Year 3, Day 17: The Dig Out

We knew that by the second we were getting ice-encased, so we drank all our coffee, watched all our spongebobs and endeavored to get dressed and get out. Emily and I both started shoveling at one point and we managed to clean off the front stairs and make a reasonable dent in the driveway. Every time it snows I'm asking myself "why do I have stairs? A nice ramp would do."

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Snack
1 slice balathazar bread
peanut butter
2 oz 50 %jalapeno cheddar
2 sticks beef jerky

Lunch:
Romaine, Cabbage, Red & YEllow Peppers, Tuna
Feta, Balsamic, Pepperoncini

Dinner: Fuji Steak house
Soup
Salad
Sashimi Deluxe
a few bites of ruby's steak

Ruby and I lit out for the day in earnest at about 3pm. We had a few errands to do, but the first stop was getting her a slice of pizza at Papa Ginos. She ate it with such gusto it really was a pleasure. There is nothing worse than watching a kid pick at food he or she is not interested in. After that we continued on with her day but before the Steve Songs concert, I went to get a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts. I got her a green sprinkled donut that was the usual vanilla-frosted with sprinkles but because it was SPD it was called "Manager's Special." The woman waiting on me could not understand my questioning—there seemed to be two variations and I couldn't tell the difference from the counter. The only english she could speak (I surmised) was the exact name of Dunkin Donuts products. We left, products in hand and went to the concert. After that we went to Japanese steak house (think Benihana) and amazingly, she ate a huge dinner steak, vegetables, plus udon noodles and rice. She was a good sport and tried the miso soup and the japanese salad dressing. Both were met with firm head shaking. I ordered the sashimi because my experience with Tempinakyi is that it uses a tremendous amount of butter and other unnecessary fats. I did get a few looks a the table, but it was just fine because the guy next to me made everyone crane their heads when he asked for a fork.

Year 3, Day 16: Snow Day

We woke up and there was not a flake in the sky or on the ground. So we all pressed on with our days. By three o'clock it was the type of weather that you are saying "holy sh#$% how did it get so bad so fast?" I have only a local ride home so I didn't fret much, but I did worry for folks who had to spend time on the highway. Note to self: never work anywhere where you have to drive more than fifteen minutes to work. (Longer on the train OK).

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
4 cups Boston Lite popcorn

Lunch: Russo's ($5.41)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms,
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner
Turkey Crumble in Cabbage Leaves
1 Broasted Breast of Chicken
Asparagus

From The South Beach Newsletter: Keeping the Pounds Off While You Sleep

If you're eating the South Beach Diet® way and exercising regularly, you're already on the path toward a longer, healthier life. But there's another step you can take: getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night. The National Sleep Foundation's 2007 Sleep in America poll reveals that 60 percent of American women aren't meeting their sleep needs. If you fall into this category, a lack of sleep may be affecting your ability to lose weight and keep it off.

According to recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and Lancet, sleep deprivation can negatively influence the stress hormone called cortisol. The result? If you aren't getting adequate sleep, you may find you're hungry even after eating a sufficient amount of food. In addition to affecting appetite control, sleep loss can also interfere with carbohydrate metabolism (the process of breaking down carbs). This leads to an increase in blood glucose (sugar) levels, causing insulin to be released, which can lead to weight gain and increased fat storage.

Fortunately, you can prevent these problems — and potentially jump-start weight loss or overcome a weight-loss stall — by taking the following precautions to help you get a good night's sleep:

Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex only — paying bills, watching TV, and other sleep-robbing activities should be conducted elsewhere.
Don't go to bed hungry. Enjoy a light snack, like a reduced-fat cheese stick or a slice of lean deli meat before bedtime.
Refrain from exercise three hours before bedtime since exercise releases the hormone epinephrine, which can make you more alert. But log some exercise time during the day, which may improve your ability to sleep.
Don't drink caffeine (a stimulant) within several hours of retiring to bed. Alcohol should also be avoided within hours of bedtime as it can cause early awakening. And, of course, if you still smoke, quit.
If you typically have trouble sleeping at night, avoid napping during the day.
If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing (take a bath, read a magazine, record your thoughts in a journal) until you feel sleepy.
Make sure your environment is conducive to sleeping (comfortable light, sound, and temperature).
Be consistent about the time you go to bed and what time you wake up each day — even on weekends!

Year 2, Day 348: Valentine's Snow Day

Simply a disaster, from a diet perspective. I thought it would be good because I'd be home with the kids and there would be some frolicking in the snow, but the temperature and weather conditions were so inhospitable that we did not go outside—I only went out to shovel the walk because I know how much worse it can get if you let it pile up and freeze. I got the ergonomic shovel—I think it gives you tremendous lower back pain instead of paralyzing lower back pain when you shovel heavy, wet snow. It was one of those days that I just ate my way around the house and did not stop myself. Some people on a diet say 'I couldn't stop myself' but I don't believe that— somewhere, even if it's very deep down inside you, you let yourself do whatever it is you think you're unable to stop yourself from doing. Since it was Valentine's Day, I allowed myself a lot of chocolate. Yummy.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
Strawberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee (x2)
2 small bites of Emily's Iggy's 7-Grain Toast with Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Lunch:
Breast of Chicken
Salad

Snack
1 Extra Smokey
2 Hard-boiled Eggs
4 oz. Popcorn
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
~ 1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews

Dinner
Brisket
Carrots, Celery, Onions
Cauliflower

Chocolate
1 Kissable
1 square dark chocolate

Because the storm kept most people from coming into work, there wasn't a lot to do or many people to talk to. There were a few conference calls though, because my parent company is in sun-kissed North Carolina so they don't know from snowstorms. That is, they know when one flake falls, they close ALL roads in and out of the state so freaked-out drivers don't careen off the road. Meanwhile, teachers and parents are sort of gritting their teeth because here it is three days from the start of a week long vacation and now a snow day! You can hear sobbing parents and teachers everywhere, with valentine's card trades and events cancelled all across the state. Sigh.