Year 3, Day 144: Obesity is Contagious

Just a usual day at work. I wanted to go for a walk, but the gang rebuffed me on account of it was too hot. After dinner the family (and my niece) piled into the mini van to go out for ice cream. I was sadly, a refusenik.

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

Snack
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
Coffee

Lunch: Russo's
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner
Hamburger-Bacon
String Beans
Mesclun Mix Salad

Study: Obesity Is 'Socially Contagious'

ALICIA CHANG | July 25, 2007 11:10 PM EST |

— If your friends and family get fat, chances are you will too, researchers report in a startling new study that suggests obesity is "socially contagious" and can spread easily from person to person.

The large, federally funded study found that to be true even if your loved ones lived far away. Social ties seemed to play a surprisingly strong role, even more than genes are known to do.

"We were stunned to find that friends who are hundreds of miles away have just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends who are right next door," said co-author James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego.

The study found a person's chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend did, 40 percent if a sibling did and 37 percent if a spouse did. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.


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Researchers think it's more than just people with similar eating and exercise habits hanging out together. Instead, it may be that having relatives and friends who become obese changes one's idea of what is an acceptable weight.

Despite their findings, the researchers said people should not sever their relationships.

"There is a ton of research that suggest that having more friends makes you healthier," Fowler said. "So the last thing that you want to do is get rid of any of your friends."

The study was published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Researchers analyzed medical records of people in the Framingham Heart Study, which has been following the health of residents of that Boston suburb for more than a half century. They tracked records for relatives and friends using contact information that participants provided each time they were examined over a 32-year period.

In all, 12,067 people _ all Framingham participants _ were involved in the study.

After taking into account natural weight gain and other factors, researchers found the greatest influence occurred among friends and not in people sharing the same genes or living in the same household. Geography and smoking cessation had no effect on obesity risk.

On average, the researchers calculated, when an obese person gained 17 pounds, the corresponding friend put on an extra 5 pounds.

Gender also had a strong influence. In same-sex friendships, a person's obesity risk increased by 71 percent if a friend gained weight. Between brothers, the risk was up by 44 percent and 67 percent between sisters.

Indiana University statistician Stan Wasserman said while the study was clever, it had its limitations because it excluded relationships outside of the Framingham group.

Obesity is a global public health problem. About 1.5 billion adults worldwide are overweight, including more than 400 million who are obese. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese.

Much of the recent research focus has been on the intense hunt for obesity genes involved in appetite or calorie burning. Treatment has been mainly centered on helping individuals curb their weight through better diet and fitness.

The findings could open a new avenue for treating this worldwide epidemic. The researchers said it might be helpful to treat obese people in groups instead of just the individual.

"Because people are interconnected, their health is interconnected," said lead author Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a Harvard sociologist.

Obesity experts not involved in the research said the results back up what they have suspected all along _ that people look toward one another for what is an acceptable weight.

"If you're just a little bit heavy and everyone around you is quite heavier, you will feel good when you look in a mirror," said Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center.

___

Year 3, Day 143: UGH

On a 50 almond day, you don't want to go out to eat and have dessert while you're at it. But in fact that's exactly what happened. Emily, Magnolia, my neice and I went with Ruby and a friend to the Full Moon Cafe in Cambridge, which is one of those rare places where they serve good adult food and it's a family-friendly restaurant, read: your kids can play in a dark, dingy corner. But still it works for most of the meal until some smelly kid wallops yours with a broken toy found in a dirty bin. Then, it's time for dessert and the to go bag. Fast.

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

Snack
4 Pieces of Jerky
50 Almonds
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Lunch: Russo's ($5.47)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner: Full Moon Cafe
Grilled Asparagus, Feta & Mesclun Greens
Steak, Green Beans & Arugula (I split the steak with Ruby and I hardly had any)

Dessert
1 bite chocolate. chip cookie
1 bite vanilla ice cream

From foodfacts.info/blog:

Wendy's NYC nutritional info
Wendy's has posted the following on their website regarding nutritional information posting in NYC:
We regret that Wendy's cannot provide product calorie information to residents or customers in New York City. The New York City Department of Health passed a regulation requiring restaurants that already provide calorie information to post product calories on their menu boards -- using the same type size as the product listing.

We fully support the intent of this regulation; however, since most of our food is made-to-order, there isn't enough room on our existing menu boards to comply with the regulation. We have for years provided complete nutritional information on posters inside the restaurant and on our website. To continue to provide caloric information to residents and customers of our New York City restaurants on our website and on our nutritional posters would subject us to this regulation. As a result, we will no longer provide caloric information to residents and customers of our New York City restaurants.

We regret this inconvenience. If you have questions about this regulation, please contact the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and refer to Health Code Section 81.50.
Subsequently, a judge has prevented NY from enforcing the new law, stating that the rules, which would have applied only to restaurants that already disclosed calorie data, "would have attempted to punish the very restaurants that are already providing accurate and comprehensive nutrition information."

Year 3, Day 142: Hernia!

I thought a hernia was a strain, like a bad back. Little did I know it resulted in a visible protrusion. I apparently got myself one by bringing two buckets of rock salt to my shed on Friday so they wouldn't be on display for Ruby's party. And really, why is the rock salt on the porch in July anyway? I thought I was in good shape and I could handle it. Apparently not. I go to see my new doctor, who both confirms the diagnosis and makes me long for Dr. Parent. I called Dr. Parent, but she was on vacation. So I guess it's back to surgery to correct this unfortunate problem. All I could think of was blue-collar workers who wore belts 'for their hernias." I thought "Will I have to wear a belt now?"

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

Snack:
4 sticks beef jerky
65 almonds
1 jazz apple

Russo's ($5.27)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner
Breast of Chicken
Salad

First day back to work and it's back to old reliable Russo's. I never seem to get tired of it, though I am tired of people who bring their shopping cart down the salad bar aisle. And the people who cut really need a schooling. But sometimes I'm just not up to it.

Year 3, Day 141: Monday Off

Something I highly recommend people do is to take a Monday off after a long weekend. It helps a lot, because then you don't have that Sunday night where you can't face going back to work (even if you like your job). During the day, Emily and I played 90 minutes of tennis. She took the first set 6-3 and I took the second set 6-3, which seems amazingly common lately. We played two tiebreakers, and she won both of them, 7-5 and 7-4.

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

Pre-Tennis
1 slice Balthzar Bread, Teddie Peanut Butter

Lunch: Leftover Bernard's
Chicken With Vegetables
Eggplant
1 Beef Teriyaki

Snack
Banana Cake
.5 oz Popcorn

Dinner
3 Tacos
Salad

During this period of my life I am examining my inner baker. Today, I made a banana cake, and took my sister-in-law's advice and cooked it longer. Ruby ate nearly half of it. Later in the day, feeling buoyed up by physical activity and a successful banana cake, I tried to make tacos for Ruby. She ate two of them, and I was happy. I am always struggling with how to make different, and healthy things for her to eat that aren't eggplant.

Year 3, Day 140: The Day After

Attempting to get back on the straight and narrow, I go with Emily's sister to play two sets of tennis at hour each. She took the first set 6-3 and I took the second set, 6-3. There was no tiebreak, as I couldn't hack it, and folks were waiting. Though it is not the same calories-burn as a workout, I ate like a hozzer anyway.

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

Lunch:
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
Egg
Tomatoes, Lox, Red Onions
Salad with Balsamic Vinegar
50 Unsalted ALmonds

Movie Snack
3.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Chicken
Salad
Broccoli

Dessert
Brownie, Chocolate Chips

Ruby and I were supposed to go on a date with another Dad & Daughter but it didn't work out so we went to the movies by ourselves, after being shut out by Circus Shmirkkus and stopping to see some cows poop on the road. (Ruby absolutely loved that). About 90 minutes into Ratatouille, (which is 1 hour and 50 minutes total) Ruby couldn't sit still because she was too tired (figure that out). On my way out I thought we'd ask for a refund, which we were granted. I was disappointed, but as I had eaten the entire bag of Boston Light popcorn, I figured we'd better get home and chill out, and eat some chocolate.

