LOB-STAH!!!

FITNESS PET-PEEVES!

I am happy to report that my holiday house guests are now gone!  While we had a fantastic time together, like the famous Ben Franklin quote says, "guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days!"  LOL!  (Forgive me boys ;-)  During their visit we had some great conversations, one of which was about healthy eating.  My friends are in amazing shape.  We're talking young, radiant, and beautiful!  I'd be only too happy to be in the shape they are in, yet like so many fit people I've come to know, they are guilty of some of my biggest pet peeves!

I am an advocate for natural foods.  I believe in eating as many whole foods as I can get my hands on.  When I do buy packaged foods, I am an avid label reader searching for products with the fewest total ingredients, and eliminating items that have artificial sweeteners, corn by-products, and hydrogenated oils.  I buy as many organic foods as I can, and tend to gravitate toward smaller, independent, brands more so than the conglomerate food companies.  I buy produce at my local farmer's market and remain adamant about finding sustainable fish, grass-fed beef, and free-range chicken.  Yes, it gets expensive...but it's pay now or pay later!  You will not find a single product in my house that contains High Fructose Corn Syrup.  In fact, if someone is requesting a soda, it is likely I am handing them a bottle of Coca-Cola from Mexico that is made with cane sugar.  If you can not tell, I am passionate about eating natural food and feel very strongly that the synthetic, corn based, over-processed, diets of most Americans is contributing to the high instance of Obesity, Diabetes, Cancer, and other health related problems we see in this nation.  It has become a bit of a platform for me.  People need to get smarter about what they are putting into their bodies- worrying less about looks and more about nutrition.  Get educated on the matter and start shopping with more of a discerning eye, because if you think our government is protecting us and keeping us healthy- think again!

I used to work at a gym and I think one of the most irritating things I would witness was individuals who would kill themselves working out for two hours, then ten minutes later be sucking down a "health" drink that contained more artificial ingredients than a piece of plastic.  How is that good health?!?  I call these folks the "superficial health nuts," because it always seemed like they were willing to put anything into their bodies as long as it promised a slimmer you!  They'd sell their souls for flatter abs never once being concerned with whether or not they are actually feeding their bodies the nutrition needed to have energy, make repairs, and stave off disease.  I never could figure out why someone that buff was so intimidated by the 15 calories that might be found in a teaspoon of real sugar?  After all, the number one side affect of working out is the ability to metabolize calories!   These folks are eliminating from their diet things like fresh fruit and carrots for fear of sugar conversion, and replacing it with packets of Equal, butter substitutes that resemble tubs of yellow Cool Whip, and meal replacement snacks that have a shelf-life of five years!  Putting all health concerns aside, who the h*ll in their right mind wants to live this way!?!  You can't have an egg with a yolk in it?!  You're throwing away the lecithin and healthy omega-3 fats!  You can't have a grain of rice or some orange juice when you spend two hours at the gym every day?!?  Gimme a break!

Here's my philosophy, eat as many vitamin-rich whole fruits and vegetables as you can get your hands on, limit processed and starchy foods, and don't sweat things like carrots or orange juice because I guarantee that's the least of your worries!  Everybody wants to look good, but at the end of the day we eat for a reason- to nourish and replenish.  Ask yourself if you are putting better fuel in your car, or your body?  Do you have your priorities right when it comes to your health and fitness plan?  I ask myself these questions every day.  I am committed to making the necessary changes.  I know my friends left pledging to do the same.  I'm so fired up about it that you get two quotes today!

-As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists.  -Joan Gussow


-Did you ever stop to taste a carrot?  Not just eat it, but taste it?  You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.  -Astrid Alauda

A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

I hopped on the scale with much trepidation yesterday.  This was probably the scariest "Weigh-in Tuesday" in the history of Two Ton Tillies, past, present, or future.  Nothing compares to the anxiety of stepping on the scale a few days after Christmas.  I can recall every guilt ridden second from childhood to present every single time the holidays would come to a close.  I am happy, no ecstatic, to report that I have not gained one pound over this Christmas holiday!  I declare, "It's a Christmas Miracle!"  Yes, it would be nice to tell you that I lost some weight this week, but I am pretty sure I have been gaining weight post December twenty-fifth since I was in diapers!  So this truly is a miracle!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could safely roll in to the new year without going even one pound backwards?!?  Well let's not get ahead of ourselves.  There's still the tiny little matter of New Year's Eve to discuss.  While I'm sure most of you are puzzled by this statement, regarding New Years as less of an eating holiday and more of a drinking holiday, a true fatty is always more concerned with the meal than the cocktails.  So here's what I got lined up for the welcoming of 2011.  My husband and I are planning on spending the evening at home, just the two of us.  Having weighed the weights of going out versus staying in, we decided that being home this New Year's Eve would be a safer, more affordable, more intimate way to celebrate.

