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)?