Year 3, Day 139: Ruby's Birthday Pary

or "What Didn't I eat?" I tried to start the day, my birthday and Ruby's party, on a solid note, but the comings and going of everybody, coupled with the anxiety of throwing a party and the abundance of food made it nearly impossible to stay on the program. Mostly it was just a volume issue, but I did keep the running around going all day. Fortunately, I learned a lot of lessons from last year, and so we avoided a lot of unnecessary anxiety. We also didn't have to worry about rain, since we got a beautiful day.

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

all downhill from there

Lunch
1/2 Grilled Chicken Burrito
1/2 Grilled Steak Burrito
1/2 Veggie Burrito

Assorted Things Eaten While Walking Around
2 oz Tostitos Chips & Salsa
Ass't Fruit

Dinner
6 Pieces of Sashimi
Salad with Feta & Balsamic
Wine

Dessert
1 Very Healthy Slice of Ice Cream Cake (chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and other stuff)

You know, at the end of the day, what could you do but eat ice cream? I ate it and just made my peace with it. I did realize that I heart multi-grain tostitos. They are hands down better than regular tostitos, and every other variation out there.

Year 3, Day 138: Almost the Birthday

Took the day off, went to the gym. Not my best workout, 65 minutes, 6.10 miles. I was taking it easy because we played tennis last night and will probably play again this weekend. Didn't do any weights. But I did let myself eat whatever I wanted a bit today. Emily's family came over and we all ate and ate and ate.

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

Postworkout Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Yogurt
4 tablespoons super chunky peanut butter
popcorn
almonds
yogurt cheese

Lunch: Legal Seafoods
Greek Salad with Calamari

Dinner:
Bernard's Eggplant
Rotisserie Chicken
Spring Mix
Bernard's Boneless Spareribs
1 Glass Red Wine

Dessert
Tate's Cookies (Chocolate chip cookies)

75 percent of Americans overweight by 2015
Two-thirds considered heavy or obese now; rate still increasing, study finds
Reuters

WASHINGTON - If people keep gaining weight at the current rate, fat will be the norm by 2015, with 75 percent of U.S. adults overweight and 41 percent obese, U.S. researchers predicted on Wednesday.

A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore examined 20 studies published in journals and looked at national surveys of weight and behavior for their analysis, published in the journal Epidemiologic Reviews.

“Obesity is a public health crisis. If the rate of obesity and overweight continues at this pace, by 2015, 75 percent of adults and nearly 24 percent of U.S. children and adolescents will be overweight or obese,” Dr. Youfa Wang, who led the study, said in a statement.

They defined adult overweight and obesity using a standard medical definition called body mass index. People with a BMI of 25 or above are considered overweight, while those with BMIs of 30 or above are obese and at serious risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Studies show that 66 percent of U.S. adults were overweight or obese in 2003 and 2004. An alarming 80 percent of black women aged 40 or over are overweight and 50 percent are obese.

Sixteen percent of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight and 34 percent are at risk of becoming overweight, according to federal government figures.

Every group is steadily getting heavier, Wang said.

“Our analysis showed patterns of obesity or overweight for various groups of Americans,” said May Beydoun, who worked on the study.

“Obesity is likely to continue to increase, and if nothing is done, it will soon become the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.”

Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19845784/

Year 3, Day 137: Detecto says "174"

Today was a pretty good day. The latest batch of jerky didn't taste very good, which helped me avoid eating it. Me and another coworker took a very, very fast walk. I was nearly panting to keep up with him. By the time we finished, the sun had come out and we were both hot and sweaty. It's a good thing the office is like a meat locker.

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

Snack
3 pieces of jerky
9 almonds
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Lunch: Russo's ($5.25)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner: Vela
1 Glass of Wine
2 crusts of crappy white bread with crappy pesto
arugula salad
halibut, pepper relish and sauteed spinach

Gumsert

Emily and I met to play tennis after the rain cancelled our second successive session with a tennis instructor. We met at the Wellesley BSC and it is amazingly small, private and air-conditioned. We were so knocked out it made it hard to concentrate on the tennis! I took the first set (6-3) and she the second (6-3). Then she took the tiebreaker, 8-6, after I had been ahead 5-1. What can I say, coffee is for closers and I didn't get any. We wanted to go to Jimmy's (my fave) but there was a wait so we skeedaddled without canceling our reservation and went to Vela, which had no wait, and I think I know why. I weighed myself at the gym. Their detecto is suspect, but in the words of business geeks, 'it is what it is."

Tomorrow begins the onslaught.

Year 3, Day 136: Wednesday at Ruby's Camp

We are working on content at work, which is excellent, because it's something I love. The thought that I would have a job where I actually got to do something akin to what I feel I am talented is was something I did not allow myself to think about for a very long time. Though some might say I performed by job adequately, there was little love or passion except that associated with trying to do your personal best. Now it seems as if I might actually get to write, and manage writers, which though headache-inducing, is something I love and have dreamt of doing since my last gig doing it, which was at Editorial Humor (V2).

Breakfast
Kashi
Heritage Flakes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Lunch: Russo's ($5.47)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 Entire Bag of Orville Redebacher Microwave Popcorn

Dinner
Brisket
Cauliflower

Ruby's camp night. Rain, and magnolia crying a lot. I thought it would be a lot more than it was-- I thought people would talk to us and explain what's going on camp and why we should be delighted that our kids were there. No, it was just a moonwalk in the auditorium, cookies in the cafeteria, and beads in the arts and crafts room. Then a boy took Magnolia down, WWF-style when they were playing and she cried for 10 minutes until I took her to the playground she was looking at through the window of the room where she got hurt. Of course not knowing the school I went out through the boiler room, but she didn't care. I just kept telling her "we're almost at the playground."

Year 3, Day 135: Driving to Quebec

Frustrated by two successive trips to Russo's without local strawberries, and devastated by the crappy taste, texture, appearance of Driscoll's sub-par product, I leave work early to suss out a local farmer's market where I am disappointed. A few phone calls bring me to Volante Farm, where I land two quarts of Quebec-based strawberries which look like native Massachusetts strawberries and taste fantastic. At $6.99/quart they are truly an indulgence, but I must have them. I pack them carefully in a box, considering whether I should buy a third quart and skulk away, eating them in the car on the way home.

Breakfast
Kashi (last of mass. strawberries)
Heritage Flakes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Snack
4 slices of turkey
1 beef stick
1.5 oz boston lite popcorn.

Lunch: Chang Shin Yuan
Chun King Pork
Shrimp & Broccoli
Pea Pod Tendrils
Tea

Dinner
Hamburger & Brisket
Salad
Equivalent of two ears of corn, as unfinished by Magnolia

Cahn Shin Yuan closed for two weeks, it was tough. Today was our triumphant return, and it felt so good. Perhaps giving in to a little indulgence, we ordered a third dish between two people, though it was a vegetable, and it Pea Pod Tendrils, and they were so yummy. We finished everything.

Year 3, Day 134: Lucky There Were No Nuts

It's Monday but Emily decided to come by the office for lunch. Very unusual, but when she does come by we go for sushi nearby. It's not New York sushi, but it is very good.

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

Lunch with Emily: New Ginza
Double-Salad
Sashimi Plate
1 Shumai (after EMily inexplicably orders mushrooms)

Snack
2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
4 slices of turkey
4 sticks beef jerky

Dinner @ $ Neighbors House
Pork
Fish
Spinach and Garlic
Sprouts

Dessert
2 Strawberries
4 Squares of Hershey's Organic Dark Chocolate (190 Calories)

Many nights when I come home to an unlocked door and an empty house I think the worst: some horrible accident has happened that required the quick exit via ambulance (explaining the mini-van in driveway) or someone else's car and soon the phone call will come. After I shake that off, I realize that my family is next door at the neighbors, eating them out of house and home. On the rare occasion I am invited over to eat too, but that's all about the timing.

Year 3, Day 133: Someone turn on the AC

I've started to do some weight machines now when I go to the gym. Just like the diet and the exercise thing, I am taking it slow. I have looked around the machines and I am especially interested in the ones that will help me obtain my washboard abs by age 45. One of the 'trainers' at the gym, who I'll call "K," is after me to work with a trainer (there's a free session) and get a program together. For no reason whatsoever except inconvenience, I've been avoiding this. And I think he's starting to notice. I am starting to feel uncomfortable when he's around, because I think he's going to assault me with the form (again) or somehow stop me from using the machine until I do.


