January 27, 2012

Weight Watchers Friday: A n t i c i p a t i o n

This morning it was raining hard in Montclair, N.J., but I still got up and drove to my local Weight Watchers meeting and weigh-in. I’m committed to attending every week and I’m committed to sticking with the program. So far, so good, although I dream of chocolate chip scones! And sometimes I’m hungry, really hungry, right before my next meal, but I remedy the hunger with a carrot or celery stick. Tell me, do my teeth look longer? Maybe just the incisors?

I walked into the meeting, no line, no waiting, and up to the reception desk. I slipped off my sweater and clogs and hopped on the scale. And waited for the receptionist to report the results of a second week of counting points. When she looked up, she smiled, stuck a new sticker (with a lower current weight!) in my booklet and congratulated me for having lost more than 6 pounds in the first two weeks on the program. I was thrilled! I know it’s less weight (by almost half) than I lost the first week, but it’s still great. I learned that as the weeks go by my weight loss will slow considerably so the more pounds I lose now, the happier I am! I’m on my way!

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January 26, 2012

Muscle Maker Grill: A New Lunch Option with Good Food and Great Scenery

My girlfriend Pat and I ate in the Muscle Maker Grill in Edison, N.J. today. When Pat suggested eating there instead of at our go-to favorite D’Italia in Avenel, I was delighted, especially as Pat gave me one day’s notice! I checked out Muscle Maker’s menu on line and figured out what food selections would keep me within my Weight Watchers (WW) points for the day. And for those who count calories rather than WW points, Muscle Makers prints the calorie content for each item right on its menu. That’s simple!

Great info for people like me!

Muscle Maker’s slogan is “Great food with your health in mind,” but newbie me found it challenging at first to find good choices for my WW lifestyle (I don’t like to use more than 6 WW points for lunch). After plugging in the fat/protein/fiber/carbs for a number of the meals I found most were 8+ WW points, likely because of the emphasis on protein (37g was the least amount of protein for the Yee-ha! Wrap, but most were in the 40s-50s) on the menu. Note: If you are on a different kind of diet, say the Adkins diet or similar or you are a fitness buff who eats a lot of protein, this is a no-brainer lunch place for you. Muscle Maker Grills are “always” located next to fitness centers/gyms and the food targets body builders, at least I think so! Still, I found some good lunch options!

When we arrived the restaurant was busy. I glanced around and quickly realized that the customers were mostly men, good-looking men! Staffed by friendly people, the open kitchen cranked out to-go and to-stay meals. Pat ordered the chicken Caesar salad (294 calories with 0 carb dressing!) and I ordered the Italiano salad (337 calories with fat free balsamic dressing!). We ordered our food at the counter then sat down. Our food, delivered to our table by an attractive young man with beautiful muscles and a great smile, was well presented on large white plates.

My Italiano salad was a mix of fresh-grilled chicken piled atop fresh spinach and romaine lettuce with roasted red peppers, reduced-fat shredded mozzarella and balsamic dressing. The emphasis was on the chicken, the tender, tasty grilled chicken. It was delicious! I munched my way through about half the salad and had the rest wrapped to bring home.

My Italiano salad was yummy.

Pat enjoyed her chicken Caesar salad too. I was really curious to taste the Caesar dressing since I make my own (calorie-laden) Caesar at home. Muscle Maker Caesar dressing was fine, but it in no way matched the rich garlicky (calorie-laden) dressing I make at home.

Pat enjoyed the chicken Caesar salad!

Bottom Line? I would definitely eat at a Muscle Maker Grill again. I now know that if I eat a half-portion of almost anything on the menu I can keep within my WW points and enjoy a delish lunch in a setting populated by well-toned men! Single women take note,  if the Edison restaurant is any indication, you could well strike up a conversation with a nice looking fitness buff!

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January 25, 2012

Multivitamins: Size Matters

No matter the view the men's vitamins box is smaller and lighter in weight. It makes me believe the actual vitamin is also significantly smaller.

Most multivitamins I’ve purchased (and attempted to swallow) over the past few years are super big; it’s the single major reason I stop taking them: Day after day I struggle to swallow the darned things. I gag. I choke. I get cranky. Then I stop taking them because I’m afraid I’m going to choke to death, alone in the privacy of my own home. What a way to go. Ugh!

Have you noticed how multivitamins have grown – significantly – in size over the past decade or so? We went from small, round One-a-Days to multivitamins large enough to choke a horse. Why? Can anyone tell me why?

My internist recently suggested that I start taking a multivitamin, specifically Centrum Silver for Women. I remembered my swallowing issue as I walked down the vitamin aisle at my local CVS Pharmacy. No problem, I thought. I’ll just look for an illustration on the box to make sure it’s a size I can swallow. Over the past few years some manufacturers have put illustrations of “actual” pill size on boxes. Of course, Centrum didn’t have any illustration.