One of our favorite places to visit is Kennebunkport, Maine.  We love everything from the beaches, to the landscape, to the seafood, and it is an especially beautiful place to visit in the winter.  Last year we spent New Year's Eve feasting on lobster and sipping champagne with a group of guests at our favorite inn.  We sat curled up in front of a roaring fire while it snowed like mad outside.  While it isn't possible for us to repeat our travel this year, we are doing our best to bring as much of that experience in Maine to our holiday here at home.  We are having two live lobsters shipped to us on New Year's Eve along with a quart of chowder.  We have some champagne on chill and I'm preparing a salad and a chocolate wine cake for dessert.  All we need now is some snow!  We plan to watch some favorite flicks and check out the usual festivities that are live on TV.  Being the die-hard animal lover that I am, I have put my husband in charge of cooking the lobsters.  Let's pray he has the guts to go through with it because if it comes down to me, we'll be naming them and keeping them as pets.

"Those who indulge, bulge." -Anonymous

HOLD ON, I'M COMIN!

Sam & Dave Video

HANG IN THERE EVERYONE!  I HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR AND I AM WORKING ON A POST AS WE SPEAK!!  CHECK BACK AT DAY'S END AND IT SHOULD BE UP!

-JENNIFER

HOLIDAY RECAP

Buffalo chicken dip, garlic-Parmesan dip, potato chips, baked ham, fried ham sandwiches, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni salad, potato salad, ham and bean soup, beef barbecue, spinach dip, cashew patties, peanut-butter rice krispie squares, chocolate-coated pretzels, Glogg, nogg, deviled eggs, cheese, crab dip, giant Reese's peanut butter cups, bagels with cream cheese, panettone French toast, spam, chili, cheddar-oregano bread, Christmas cookies, whoopie pies, Mike's Hard Lemonade, ring bologna, Christmas ale, apple dumplings, pasta salad, croissants, Brandy Swizzle's, truffles, chocolate mints, chocolate cherries, toffee, Poppycock popcorn, expensive Cognac...  This is everything, well almost everything (there is a space limit on this server) that I've been exposed to in the last 72 hours.  Talk about dodging bullets!  It is amazing that I am still intact!

I have eaten some things on the list, but I have also chosen to skip some stuff too.  It has been a non-stop food buffet since December 23rd.  Between the food I myself have prepared, the food that has been delivered by friends and neighbors, and the food shoved in my face at various holiday parties and family get-togethers, it is amazing that everything I've achieved in the last eight weeks hasn't been flushed down the commode.  For the most part, I have handled it well.  I have not gone "mad" with my eating and have continued with my workouts.  There has been a definite increase in calorie consumption this week, but I am worlds ahead of what took place last Christmas.  I suspect that I will have an extra pound or two to work off between now and New Year's Day, but nothing that I foresee as any kind of major setback.  I have out-of-town guests staying with me so the pressure to cook and keep a well-stocked fridge has definitely added to the burden.  Luckily my house guests are fitness gurus and pretty self-sufficient in the eating department.  If anything, I'm sure Santa's bakeshop has been more a hindrance to them, then their eating has been to me.  Nonetheless, I'm sure you can agree that the more people you have cooking and eating in your house, the higher the chances that you will overeat.

I realize I have been lax on the entries lately.  Please forgive me.  I'm sure once the holidays pass and my home is mine again to do with what I want, I will be back on schedule with my daily entries.  Until then, I wish all of you the Merriest Christmas and hope that you too can successfully navigate the onslaught of holiday calories headed your way!

"I am not a glutton--I am an explorer of food" -Erma Bombeck

PULLING AWAY FROM THREE-HUNDRED

Yesterday was "Weigh-In Tuesday" and I'm happy to report that I have lost 4 more pounds!  This makes a total of 18 pounds.  Yea!!  I am slowly pulling away from the dreaded three-hundred pound mark and I am almost a safe thirty pounds from that nightmare.  Thank God!  Can you hear me exhale a sigh of relief!?  aaahhhh.....  Who'd think a person would ever be happy just to weigh less than three-hundred pounds!  I guess everything is relative.  The next threshold to cross will be the big two-fifty and then maybe I can safely say that I no longer weigh as much as a black bear.  Even though a number like this is so far from my personal goal, I still think it is important to set mini-goals along the way and celebrate every win you can.  It definitely helps to keep a yard-stick as a reminder of how far you've come.  I successfully kept my head to the grindstone this week and it paid off, but now it's time to enter...THE HOLIDAY ZONE!!  >>Reek Reek<<  More on that later.