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

Lunch:
Salad
Blue Ribbon Brisket

Snackz
6 oz stonyfield yogurt
4 tablespoons super chunky peanut butter
crusts of magnolia's cream cheese and jelly bread sandwich that she didn't eat
a few almonds and cashews

Dinner
Robert' Brisket
Carrots, Celery
Cauliflower

30 ab crunches
30 squat thrusts
7 miles in 73 minutes, not too fast, very hot in the gym. I tried to pace myself. As longtime readers know, when I run out of water, I pretty much have to stop. The 'pause' button doesn't work and if I get off to get more water I'll lose my place in the work out. So far I've been lucky, but today was like working out in a greenhouse.

Year 3, Day 132: Pimp My House

Saturday with the contractors. We had the people who did my friend's Jill's house come over and suss out the place. They will have us work with a designer, who is not an architect, and maybe that will be cheaper and maybe that will work out. We'll see. Right now it's all very abstract, we are trying to explain to them what we want and we don't anything about house-building or house-fixing.
Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Snack
1 Slice Balthazar Bread, Peanut Butter
A few nuts

Lunch
2 Burgers
Salad

After-snack
3 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Chicken Breast
Broccoli

Wanted, but Didn't Have:
Brownies from New York

Visit to the pool. One of Ruby's good friends has a pool and we are often guests there. Whenever we go over there, they make us lunch, and it is often barbecue. For some reason I can eat a lot more stuff off the grill than I would in just regular life. I mean, who would order a second hamburger in a restaurant? Somehow the idea that swimming (the kind where you chase your seven year old with a pool toy) is exercise took hold.

Year 3, Day 131: Where Art Thou Christo?

Today, a pair of shorts and a afast walk. I thought we'd go to Christos 7 star, but I called to order my eigh pound salad and got a distorted message saying they were closed. We walked to Russo's instead. I am not dissapointed, but I will keep you posted.

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

Snack
Turkey
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 CUps Boston Lite Popcorn
10 Almonds

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

Dinner
Mesclun Mix, Cabbage Salad
Scrambled Eggs
Turkey Bacon

Desert
A crumb of a cupcake

When you're having eggs for dinner it's a certain kind of sadness. It's usually associated with being poor, but often it's a lack of planning or imagination. Sometimes, the desire for something hot that's protein leads to those slippery yellow curds.

Year 3, Day 130: New York Introduces the Twelve Dollar Salad

Silly me. Here I am in provincial Boston fretting over the six-dollar salads at Russo's. Then today I went to the Chelsea Markets for the first time and inside, found "Hale and Hearty Soups", which features a sort of smoosh-in salad bar. I ordered a large salad of Mesclun Greens with chicken, feta, olives, steamed broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and balsamic (no pepperocinis were available). Cost: $12.00.

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

IAC Conference Room
1 Strawberry
1 Banana
1 small apple
a few grapes

On the Plane/Back & Forth
Nuts
Popcorn
1 Strawberry
3 slices of cheese

Lunch: Hale & Hearty Soups
Salad wit feta, olives, steamed broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and balsamic

Dinner:
Blue Ribbon Tandoori Chicken
Elephant Walk Salad Cambodgienne
Blue Ribbon meats

New York is great when you can fly there and fly back in one day, but all the traveling takes its toll on you. They especially make it hard on people when they're giving out little milky ways and other stuff I can't, won't or shouldn't eat in the plane snack. You're hungry, tired, captive. Most people eat it all. I Ate the cheese and strawberry and passed the other stuff to my seat mate, a chocolate-loving co worker.

Year 3, Day 129: Creme Delight

I'm not sure I mentioned it but a friend of mine has created a 'low-carb' ice cream called Creme Delight. You can see more about it here. Amazingly, they sell it in New York and New Jersey, and especially at Kings, which is the supermarket near where my father-in-law lived. Now that he sold his house, I never go to Kings, and so I have yet to try it. But I just know that it's deeeelicous in my heart. Anyone who can get some please try it and let me know!

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.29)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
2 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 cups popcorn
2 oz. turkey

Dinner: Blue Ribbon BBQ
Brisket
Burnt Ends
Salad

Trying to stay hungry. That's really the trick. I am liking the Applegate farms turkey as a snack; it's incredibly low in fat, tastes good and is very satisfying. The only problem with turkey is its very very short shelf life- once it gets even a little wet it becomes very very unappealing. I'm not sure everyone has this problem with turkey, and in fact I'm almost certain that most of America never even considers the moisture level on their deli-sliced turkey. It's just another thing that I'm out there alone on. I'd like to add the sigh comment in pointy brackets, but that is actually a command in HTML that would make the sigh disappear. So you'll have to use your imagination.

Year 3, Day 128: Back at It

Of course, one of the joys of returning from any place away from home is returning to the routine, and that includes my beloved world-record setting breakfast that I will eat until the last edible strawberry falls down from the tree.

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

Snack
2 Slices of Turkey
2 Cups of Popcorn
2 Sticks of Beef Jerky

Lunch: Sushi 21
Sashimi
House Salad

Dinner: Papparazi
Caprino Salad
Breast of Chicken
Spinach
Broccoli

Tonight we went to Papparazi for dinner. There are a lot of reasons to go out to dinner. Sometimes it's "too hot to cook." Sometimes it's "too frazzled to cook." Sometimes it's "nothing to cook" and sometimes it's "Construction noise is driving me crazy." Whatever it is, Papparazi is well suited to us. It's a little bit closer to work than home so I can meet the family there. It's in a mall so if the kids get crazy they can get on the escalators (which is their very favorite thing). They have good food, and they serve a nice kids dessert. Emily just realized the bartender keeps a candy bowl, too. As I said, treachery is everywhere.

Year 3, Day 127: First Day of New Job

It's really amazing that after nearly 11 years with one outfit (that was three different outfits) I reported to the same office but a totally different set of goals, employers and a totally uncharted future. I could not be more excited about the opportunity, and the amazing thing is that I get to keep the walking gang, and Russo's, too. You really couldn't get any luckier and so I am literally counting my blessings, trying to remain calm and not to overdose on nuts. Well, okay maybe not the last one.

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

Snack
4 Beef Jerky Sticks
2 cups Boston Lite Popcorn
60 Almonds
25 Cashews

Lunch: Russo's ($5.17)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner
Trout
Cauliflower

Dessert
Cherries

I don't usually have dessert, but today seemed to call for something special and the cherries were soooo good.

Year 3, Day 126: Return Home

The forecast called for temperatures of 90 degrees. Our itinerary called for a three hour car ride across the mountains with no nuts, and really no way to distract our kids. We filled up the car with gas and got on the road. I was hoping to go to the gym, but it didn't happen. At least the car ride wasn't so bad.

Breakfast of Three Omelets
Omelet with Beet Greens, Parmesan and Sausage
Plus some of Emily's Omelet with Zucchini

Lunch (in car)
A few bites of turkey
a few bags of Smartfood
cucumbers

Dinner
7 oz sliced turkey
Salad
Edamame
a few nuts

No gym, and I am feeling bad. I just need to get back on the horse tomorrow. Gah.

Year 3, Day 125: Still Upstate, Falling Off

The thing about saving calories. It's like money when you're at a casino. YOu try to save it all day so you have some for later. No one ever got upset by going home with too much 'extra' money from a casino. It's the same thing with calories. You feel stupid if you splurge early on and then an opportunity comes along and you really don't have what you need to take advantage of it. Then you go into deficit spending. Tonight, I probably had a 1,000 calories at dinner.

Not good. The only things that can be entered in my favor is that Ruby and I walked a half mile and back to the Diner.

Breakfast: The Olympic Diner
Broccoli-Feta Omelet
Bacon
Coffee

Snack
Almonds/Cashews
Cheese Popcorn
Papaya
Strawberries
Cheese
Peanuts

Lunch:
Arugala Salad with Tuna, Balsamic Vinegar

Dinner
Hangar Steak
White & Purple Cole Slaw
Cucumber & Tomato Salad
1 oz. Frito Corn Chips

Dessert
Banana Cake
Jane's Cherry Pie
Assorted Ice Creams by Jane's

Felt like I had a Frito corn chip and took a dive off of the South Beach Diet. I made a note of some of the things that went through my head, and that go through everyone's head when they're falling off the horse.