Resigned, I picked up the box and turned to leave, but then I noticed the Centrum Silver for Men sitting right next to the women’s box. Guess what? The men’s vitamins, 100 in a bottle just like the women’s, were packaged in a smaller box! When I held a box in each hand, the women’s box was significantly heavier. Larger and heavier. Why? Can anyone tell me why men get a smaller, lighter multivitamin?

Women are expected to be able to swallow multivitamins that are larger than those for men! Hello. We have smaller throats, don't we?

By now I was muttering and mumbling loud enough that a CVS employee who was restocking a nearby shelf heard me.

“Can I help you,” he asked.

“Do you know why the Centrum Silver women’s vitamins come in a significantly larger and heavier box than that for the men? It doesn’t seem fair. And I’m concerned that the women’s multivitamins are too huge for me to swallow,” I said, showing him the two boxes.

He walked over. ” You’re right, the women’s box definitely looks large and heavier. Maybe Centrum figures women are tougher than men. Maybe Centrum figures if women can give birth they can also swallow pills that would choke most men.”

And that, my friends, is as likely an explanation as any.

Why can't manufacturers make a multivitamin that is easier to swallow?

Centrum? Centrum, are you listening? Your women’s multivitamin — at 1” in length, never mind its girth — are just too large to swallow comfortably. What can you do about it?

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January 24, 2012

Bridesmaids, the Movie: My Stomach Hurts. . .from Laughing

I don’t go to the movies very often. But I’ve heard so many people talk about Bridesmaids, the movie, that it’s been on my “To See” list for a while now (along with Mr. Poppers Penguins and Kung Fu Panda II. It’s the way I roll when it comes to movie: usually animated with Pixar a fav.). Anyway, while eating at Tinga, a local Mexican restaurant, my husband Mike, who was also told Bridesmaids was a “must see,” suggested we rent it On Demand. He queued it up, I plopped down in front of our big screen and the movie rolled.

Have you seen it? If not and you don’t want me to spoil someof it for you STOP READING right now.

The movie opens with a sex scene, one of the few in the movie, but what a scene. Have you had a relationship with that guy? You know, the one who is so involved with himself he leaves no room for a relationship with anyone but himself. Have you pretended sex was fun and tried to convince yourself it was meaningful? If so, this scene should be your wake-up call!

OMG! I almost fell off the sofa laughing. . .after I picked my jaw up off the floor. Funny thing? Mike was not amused; in fact, looks of horror flitted across his face. . . as well of distaste. Amusement was slow to come and I think maybe he laughed because I was so hysterical.

Have you been a member of a bridal party before? I think most of us have. And the characters portrayed in the movie are certainly representative of some women we know, right? Riiight? Take the scene on the airplane when the women are flying to Vegas for a bachelorette party: Annie, the maid-of-honor heroine who is afraid to fly, is stuck in coach while the rest of the bridal party is in first class; she is a woman on the verge of a breakdown. . .after she consumes waaay too much alcohol at the urging of her arch nemesis co-bridesmaid.

And I can’t even begin to adequately describe the bridesmaids as they arrive at the oh-so-exclusive bridal salon to see their dresses. They lunched at a cut-rate ethnic restaurant with bad food prior to descending on the salon. Their stomachs start to react to Annie’s choice of restaurant and the ensuing bits are classic!

If you are down in the dumps and need a pick-me-up or just up for some belly laughs, rent Bridesmaids! Even better?  Watch it with a girlfriend!

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January 20, 2012

Weighing In: Newbie Nerves

Today was my first public Weight Watchers (WW) weigh-in; you know, the one after I spent my first week craving chocolate chunk scones and deliberating over every bite of food before I put it in my mouth. My week passed in a blur of points calculations and new recipes. I wore the same clothes today as I did for my initial weigh-in (the one prior to all the deliberations over what to eat), mostly because the WW receptionist suggested it; she said I would get a more “accurate” measure of how much I’m losing week to week if I always wore the same outfit. (She also told me my jeans weigh 2 pounds!  She’s right, although I never thought much about actually weighing them until I joined WW.) If I stick to my weight loss plan, though, these jeans will play a major role in my journey — I have a recurring daydream of them puddling around my ankles on an inhale during a future weigh-in. Scary thought? Not at all! I think my fellow WW-ers would applaud me standing there in my underwear; they are a supportive bunch!

While I waited in line I watched as fellow WW-ers checked in. The first woman stepped up, head held high, handed her pass to the receptionist and proceeded to undress: off came her coat, sweater, and shoes; she smiled, tossed back her hair and stepped on the scale. The receptionist looked at the scale readout and smiled, congratulating the young woman on losing 4 pounds in a week!

