring at me waiting to be purchased like an impulse buy; though, it was something more, so much more!

The quarterly publication is void of advertisements. Each edition targets a specific subject, for example: "New Ways to Be a Restaurant in Paris," or "Real Beer in Belgium the Greatest Brewing Country," or "Really Good Goat Cheese". There are interesting articles, recipes, restaurants and book reviews. I think that Alice Waters statement sums it up completely: "This is what the food movement used to be all about - honesty and integrity - not hype."

I have given this beautiful creation for birthday, Christmas and hostess gifts to all of my family and friends that enjoy "the Art of Eating," you should too!

When life gives you LEMONS...

squeeze them and make LEMON-AID!

We all have our favorite lemon drinks; the Italian digestif limoncello is at the top of my list. Yesterday on the Dr. Oz web site, I noticed a small article about the power of lemon juice. It took me right back to the early 80's when my mother and I were faithful followers of The Diet Center back in Menomonie, Wisconsin. When I moved to California in the late 80's, I again followed this program. The kick-starter of the day - a cup of hot water and lemon juice.

In June 2004 at a trade show in San Diego, one of my colleagues from the East coast introduced me to Anne Louise Gittleman’s Fat Flush Plan. We were deep in discussions about detoxing post show due too much over indulgence. He told about all of his wife's success on this new program. The second that I got home, I purchased not only a book for myself, but also for one of my best girlfriends. Both of us were off and "Fat Flushing"! Again, upon awakening, a cup of hot water and lemon juice.

With my most recent experiment the BluePrintCleanse, my day began with this elixir. Over the years when I have not been following any programs, I have included this easy, refreshing concoction into my morning routine. Sometimes, I have concluded my day with it as well, sipping it before going to bed after an evening of indulgence.

I remember hearing that drinking this would "kick start" my metabolism, that it was great for detoxing, digestion and could even ease bloating. It was a cleaner and stimulator for the liver and kidneys. Lemons are high in vitamin C and the juice contains electrolytes - calcium, magnesium and potassium. I did not realize until reading Dr. Oz's article about lemons that "a popular belief in ancient Indian medicine, or ayurveda, is that the natural acid of the lemon has antibacterial properties."

The benefits that lemons and lemon juice provide seem to be endless. Who would think that this sour little fruit could be so sweet?

"Try it, you'll like it!"

Welcome to my blog. Barbara my dear friend, teacher and confidant inspired me. It is because of our conversation yesterday and the sharing of her blog that gave me the "light bulb" moment, the courage and the idea to try.

The idea to do a blog on my experiences with "Eating, Drinking and Being Merry" and still being able to follow my healthy regime came to me yesterday while walking Rubie my beautiful girl. This is a topic that has consumed me most of my life. Anyway, Rubie and I were on our routine 4+ mile walk, the farthest point from our home when hunger took over my body to the point that I wondered if I would ever make it back; I started to sweat and I felt very weak, my stomach was growling. This was a very different feeling than the typical blood sugar drop. Maybe it was too intense of a workout for the second day of a new cleanse - BluePrintCleanse (BPC)?