I can handle this.

Just a little bit won't hurt.

I'm in control.

I'll stop after this.

This isn't so bad.

I'll make up for it tomorrow.

I'll going to do extra workout tomorrow.

Year 3, Day 124: Trip to Upstate

The trip to Kingston always involves eating in the car, and too frequently too many nuts. Not only that, but when we get there we are nearly always awash in lots of food. It is a happy, but challenging environment. Then of course, there's always the Hollydome, where we stay, a mildewy old Holiday inn with the charm of an abandoned dorm room near a swimming pool. Ruby and I took a swim in the pool. At most hotels, the pool is in a separate room, where it is generally warmer than than the rest of the hotel, as evidenced by the thrilling whoosh of cold air you get whenever leaving the 'pool area.' At the Hollydome, the geniuses built in an indoor lobby and put the pool right inside it. This created a strange environment, where when dressed in clothes you felt the lobby was too warm, but when in the pool you felt every degree of icy air conditioning.

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

1 slice banana cake

lunch
salad w white balsamic
chicken
bite of brie

on the road
almonds & cashews
popcorn
pecans
more banana cake
1 cherry
1 bite of corn, cucumber
some peanuts

dinner
salad with walnuts
salmon

I brought my recent banana cake and Jane helped me understand what was wrong with by pointing out the 'crumb' and described the three tips to knowing when a cake is ready. 1. Toothpick comes out clean (everyone knows that one). 2. The cake pulls away from the pan edge. 3. There is a spring to the top of the cake. Very helpful, I will keep these in mind for my next cake.

Year 3, Day 123: Hospital Detecto Says 176

Had big plans today for a workout AND tennis. However, a mysterious foot ailment in the middle of the night meant I had to go slow on my workout (only five miles in 70 minutes) about 5mph instead of 7-9, and no squat thrusts, though I did do my 100 ab crunches.

Happened to be a the hospital (assessment for unnamed injury) , so I weighed in, even though it was after lunch, after snacks, middle of the day, probably not the best time to weigh yourself, but I was glad to see I was in the zone, if not perfectly at 174.

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

Postworkout Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Yogurt
Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Lunch: The Met Bar
Greek Salad
With Chicken
(No Crisps)

Hospital Waiting Room Snack
Almonds & Cashews
1 Pear

Dinner; Yama (Wellesley)
16 Pieces of Sashimi
Miso Soup
Salad

Dessert
Banana Bread

In the search for the perfect banana bread I found this. I skipped the ganace, but make it at your own risk. It's addicting

Year 3, Day 122: Independence Day

It's cliche to quote a Bruce Springsteen song on the 4th of July, isn't it? Ruby and I were Needham refuseniks. They had a parade, but we couldn't get up early enough to be situated among the hot crowds. Anyway, I'm not enough of a patriot to withstand that type of thing. Instead, we made our way over to the Newton festivities, which took place at a park and involved popcorn, carmel apples, and plenty of water (it was very hot). Unfortunately, we got there early (10:30am) as the paper reported the festivus began at 11:00AM. Though it was painfully obvious to anyone with grade-school education that the fair was not ready for fair-goers, I had to track down a carny to make sure. No surprise, the paper got it wrong- festivities were really scheduled to begin at 12:00pm. Luckily, there was a playground; we stood our ground and waited. Then we got on the long line that had developed for tickets. That particularly reminded me of growing up in New York. Here was a fair where they were quite obviously not ready for customers- the bouncy-bounce (moonwalk) was not blown up; several gates were lying fallow on the ground. Rides were still being 'inspected," yet a long line to buy tickets from an empty booth had snaked beyond visibility. Ah, independence day.

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

Lunch:
Salad
Lime Grilled Chicken
A few bite of hamburger

Snack
Popcorn at the fair

Dinner
Sesame Encrusted Trout
Broccoli
More Salad

A word about mesclun greens and mint: Emily says adding mint to a salad makes it seem like a more interesting salad. I concur. So for all of you wondering how to dress up your salads (and you should definitely not take advice from me since I am like the robot-salad eater) add mint.

Year 3, Day 121: Last Day at Domania

August 9th Would have been my eight year anniversary at Domania. Well, I came close. My first official day at the new company will be July 9th, so that's 7 years, 11 months. If you count the first company Domania was (Inpho) it was nearly 11 years in total. That's a long time to be at one job, though, I had at least six different titles, five different bosses, four different computers, three different offices, and two different company names. There was a lot of change, but only one me. I can definitely say I went in the 200's (weight wise) and came out in the 170s. So that's one happy ending.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.69)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Dinner:
Chicken
Boneless Ribs
Cabbage, Broccoli

Dessert
50% of a Healthy Choice Pop
1 Yogurt Covered Raisin
1 Chocolate Chip
A handful of cashews and almonds

Happy, sad? Mixed emotions have been running high, and with it neck and neck have been my desire to eat 10x and lots of dessert. Sometimes you just give in, and tonight was such a night. Consider it a toast to all my Domania comrades.

Year 3, Day 120: The FDA Working Hard For Us (After the Fact)

The US Food and Drug Administration has a Web site where you can read up about food recalls, e.coli outbreaks and my favorite, "Import Alerts and Import REFUSAL report." Go there. You might find it amusing; you might find it terrifying. It's definitely a good place to find out some information I bet you didn't know.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($6.21)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Chicken Breast, Salad
1/4 Hamburger, Turkey Burger

Dessert
Cherries & Strawberries
1 Apple-Cinamon Cheerio
4-5 Flakes

Despite the horrifying news regarding tainted toothpaste from China (where were the Refusal people then?); I have found that brushing your teeth is a great way to stop yourself from that post-dinner, pre-bedtime period where you are more likely than not to walk through your kitchen, or have to take something out of your pantry; empty the dishwasher, or somehow come in contact or in close proximity to food. I know there are some people who eat right up until they go to sleep, but for me, brushing your teeth sends that minty-mouthed signal to my brain that no more food is coming for the night. I occasionally will scarf some sugarless gum and water for Gumsert, but I find I am able to resist most tempting things when my mouth is minty.

Year 3, Day 119: Stop the Pie Insanity

Back on track. It's up early and out to the gym. Then, later in the day, I gave away the remaining pie. I knew having it in the house was going to eventually wind up with me in the corner, and a spoon.

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

Lunch:
Salad and a little brisket (Ruby ate most of it )

Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Yogurt
4 tablespoons of Super Chunky peanut butter

Dinner
Flank Steak
a few bites of Ruby's cheeseburger
a small bowl of salad
asparagus

Whole Grain Junk Food - By Laura Brady From Associated Content A Cookie by Any Other Name...

Published Jun 19, 2007

There's a huge trend in the food market to jump on the latest nutrition bandwagon. For example, during the low carb craze every food manufacturer introduced low carb versions of their most popular foods in order to keep customers and drive up their profits. Now that people are beginning to realize how important it is to have a balanced diet, complete with complex carbohydrates and fiber, the food companies are creating junk food made with whole grains. They're banking on the ignorance of the public to believe that because a food is whole grain it must be healthy. The truth is that junk food is just that. Even when you add some whole wheat flour to the mix it's still packed with sugar, sodium and fat. In fact the nutritional differences in these foods are virtually indistinguishable.

One of the most heinous examples is the new whole wheat Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. Really, who are they kidding? Compared to the original glazed the whole wheat version only has 20 less calories, 1 gram less of fat, and 3.5 grams trans fat instead of 4. Your gain for choosing the wheat doughnut? One whole extra gram of fiber. Please, if you're going to eat a doughnut just eat the one you really want. Everyone knows they're not health food.

Nabisco is now making whole grain Chips Ahoy and Fig Newtons, among other things. They say that the Newtons provide 9 grams of whole grain per serving, but that's only 2 grams of fiber and they still have 13 grams of sugar. Let's face it; a cookie is still a cookie by any other name.

There's also the two bowls of cereal a day weight loss plan, created by Special K and then plagiarized by other brand names. Most cereals contain at least 12 grams of sugar, so that's not really the recommended way to lead a healthier lifestyle. I also don't know many people who are seriously satisfied with a serving of cereal for breakfast, one for lunch and then nothing until dinner. A serving of cereal is only ½-3/4 cup. Of course you'll lose weight but you'll gain it back as soon as you get back to eating real food again.

