Move It Till You Lose It

Not such a great week--no pounds lost, and maybe one gained.  I’ve had a lot on my mind, not a lot of sleep, and that makes me not want to move around as much.  Not only that, but the weather has suddenly turned from summer to fall.  It’s hard to feel like walking outside when the sky turns gray, the wind cuts through your jacket, and the streets are wet from a cold rain.  Today, though, I made myself do it.  I need the exercise, and so does my dog.  It was a long, hot summer but it’s time to get out the coats and get used to the idea of going outside in the colder weather.  

On days that it rains almost nonstop like it did yesterday, there is the option of working out indoors. 

Must.Remember.To.Just.Do.It!

Wa- Ter You Drinking?

Back to the scale, and back to the drawing board. Well, not quite. I did lose one pound this week. A little disappointing, but not so bad when you consider that it could have been a pound gained instead of lost. Sweet husband and I had to go out of town for a couple of days unexpectedly, and that meant eating in restaurants again.

One thing I did differently this time was to avoid having sugary beverages with my food. I'm not a frequent soda drinker and I don't drink alcohol, but when I'm in a restaurant it feels natural to have something fizzy or at least a lemonade. Why? I don't know, because at home I mainly drink water.

We hear often that soda, or pop as we say in the Midwest, is a major contributor to obesity and diabetes. And a glass of lemonade can have even more calories than a regular soda. Diet drinks aren’t a lot better, raising the risk of stroke and heart attack significantly amid evidence that they aren’t really effective for weight loss (For one discussion of this, see “Diet Soda a Day Linked With Higher Risk of Stroke, Heart Attack.” Huffingtonpost.com. February 1, 2012).  

Okay, so what’s on the beverage menu? A large glass of real juice packs in the calories, but a small juice occasionally is one option. Water is always a good choice, and there are sometimes fizzy or low-calorie flavored options. Although the diet jury seems to be out on how seltzer water affects the bones, the occasional drink while out is surely healthier than a sugar- or aspartame-sweetened beverage. In nicer restaurants, my husband orders San Pellegrino sparkling water, and plain water with a slice of lemon in other eateries when possible. Guess it’s time for me to get used to doing that, too.

Home Cooking

My friend Missy brought up a good point recently about food.  The food served at a restaurant, whether it's a fast food joint or someplace expensive and charming, is usually not the same food you would consent to eat at home.  Many restaurants have nutrition sections on their websites that tell the number of calories in specific dishes, as well as how much fat, salt, and cholesterol they contain.  I've looked at a number of these websites, and it's quite a shock to someone who enjoys dining out. 

As I mentioned in some previous comments, I gained six pounds this summer on a ten-day vacation, eating solely in restaurants.  It wasn't realistic on this particular trip to prepare our own food.  After spending most of Labor Day weekend with relatives, I'm back to doing my own cooking.  I've lost 3 pounds this week!  And that's not by starving myself at all...I'm just eating my normal high-fiber, plant-based meals and taking some walks.  I feel better physically than I have in weeks.   

Eating to Live

We all know people who seem to live to eat, rather than eating to live.  Some of us are those people at times.  I’ve done pretty well with this in my adult life, usually able to focus on life instead of food.  Sometimes I do get sidetracked…. 

Often, getting together with friends or relatives means the food  comes fast and furiously.  It’s hard to say No to food cooked by a dear, hardworking hostess, especially when much of it is desserts upon which the rest of the family places great importance.  But while sweets are hard for me to resist, I don’t really enjoy them.  I enjoy meals that taste good, that make me feel good and that I can forget about afterward. 

From my own cook’s angle, entertaining doesn’t have to mean spending all day in the kitchen, feeding  guests like there’s no tomorrow.   I love to feed people, but hopefully they come to see me, not just eat my cooking.  They might even be thankful if we cooks spend less time in the kitchen and help them with their goal of eating to live.  In turn, what’s healthy for our guests is usually what’s healthy for us!