“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” -Richard Bach 

BACK TO BASICS

Did you ever notice how good food tastes when you are on a diet??  Any kind of food!  Health food!  Fattening food!  Food you don't like!  I woke up this morning with a ferocious appetite.  I'm not sure why I was so hungry- maybe because for the last seven days I've really been towing the line.  I was starving!  My hunger has been insatiable all day and I find it pretty funny how most of what I ate I would find totally unappealing if I weren't on a diet.

I made myself a steak sandwich at around 10:30 this morning.  I wasn't playin'!  Waiting around for lunch or dinner was not an option and my usual morning meal of fiber cereal and fruit was not gonna cut it.  So I cooked up some steak with some bell peppers, added a bunch of hot peppers, then mixed in a little jack cheese.  I loaded this onto a lightly mayo-ed whole wheat roll and topped it with thinly sliced tomatoes that had been salted and sprinkled with oregano.  When I tell you it's the best damn thing I've ever eaten, believe that I am not lying!  What's funny is I HATE tomatoes.  I'm cool with tomato sauce and tomato products.  I can even handle diced tomatoes if they're firm and have been seeded, but the Earthy, slimy, seedy, make all your sandwiches soggy variety, will deter me from eating whatever they've been placed on.  Not today!  I'm also not a big fan of "hot" food.  I can take a little heat, but once it becomes a five alarm fire I usually walk.

Later in the day I thought I was going to pass out from sensory overload when I had some Melba Toast and cheese with some grapes as a snack.  You heard me...MELBA TOAST!!  Are you kidding me?!?  That's like getting excited over a rice cake!  I found the whole situation pretty amusing and it got me to thinking about how Americans overindulge on everything to the point where most things aren't enjoyable anymore.  I think our quality of life suffers a great deal as a result of this.  Think about it.  We overeat, overspend, over-text, we overdo the holidays, we drive cars that are ten times bigger than what we need, we hoard, we over-watch TV, we drink too much, smoke too much, work too much!  When did the American dream become all about excess...??  The only thing we don't overdo are things that are actually good for us!

I remember a time when driving was enjoyable- when it was fun to go cruising, take a road trip, or a Sunday drive.  Not anymore!  I understand a lot has to do with the change in traffic patterns, but I also think it is because we drive ten times more than we once did.  I love to watch people move their cars two blocks.  I think, "really, you live less than three blocks away and you can't just walk to the store for your newspaper?!"  And when did everybody start driving their kids to the bus stop!?!  Jesus!  No wonder we are overweight in this country!  We're giving our kids a ride, to their ride!

We have ruined for ourselves just about every good experience there is in life and I'm the first to admit that I've done it with food.  Absolute, unnecessary, total excess!  I can tell you that food hasn't tasted anywhere near as good as it has in the last few weeks, and I KNOW it's because I took it for granted and ate and ate and ate as mindlessly as I could.  What a lesson learned!  If you truly are a foodie then you should care enough to respect the experience.  Someone who truly values food will not overindulge to the point of being unhealthy.  Learn to limit yourself and I promise all things will become more enjoyable.

My husband and I recently went two years without television.  What an experiment!  The whole time all we heard from others was, "you're not missing much because the programming stinks!"  There most definitely has been a decline in programing, but I'm sure that's because we now have an excessive 150 stations on average, instead of the 6 or 8 channels we once did.  But I have to tell you, I really enjoy the few hours of television I watch per week.  Notice I said, a few hours per week, not a few hours per day!  Going without the Telly taught me to focus on more meaningful things.  I read more, exercise more, clean more.  As a couple, my husband and I were talk more and have actual sit-down meals in our dining room- not just balancing a plate of food on our laps in front of the boob tube.  Not only did other things in my life become more meaningful, but so did the act of watching TV.

Excess is everywhere but it is up to you to pick and chose how much you will indulge on things.  Think about your life today.  What things are you abusing?  What is it that you might be overindulging on, and has that overindulgence caused you to appreciate the experience less??  I appreciate food a whole lot more now that I make more conservative choices.  Perhaps we all just need to consider getting back to basics.

"The proximity of a desirable thing temps one to overindulge.  On that path lies danger." -Frank Herbert