The minute a study came out about dark chocolate having health benefits dozens of varieties of dark chocolate candies, bars, cookies and other products hit the stores. People saw it as a red light to market chocolate as a health food, and some consumers believed they eat it every day as part of a healthy diet. The key to those studies though, was that it has health benefits in extreme moderation, and the less sugar in the chocolate the better. Moderation is not exactly the American style.

Food companies always latch onto a trend in order to market to mainstream America. As long as we read food labels and ignore the claims on the TV and boxes we can avoid the pitfalls they constantly through before us. There's a place for cookies and snacks in a healthy lifestyle, in moderation. Before you decide to buy into the latest trend, remember that life's too short to eat fake cookies!

Year 3, Day 118: Day of Two Breakfasts

Not a great day after; shame spiral; the need for zealotry. We got up early and had to take my car to the dealership; to avoid leaving me there all day, Emily and I and the kids all went. Then, I insisted we go to a diner named Lloyd's in Framingham, which I thought was close by, but by the time we were close, everyone was cranky, we didn't know where we were and the girls were starting to cry. When we got there it was an actual train car but it was only made for people so the grill that was taking half the space made it inhospitable for two children who were cooped up in a lost car after being dragged to a car dealership on a sunny day. They ran around the back of the diner, which was a nice, dangerous assortment of strange rocks and automotive pits. What drove me to order corned-beef hash was me in a weakened state; I don't know.

Breakfast @#1
Slice of Iggy's 7-Grain Pullman Bread with Super Chunky Peanut Butter
Coffee

Breakfast #2: Lloyd's
2 Poached Eggs over Corned Beef hash (i ate only a few bites)
Coffee

Lunch: Mark's
Greek Salad with Chicken, Balsamic Vinegar

Snack
.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn f
1/2 Banana
Cheese of two slices of pizza.
a few strawberries.

Dinner
Romaine/Mesclun Mix Salad with Feta
6 Apricots

Krispy Kreme introduces Whole Grain Doughnut

by Cybele, 6/27/2007 10:16:00 AM

Krispy Kreme announced the newest addition to their pantheon of deep fried doughy creations, the Multigrain cake doughnut made with seven grains and topped with an oatmeal crisp crunch. This limited edition doughnut is made in molasses, brown sugar and pecan flavors.

"Krispy Kreme is excited to offer the Multigrain doughnut made with seven grains as another great menu choice for our customers," said Stan Parker, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. "This new doughnut, paired with a hot cup of one of our signature coffees, is a great way to start any day." (source)

As a touchstone, dietary advantages of the whole wheat glazed are marginal compared to the traditional glazed. The regular glazed has 200 calories, 12 grams of fat and less than a gram of fiber. The glazed whole wheat has 180 calories, 11 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber.

You can find the new Krispy Kreme Multigrain doughnut at select Krispy Kreme retail locations beginning July 9, 2007.

Year 3, Day 117: poker

Last night, when we got home from the Met Bar, and made sure our kids were sound asleep in their beds, I got to making my fourth pie. This was necessary because I was going to bring it to the card game and so I needed it to be ready-- I was not going to be able to bake it in between work and poker. So I made it, and left it to cool. I'm not sure it was my best pie ever- and in fact, it might have been undercooked. It met with a cool reception.

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

snack
6 sticks beef jerky

lunch: talk of the town diner
broccoli/feta omelet
side salad

dinner/poker
cashews, almonds
pistachios
popcorn
salad
steak tips
chili con carne
a bite of pie

A fast walk with some of comrades at work. I thought at one time that it helped me win at cards, but so far it's been failing to do that. Our card host made dinner. As usual, I ate plenty, and naturally, had to try the pie. It was pretty good.

Year 3, Day 116: Date Night with Cranberry Walnut Crisps

So much to tell! Today me and another Domaniac went for a walk because we thought the heat had abated. Alas, it was nearly 93 degrees when we got to Russo's and luckily we ran into another Domaniac who was buying lunch. Celebrating this coincidence we took the ride home and relished our meat-locker temperature office as we enjoyed our lunch. So it was about half a walk. Then Emily and I played tennis but what should have been 90 minutes was more like 40 minutes after which she could no longer even speak to announce the score. We adjourned and had dinner at the Met Bar.

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

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerk
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Lunch; Russo's $5.65
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner: Met Bar
Salad
Arctic Char
Bread Basket

One of the things the South Beach Diet book tells you to do is to get rid of the bread basket as soon as you get to a restaurant. This ordinarily is not a problem since most restaurants serve white, flavorless bread that's room temperature, or worse, cold. The Met Bar, which is already one of the greatest places to eat, serves a bread basket that is comprised of the world's greatest corn bread (probably above the Mason-Dixon line) and Cranberry Walnut Crisps—as described on their Web site: "A thin flat crisp bread with cranberries and walnuts; a tasty treat to include in a bread basket or enjoy as a snack." HELL yeah, you could eat three packages of those things and not bat an eye! If you asked me three years ago what would make me go ga-ga off the diet, I never would have said "Cranberry Walnut Crisps." In fact, two of the three things in the title aren't really things I even LIKE. Yet the alchemy somehow made us eat them all up and honk for more.

Year 3, Day 115: Wild Willy's

We had visitors today, and I thought we'd take them for BBQ; but I was outvoted and we went to Wild Willy's Burger Joint. I initially thought I would have a cheeseburger with chili and no bun, but then I spied the salad option. For nearly $8, it was the polar opposite of Christos 7-Star. It was made with real ingredients, but not much of them. Easily lighter than a Russo's Salad. I did splurge for a side of Chili, which was always my weakness.

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

Lunch: WIld WIlly's
Chicken on Salad
Chili

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
6 oz. Stonyfield Yogurt with Splenda

Dinner
Bread & Circus Salad
10 Cashews
25 Tamari Almonds
Grapes

Tonight I had an evening meeting so I had to stop by Whole Foods to get a few items and I thought a salad would be good for me. The Whole Foods Salad bar is quite wide-ranging with its hot AND cold bars, all for one price (though $2 a pound more than Russo's). It also mixes prepared foods (Lentil Salad, Boy Choy, General Gau's chicken) in there. I didn't find the plain (Cajun) cooked chicken until I had already put Tuna on my salad. There was no feta. They did have purple cabbage, which I like, and I took some carrots. For a national chain, and the market leader, I think they could do a little better on their salad bar.

Year 3, Day 114: More Normal

The first of many hot days. Me and the lone other Domaniac went for a walk to Russo's. I vowed I would only buy my salad, I filled up my basket. It's hard to explain, but the walk back, and carrying more than one thing (like a salad and strawberries and bananas, for instance) makes your gait unbalanced; they only give you the crappy, landfill-laden plastic shopping bags that have no shape and are designed to allow things like tins of salad that want to be horizontal to angle themselves. Therefore, you have multiple problems of trying to keep things from opening, spilling or being crushed, and keeping an even walking position. Then you have to keep up a good pace and much of the walk in the hot sun. I cursed myself, and my inability not to buy things at Russo's, the whole way home, sweating.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.31)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini


Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner:
Burger
Broccoli
Salad, Pickles
10 Cashews

I want to go back on phase one but can't give up my breakfast during strawberry season. They are just so good. I am eating them all the time. If loving them is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Year 3, Day 114: If I Die, Please Erase My iPod

The thought that anyone would know that Fergies "Big Girls Don't Cry" is on it is too much for me to bear. But I can't help it- when you find a song that is made for your iPod and your workout, you have to respond by putting it on there. You just have to make sure someone knows to erase the thing if your untimely end comes. On that note, I laughed when I read this description in the New York Times:

"Fergie's current hit is “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and she delivers the ludicrous lyrics — “I’m gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket/I’ve got to get a move on with my life” — with such nutty conviction that even a hard-core scoffer might eventually be converted. (Take it from one who knows.) She makes the ridiculous seem sublime, and isn’t that precisely what pop stars are supposed to do?"