Next an older woman walked hesitantly up to the receptionist; she handed her pass over, then s l o w l y disrobed: Off came her gloves, coat, shoes, hat, vest and jewelry – 4 rings, a bracelet, watch and earrings by my count — then I think I saw her fingers hesitate at the top button of her jeans, but she ended up picking a piece of lint off the front of her shirt instead. The older woman carefully stepped onto the scale and hung her head. Low. The receptionist looked at the scale readout and I saw her brow crease then smooth out. Wordless, she handed the older woman her pass. The older woman walked away, head still hung low.

It was my turn. I smiled and handed the receptionist my pass. Imitating what I saw the others do, I stripped off my coat, sweater and boots; I left my jewelry on since I didn’t want to look like I was desperate to squeeze out a negative number. Besides, I reminded myself roundly, no one can make me feel badly about my week unless I let them. Public opinion be damned; let’s see how I did! The receptionist looked at the scale readout and she looked at me. Her face was expressionless for a moment then she broke into a huge smile.

“Congratulations!” she said. “You lost 4.6 pounds!”

I stared at her, dumbfounded, as the number sunk in.

She leaned forward and asked, “Have you been going hungry all week?”

“No,” I replied seriously. “But I am suffering from serious chocolate chunk scone withdrawal. It’s bad.”

Will my daydream come true?

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January 19, 2012

Repotting Cacti: A Few Point-ers

Cacti were some of the first plants my Dad bought me when I was little and learning how to be a gardener; I raised a barrel cactus and another tall cactus from itty bitty babies into mature adults. In New Jersey. Those cacti were painfully beautiful. After I left for college, I got a call from my Dad; he said that the barrel cactus had burst open and died; I think it missed me. The tall cactus, on the other hand, continued to grow taller. At its peak that cactus was over 5 feet tall; it had spikes so long and strong that we could have hung our mini poodle off one. But we didn’t, no matter how many times she peed on my parents’ bed. I repotted the tall cactus regularly for years. It was an adventure in pain management. So that’s my long way of explaining why I consider myself an expert cacti (re)potter.

A n d ??

I’m the proud owner of some new cacti! Four inexpensive (not itty bitty) cacti jumped into my cart at Home Depot. They must have heard I put a plant stand in front of a western window in my home. News like that travels fast among plants in a big box store: For them it’s go home within 3 days of arriving or die. Since the cacti were armed and I wasn’t, I brought them home without a fight.  After getting jabbed only a half-dozen or so times in the process I maneuvered the little thugs onto my potting bench. To repot them.

Painful when touched bare handed!

Use a potting mix formulated for cacti; it must be quick draining or the cacti will rot. Pre-moisten the mix with water prior to potting. And pre-soak the terra cotta pot the cactus will live in too; fill a bucket with cool water and a drop of bleach; immerse the pot for a few minutes.

Do you see the most important tool you need for repotting cacti? Gloves. Thick leather gloves to protect your hands and lower arms.

Just wipe off the pots and put dribble trays underneath each. Locate the plants away from nosy pets and small children!

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January 18, 2012

South Beach London Broil Recipe: A Winner

 

The recipes I've tried so far in this book have been uniformly good. And since all the nutritional information is listed I can easily plug it into my Weight Watchers (WW) point-figure-outer and find out how much of each recipe I can eat on my WW regime.

Do you like london broil? Would you like to try a really yummy recipe for london broil?

This london broil turns out tender and flavorful. And 1 1/2 pounds, what the recipe calls for, easily serves 4.

I substituted low-salt V8 for the tomato juice.

I put the london broil in a gallon-size zipbag then poured the marinade on top. I squished the marinade around so the onions were distributed to both sides and popped the bag into the refrigerator; every time I opened the 'frig door for something, I flipped the bag so the meat got equally 'marinated' on both sides. You can leave the marinating beef in the refrigerator overnight without affecting the finished dish.

We cooked the london broil on our gas grill, 10 minutes on each side; we brushed the leftover marinade in zipbag over the meat as it cooked. Let it rest for 5 minutes under a foil tent on the platter before you slice it.

After its little rest, we sliced it; 7 WW points for 1/4 of this london broil; I couldn't eat that much of it though!

If you’re snowed in you can “grill” the london broil in your broiler as the recipe suggests, or if you live in a so-far-snow-free area like mine, you can throw on a coat, go outside and cook it on your gas grill. I love using our gas grill year round; the path to the grill is always shoveled after a snowstorm! Is yours?

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January 16, 2012

Rearranging My Shelves: Simpler Than Rearranging My Life

In my quest to eat healthier (okay, and less) I purchased some spray oils to use when I cook. Yes, I’ve said good-bye to my beloved pouring Canola and olive oils {1 point per 1 tsp on my Weight Watchers (WW) plan versus 0!! for the sprays}. I know that the little things in life add up (saving pennies, anyone?), which is why I bought the sprays. And that’s fine, except the cans are too tall to sit anywhere but in my butler’s pantry cabinets, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a butler to fetch the cans every time I need them.