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

Lunch
Brisket
Salad

Snack
2 cups popcorn
a few strawberries

Dinner @ Neighbor's House
2 Sausages
1 Linguica Burger
2 Ears Corn
Corn Chips with Guacamole
Asparagus

Dessert
Another Pie

My neighbor told me I should go into the pie business. I told him that I didn't make up the recipe. He said that never stopped anyone. I agreed it was a good point, but I wasn't sure I was up to the task.

Year 3, Day 113: The Year of Living Dangerously (Close to Pies)

Today we were out in the street when our neighbors spontaneously invited us to have a barbecue next door tomorrow (Sunday night). They wanted me to bring pie. They had tasted my second pie, and so I had to make a third. Believe it or not, I had hardly had any of my pie, so I had some, probably about a thin slice. It was good. Not perfect, but good. I am working on number three as I type this. This is not especially good for my diet, as conservative guesses put calories at 480 per serving. Emily just came back and told me the two sitters (Maria and Noellli) were eating the pie and kvelling. What's not to like about pie? The whole pie thing goes back to a visit from my friends Gary and Alice about two years ago (pre-SoBe diet, but post new house). They brought a rhubarb pie and it was FANTASTIC. When we asked them and they told us they made it, our eyes bugged out. Gary said (before he didn't talk to me for a year when I didn't come to his pig roast) it's easy, just use Minute Tapioca and store-bought pie crust. I immediately bought those things, but didn't make my first pie until three days ago. I believe I had donated the tapioca to a women's shelter last year, thinking I would never ever use it. I'm not sure what they did with it, either.

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

Lunch
Burger
Salad, Romaine, Cabbage, Feta, Peppers, Balsamic

Snack
Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Flank Steak & Asparagus

Dessert
1 Piece of pie

I have been working on a new recipe for Flank Steak & Asparagus. The recipe in the book wasn't exactly what I wanted, so I did a little mix and match. Of course, that has its downside because you can never ever repeat it the same way twice.

Year 3, Day 112: More Pies

A warm overcast day that I joined Emily and some of her peers for a last-day of teaching celebration. In the middle of our burger & potato salad course, the rainstorm hit and no buns were safe. We were all forced inside. I had already eaten, but many a guest's lunch was rain-soaked. I had to change my t-shirt and wait while my other one dried. We moved into the basement (the main house was having its floors redone, so there was no place to go) and finished the party.

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

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 oz Boston LIte Popcorn

Lunch
4 Tostitos Salsa, Guacamole, Mango Salsa
Hamburger
Italian Sausage
Tomato, Onion

Dinner: Blue Ribbon
A little bit of Burnt Ends, Brisket
Salad

A little bit of strawberry-rhubarb pie. I am really getting the hang of the pie. Like anything, you just have to do it again and again and again and again. I am planning on making a pie for the card game. I'm not up to the lattice design yet, that will take work. Today a co-worker told me that if I didn't make my own crust I was falling short of the mark. Also, after the incident, tonight saw me getting back on the horse (or pig) of Blue Ribbon.

Year 3, Day 112: Another 100 almond day

You probably are not appreciating how easy it is to get to 100 almonds. I bet if you put 100 almonds, and you had something to do, on the computer, or a good book to read, or a TV show to watch, and you had the cup of almonds, you'd eat them in a snap. Like crazy. I mean, you wouldn't even bat an eyelash, that's how easy it is. One handful of almonds? Half a cup. 22 almonds is 170 calories. I mean, this is like having ice cream. They are so tiny and crunchy and yummy. I really just have to enter the nut halfway house.

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

Snack
4 Beef Jerky
1/2 lb ALmonds

Lunch: Russo's ($5.37)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner: Takaara
Sashimi PLatter
1/2 Salad

Dessert
a little bit of pie

In the midst of a pie revolution. Today it was another pie failure. I Must change ratio of tapioca. I will get it right, I promise. I am dedicated to the cause.

Year 3, Day 111: Spiral Out of Control

I can't really explain it, but I know the more you give in, the more you give in. Today it started with a half a banana with peanut butter. I shouldn't have eaten it, but I tried to get my kids to eat a banana—the fruit with the third highest sugar content—and they wouldn't do it. It's hard to know what to do with a banana. I've taken mostly to freezing them for smoothies, but you get to a breaking point where you think "I'M NOT GOING TO FREEZE ONE MORE G-DDAMN BANANA." Especially when your kids trick you into opening it up and they know they aren't going to eat it. I won't say which kid with the flowery name is permanently punished from Bananas, but you can guess.

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

PLUS
1/2 a banana topped with super chunky peanut butter

Snack
1 extra smokey
4 sticks beef jerky
.5 oz boston lite popcorn
most of an Orville Redenbacher Microwave popcorn bag
A few strawberries

Lunch: Russo's ($5.37)

Dinner: Oga Sushi
Green Salad
Edamame
Sashimi Plate (I hate Mackerel)

55 Whole Grain Goldfish

At Target, my kids were sort of trying to graze on everything and anything including toys and men's slacks. I ended up grabbing a new product of an end-cap display (!) that was Pepperidge Farm Goldfish made with Whole Grains. Now I am always both dubious and grateful that marketers try to make their previously unhealthy products better but the proof is always in the pudding, or in the case, the taste of the kids. I am happy to report that my kids did not spit them out as if their tongues were on fire, meaning they had at least enough a semblance to real (read: unhealthy) goldfish to pass. However, I tasted them and they tasted like old, flavorless oyster crackers. I suppose the cheese-taste was not coming through. In any case, looking on the 'Net I found that they had been introduced in 2005! How is it I just noticed them now? I also found someone selling a bag on Ebay where the expiration date was 7/07/07. He wanted $100 to buy it now. That guy is crackers.

Year 3, Day 110: Igby Goes Down

This tile has nothing to do with my day, I just liked it. Here I am, now in my second week of my new job, and things are going well. But there's a lot of pressure and it just seems like I am about to crack, for no reason whatsoever. I am experimenting with different snacks during the day (like Yogurt with Splenda) because I realize there's no way to break out my breakfast rut when strawberries are in season (even at their peak) and when I love it so.

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

Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Yogurt with Splenda
A few pieces of Teriyaki Jerky

Lunch: Chang Shin Yuan
Dumplings
Moo Shi Pork 3 Pancakes
Shrimp with Vegetables

Dinner
Cabbage/Romaine/Feta/Chicken/peppers/balsamic vinegar

Dessert
a tiny bite of a cookie at Panera

After dinner it was a beautiful night, and I had to pick up my suit for my trip to New York next week, so we went over to Panera and Jos. A. Banks, the mysteriously named clothier who can't stop changing his prices.

Year 3, Day 109: Ruby Goes to the Dentist

Went in late to work this AM, because we had to take Ruby to the dentist. She got a clean bill of health, and no cavities. She was brave, and I was so proud, I made sure we ate lots of candy for dessert.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.33)

Snacking Out of Control
2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
1 Pink Lady Apple
4 Sticks Beef Jerky

Dinner: Bernards
2 Teriyaki Beef
A few boneless spareribs
String Beans
Shrimp
2 Lettuce Leaves with Shrimp Soong
1 Strawberry

I'm never sure when Emily is going to want to go out to dinner with the kids. Sometimes it's when it's too hot. Sometimes it when it's too noisy (due to construction). But all the time it's on a day when I've been out of control. To top off it off, pineapple was brought after Emily left with the kids. I implored the staff of Bernards to take it away for another table, but the language barrier prevented this from happening. I left it untouched. I can only hope it was recycled.

Year 3, Day 108: Father's Day

For the seventh year in a row, no children of mine have woken me up and made me breakfast. I'm wondering if that is going to change in year eight. I hope they know not to bring me any carb-laden pancakes or anything. My present today was going to work out early in the morning, and then naturally, coming home and eating a lot of peanut butter.

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

Postworkout Snack
6 oz. Stonyfield Yogurt
Tablespoons of Peanut BUtter

Lunch;
2 hamburgers,
cole slaw
green salad with feta & balsamic

snack
split a newman's microwave popcorn with ruby

dinner
breast of chicken
spicy brisket
salad

dessert
a few cherries, a bite of pudding.

For Father's Day, food for thought

By John Burgess, Globe Staff | June 13, 2007
When it comes to eating, I have one good child and one bad child. Oh gosh; that sounds like labeling, doesn't it? "Bad," I hasten to tell you, actually stands for "battling appetite deficiency" (ceding that phony acronym was the only way daughter A would permit me to quote her for this story. And no, she's not anorexic; that's nothing I would joke about).

The good eater, M, was birthed, and as soon as she got over that first good cry, fell to sharing her mother's meal tray -- oven-fried chicken and Jell-O cubes. Well, perhaps memory exaggerates that instance, but I know that she was downing raw cherrystones at the age of 3. (Bad parenting, yes, but she survived, and at least we kept her off the Texas Pete.)
A, offered her first rice cereal at the age of 6 months, responded with her first word, if "ptooey" is a word. I am now sure that she intended this as no less than fair warning.

These memories are prompted in part by the approach of Father's Day. My first Father's Day I recall in a warm haze, mostly of sleep deprivation. But it also bears the glow of self-congratulation, as though I had actually produced the breast milk with which I bottle-fed A. And the blessedness of giving nourishment to an eager child.

This dad's day, the much wised-up parent of two teenagers, I look back to the bottle feedings and the 3,000 peanut butter sandwiches that followed. And ahead to -- well, I'm not sure; for some time now, the girls have remained a step or two ahead of me in their likes and dislikes. A, who once thrived on chicken nuggets, is now a functional vegetarian who only likes about three vegetables. (She voluntarily consumes a number of other vegetables but says, "It feels like such a waste of time.") M at one time loved both shrimp and mushrooms and now dislikes one or the other, or both, I can't remember. (Yes, more bad parenting.)
Recipe:
Vegetable soup
But even stumbling along far behind my progeny, this parent has learned a few things.
Maintain perspective. Ignore the food scolds. Pizza, for instance, is decent food -- bread, cheese, tomatoes. Throw some mushrooms on it and it sounds practically, well, Mediterranean. A serving of potato chips and a baked potato with a tablespoon of butter have just about the same amount of fat. Creme brulee is made with eggs.
If a good food clicks, use it and never complain, even if they want it meal after meal. Variety is an adult value. "Don't you want something besides broccoli?" -- Jeez, I never really said that, did I?
Peer pressure and pop culture have the force of catechism. If Gwen Stefani's next single is "I Get All Hot for Liver, Bacon, and Onions," the dish will sweep Teenage Nation. Unlikely. But the good thing is that no female star admits to eating anything but healthy food these days; their publicists make them. Jessica Alba has oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. Jessica Alba. Oatmeal. Fruit. Use this.
Texture trumps taste. Mouth feel is 90 percent of the sale, as all those diabolical food chemists know. So no pulp in the OJ, no blood in the meat ("Omigod, eew, Dad, eew!), no stewed tomatoes in the soup, no chickpeas in the salad, no discernible fat. Crisp is good, creamy is good, in-between mushy is bad. Polenta's a loser.
So is fish, usually. But again, look for the angles: Give a 13-year-old boy a super-crunchy nibble of grilled fresh sardine, hot and crispy from the fire, and he will soon be downing the crackling beasties head and all.
Please, no cooking "from the heart." Don't ever think that if you really put love and care into a meal, you're gonna hear: "Gosh, Dad, that was good -- and good for me, too." Suck it up, guys, we're here to do a job. The real-life testimony I most cherish is M's "Even on vacation, you make us eat salad." The golden moments are few, and tend to come mostly eating out. Not long ago, basking in the glamour of Petit Robert Bistro, M gratified me by dining with ladylike gusto not just on the frites and crème brulee, but also the potage of green cabbage and the roast chicken. And A? I think she was then on the Cape with her mom's parents (an indulgent Jewish grandma and a Mallomar addict -- more dubious characters in the caretaker mix; so sue us), probably with her face stuck in the fridge, squirting Reddi- wip into her gob.
I know what I'll be having for Father's Day brunch: pancakes, good ones, made by the girls. Though I like pancakes, I wouldn't mind something less sweet and decorous -- say, country ham and grits all mushed up with over-easy eggs, or blood-rare lamb chops I could gnaw to the bone. I know: "Eew, Dad, eew." But it's Father's Day, girls, and -- warning: more bad parenting -- you owe me.

Year 3, Day 107: You Have Kids, You Have Birthday Party Obligations

This morning I went to Magnolia's second birthday party (that she was invited to). It was a a depressing affair. Really nothing more than a 90 minute YMCA room rental. I bit my lip and tried to stay awake. Because of the nature of her pre-school, where some kids come on just two days, she didn't seem to know any of the kids that were there, and I assume that most of the kids were known from other avenues (like the neighborhood). There was a lot of family that we didn't know and they could not have been less interested in me. We were really like the fifth wheel, socially. I was also a social conversation killer.

SCENE:
TWO MEN LEANING ON A BOOKSHELF THAT SEPARATES TWO PLAY AREAS AT THE NEWTON YMCA.

FRIEND OF BIRTHDAY GIRL'S FAMILY:
It's weird- my father used to come to the gym here 40 years ago. Now I come to the gym here.

ME
Huh. I've never been here before in my life.

AWKWARD SILENCE, followed by irritating kids music. THE MAN looks off and walks away.

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

Lunch:
Salad with Scrambled Egg
1 heel of toast

Snack
1 oz Boston LIte Popcorn
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Diet Coke

Dinner
Flank Steak with Asparagus
Broccoli

When I got back to the house I had eat something quickly; the avoidance of a Party Favors cake at the previous birthday party was almost too much to bear. Then it was time to switch gears and for me to take Ruby down the street to a neighborhood party, which was the opposite of the YMCA party—an outside pool party held two neighbors who have multiple tattoos and piercings. Ruby knew the birthday girl and a few others from the neighborhood. They had a pool and a slip and slide. Ruby enjoyed herself, and had a hot dog, juice and some tortilla chips. Luckily, there were no sausages and I demurred when offered a 1:00pm beer, mumbling something ridiculous about how "I had no vices left." Later in the day we went to the pool, and I attempted to swim laps, but only did two, because it was very, very cold.

Year 3, Day 106: Friday at Work

Sick on almonds. I ate 50 at work then went home and had 50 more. Then ate chips. It's a breakdown, for sure.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.47)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Plain Yogurt with 1/2 pack Splenda
1 Fuji Apple
.5 oz Boston lite popcorn
100 Tamari Almonds

Dinner:
Chicken Thighs
Leeks

Desserts
30 Chocolate Chips

A lot of our anxiety comes from working at our current jobs and really dreaming of our future jobs. Nothing is public yet, and it's hard to keep it to myself. Of course, by the time you read this it will be public knowledge, but that's nearly 1000 almonds later.

Year 3, Day 105: Breakfast and Lunch, NY style

I had hoped to explore one of New York's great diners or wonderful baked-good places for breakfast. Sadly, our 8:30AM meeting meant this would not be possible. As it was I had to get up at 6:30 just to get the horrific hotel-prepared omelet. I ordered a bacon and cheese and I got a ham and cheese. Without a word, they brought me potatoes and white toast. I asked for Wheat, but when it came I determined that it was just a brown version of the white toast. I ate a couple of pieces of apples out of the fruit salad. Then my coworker and I trudged off to our meeting. When we got to the IAC office, I noted that they had a full complement of breakfast items including granola, cereal, yogurt, and fresh strawberries and bananas. I availed myself of a banana and made a mental note that next time I come if breakfast out is not a possibility, I will dine in.

Breakfast
Ham & Cheese Omelet
Apple Pieces
Coffee
1 Banana

Lunch: The Cookshop
2 slices of wheat bread
Mixed Greens with Olives, Raisins,
Chicken Breast
Plus a Chocolate Chip Cookie from the Cookie Plate

Dinner
Chicken Thighs a la Emily
Green Beans
Leeks

In a surprise move, my original lunch plans got squashed when we found we were able to have lunch with our new CEO. We went to the Cookshop in New York, and I ordered a salad that had raisins in it. Since my coworker and I were there at the behest of our brand-new superior, I didn't want to appear like the high-maintenance problematic food-orderer I am, lest I give the impression that I am not a kick-ass employee. One could fairly assume one from the other, don't you think? So instead of asking them to hold the raisins, I just ate them, along with two slices of whole grain bread. Our new boss ordered a 'cookie plate' for dessert. So as not to offend, or give the wrong impression, I ate one, politely, and hoped this cookie-eating was a good sign for my career.