The spray oil cans are much too tall to fit into the most convenient location to store them.

“Leave them on the counter,” you say.

“No can do. I hate a lot of ‘stuff’ on my kitchen counters; it makes me twitch,” I reply, shuddering slightly at even the thought.

My solution? Take all the glassware out of the upper cabinet to the right of the stove, readjust the shelf up one notch, wipe everything clean, then put everything – including the spray oils – back.

The cans are stored neatly and my kitchen counter remains clear! Happy woman!

Problem solved!

Can we vote to make every problem’s solution this easy? Please?

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January 15, 2012

Inspiration Boards: Do They Inspire You?

This will be another week of ‘firsts’ for me. Today I will start an inspiration board.

“What’s that?” you ask.

In my case it’s a piece of poster board onto which I am pasting photos of items that are meant to inspire me to reach my goal. It’s probably going to be a collage by the time I’m finished. Other people create their inspiration boards on line, a la pinterest, but I want to put my board right above the desk where I work. So I can eyeball it when I’m feeling not-so-inspired.

I’ve read about how, well, inspiring these boards can be when you’re working toward a goal. And I want to give myself every advantage so I will succeed!

My goal? I joined Weight Watchers late last week to learn how to eat healthier, properly proportioned meals. And to lose weight, hopefully including the two fat puppies currently wrapped around my middle.

So what will I include on my board? I’ll give you a guess:

Fashion! I love to read about, look at and learn about the latest fashions and trends for the coming seasons. My inspiration board will include some fashions I'd like to try . . . after I lose some weight.

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January 13, 2012

My Magic Number: 26

weight watchers.

Ahem.

Weight Watchers.

WEIGHT WATCHERS!

There I said it out loud. Yes, I joined Weight Watchers (WW) this week. I decided to do something I’ve never done before: I’ve decided to “diet.” Now, I’m sure some of you will tell me that WW isn’t a diet, but I beg to differ. To me, a diet is any program that sets limits on my eating.

Since I like to know how something works before I actually do it, I visited WW during office hours earlier this week to learn more about the program. And I ended up signing up while I was there to save time on my first official day of WW, which was today. After being asked how tall I am and how old I am then weighed, the WW receptionist told me that my magic number is 26; that means if I eat no more than 26 points of food per day, I should be able to lose the two fat rolls that have settled like happy puppies around my middle over the past 12 months. Since I want to lose those dogs something fierce, I will spend time learning the WW system, calledPointsPlus 2012 and then eat accordingly.

My first preliminary day in WW World (remember, I refused to actually, officially begin until today) I simply recorded what I ate that day to see how I measured up regarding ‘appropriate’ portion sizes and ‘good’ food choices. I ate my way through 39 points that day; 13 points over my daily allotment. Who knew that the chocolate chunk scone from Whole Foods would weigh in at 13 points all by itself!  My second preliminary day in WW World I didn’t try to ‘diet’ so much as I tried to eat less of what I normally eat; with 30 points attached to my name by the end of day two I recognized that I’d have to buckle down to succeed.

I've joined the WW World.

My first official day in WW World was today. It’s almost 9 p.m. and I’ve eaten my way through 22 of my 26 allotted daily points. As soon as I’m finished here I’m headed to the kitchen to snarf down 4 more points of food. Just in case. I don’t want to wake up hungry in the middle of the night and have to decide which day my snack gets tacked onto!

It’s taking me a fair amount of time to figure out how many points my food is worth. First, I deconstruct each item down to its basic ingredients, then I look each ingredient up on either the WW site or in my handy WW points booklet (remembering that most veggies and most fruits and some condiments are ‘free.’). After that, I decide whether I actually want to put that many points in my mouth. By that time I’m a little cranky because I’m famished, but sometimes I don’t go ahead and eat what I thought I was going to eat. Why? Because then I wouldn’t have any points left to eat anything for the rest of the day, silly!

My daily PointsPlus Tracker has replaced my blog as far as ‘number of hours spent on it’ so far this week. I hope to get a handle on the whole concepty very quickly so I can stop thinking about points/food and WW just blends into my existence. At this point, I am spending way too much time thinking about food, which I don’t think is good considering I’m trying to eat less. Do you know what I mean?

Are you a WW person? Do you think WW will blend into my life eventually or will I continue to spend way too much time (1) thinking about what I’m going to eat, (2) preparing what I’m going to eat, (3) figuring out how many points what I’m going to eat totals, (4) actually eating, then (5) recording everything in my Food Tracker?

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