Year 3, Day 104: Off to NY

In a big change up for my office, I head down to NY to discuss. I have gone to New York countless times for work in the past few years, but this is the first time I got that old 'buzzy' and 'zingy' feeling. We remain cautiously optimistic.

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

Lunch
Salad, Tuna, Feta, Balsamic, Red Peppers

Snack
Almonds

Train Snack
1 Fuji Apple
.5 Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Sushi Yasuda

I managed to eat as lightly as possible in preparation for eating at Sushi Yasuda. There really are no words. My coworker asked what to order. I said, "you just go with the flow, the chefs tell you what is good." I could tell he was not happy with that answer- he is a guy who likes to be in control of everything, especially his dinner. Yet when he got there he could tell that I was right- the chefs took us on a trip down the sushi river and it was fantastic. The fish is better than you get anywhere else. The texture and flavor of the tuna- the common sushi- was like nothing I've ever had before. The rice itself was moist and velvety-but still stuck together as sushi rice. I don't know why their sushi is unlike all other sushi I've ever had, but I know that it is. You should go try it. Now.

Year 3, Day 104: More Sore & Cereal Straws

Today, the throat was worse. I broke out the Chloraseptic® and drank tea. I continue to ask the divine why I am not one of those people who lose their appetite or when sick-- or ever. I suppose by this point in my life if I lost my appetite I would start to worry. But it would sure be helpful.

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

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

Snack
6 Pieces of Jerky
1 Extra Smokey
1.5 Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
2 Ribs
Red Snapper
String Beans
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

My jaw dropped when I saw this product. This blogger summed it up best:

Froot Loops Cereal Straws From The Impulsive Buy
June 24th, 2007 - Written by Ace

I must start by saying that I’ve never really liked Froot Loops. I was always more of a Trix guy growing up. I can’t say why, exactly. Maybe it was my sympathy for the Trix rabbit, or maybe it was because I never really understood the appeal of Toucan Sam. He was boring and dull, nothing like my buddy “Two-Can Sam” who earned his nickname through his method of drinking which led to alcohol poisoning. Perhaps I never really dug Froot Loops because my elementary school would feed me stale ones every morning.

It also could’ve even been the fact that my school district switched from milk cartons to milk bags in the mid nineties, forcing us to puncture the bags like savages. The milk went everywhere but in the bowl, causing me to dress the cereal with tears when the milk from the bag ran out. So maybe it was the horrible traumatization, but I can’t be sure. What I am sure of is that I no longer have to relive those memories, as Froot Loops now come in straw form.

“Straws…made of cereal? This is fucking AWESOME!”

What do you mean? That wasn’t what you were thinking? Okay, you’re probably right. On the list of “things nobody asked for, but we’re going to give you anyways,” cereal straws has to rank in the top five. On that basis alone, it was worthy of an impulsive buy. I need to drink more milk, anyways. I haven’t grown in years and the commercials say it helps prevent osteoporosis in women. I’m not sure if I need that second part, but you can never be too sure.

Upon perforating one of the two packages, the perfume of fake fruit and powdered milk permeated the air and tempted the taste buds (try to say that without sounding like Daffy Duck, I dare you). There’s something about unabashedly artificial flavoring that’s both charming and nostalgic…sexual, even. Alright, maybe not sexual, but something pleasant nonetheless. The straws were thinner than what the box indicated, looking more like real straws than giant-sized novelty pens. They are lined in the middle with that sickly sweet powdered milk that seems to be popping up in granola and cereal bars everywhere. Someone needs to tell these guys that it does NOT replace milk and that we can all tell it’s just sweetened coffee creamer. Fortunately, the flavor of that is masked by the Froot Loop shell.

The straws themselves are rather sturdy and hold up well to milk. They last a long time without getting soggy and do actually work as straws. They basically taste like Froot Loops, which is all you could realistically hope for. Sadly, the cereal straws live in a paradoxical existence; humans cannot eat and drink at the same time. Well…I guess soup makes us do that, but let’s ignore that for a second.

Once you take a single bite of the cereal straw, it becomes too short for drinking and the fun immediately dissipates. If you just sit there and drink the milk, you’ll just be wasting the straw as it imparts no flavor and is generally useless. Once you get to the bottom, you realize you have a half-soggy cereal straw with no milk to wash it down with.

God damn, it’s like a snake eating its own tail!

Alas, cereal straws are apparently too cool for the laws of this universe and exist only as fun, yet impractical novelties.

Item: Froot Loops Cereal Straws
Price: $2.00
Purchased at: Wal-Mart
Rating: 3 out of 5
Pros: Froot Loops flavor and fragrance. Snackable without milk. Actually works as a straw. My buddy “Two-Can Sam.”
Cons: Ridiculously pointless. Extremely artificial taste. Alcohol poisoning. Daffy Duck’s speech impediment. Can’t drink and eat at same time.

Year 3, Day 103: Sore Throat

I fear that a mosquito riddled with EEE has bitten me. For no reason whatsoever, I developed a sore throat in the middle of Ruby's soccer game. Despite all this, I decide to continue with my eating day as normal, well..as almost normal.

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

Also some frosting
some peanut butter

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
50 Tamari Almonds
1.5 Apples

Lunch: Russo's ($5.25)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner:
Feta-Broccoli-Hamburger
Asparagus
Broccoli

Because I couldn't keep the banana muffins around the house, I thought I would bring them into the office. However, I thought they might be too old (since they were made on Saturday). So I whipped up some frosting and added it to them so it would be extra yummy. However, all that got me was yummy frosting on top of old banana muffins. A very mixed bag; I'll have to work harder on my next baked goods offering. If my workmates have memories; they'll be right to be suspicious of me.

Year 3, Day 102: Horsing Around

I was determined to get back on the horse today, and I hit the gym. While I only hit the six mile mark in 66 minutes, I did burn 800 calories. Then I did 100 ab crunches, and 30 squat thrusts.

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

Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Yogurts
Tablespoons of Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Lunch: Fuji Steakhouse
Sashimi PLate

Dinner
Flank Steak & Asparagus
Broccoli

For some unknown reason, I felt compelled to make rice crispy treats for the kids. Naturally, I ate a little bit of them. We made them with Whole Foods rice crispies, all natural marshmallows and unsweetened butter. But something was missing. I have to try it again with all non-natural stuff and see if it makes a difference. I may be taking this organic/natural thing too far. Maybe you shouldn't try to make the bad stuff good for you.

Year 3, Day 101: Could it be the vitamins?

Have not been feeling 100% lately, and it could be a number of things, but I don't know what. I suspect it had something to do with switching vitamins, so today I got a new kind from Whole Foods, natch, instead of the Centrum brand. Before I was taking the One-a-Day brand which I liked, and wasn't that hard to take. While I can't point to feeling any better, it certainly didn't hurt. But the Centrum brand I bought was not 'for men', is hard to swallow and has resulted in less-than-great feelings and being hungrier and eating more. Again, there is a lot that could be causing that but for now I'm switching. I'll check in again in a few weeks and see if it makes a difference.

Breakfast
1.5 Banana Bran Muffins
Coffee

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1/2 Microwave Popcorn
.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Lunch;
Cabbage, Romaine, Feta, Tuna

Dinner:
Pecan-Encrusted Trout
Asparagus

Dessert
Two bites of Magnolia's Chocolate Sherbet Pop
About 25 Chocolate Chips
About 15 Banana Chips

Can't wait for the gym. After collecting a lot of black bananas I found a recipe that sounded good, and was good- it was from a Breakfast book I had collected years ago. Ruby and I made them before breakfast this morning. The muffins were perfect (if a tiny bit unsweet) but I really enjoyed them, and so did Ruby, Emily and less so, Magnolia. After I had eaten most of one muffin I was considering what I would eat for breakfast, when I realized- @(#*&A that that muffin WAS my breakfast. You can't eat a banana muffin and then eat some other 500 calorie thing. I did eat the rest of Ruby's left over, which I estimated at about half .

Year 3, Day 100: We Celebrate and Eat Too Much Again

It's official-we will be making a move from our current company to the parent company. We are excited like all get out. It's not for a month now, but we are happy. Due to circumstances of people's vacations, there are only three of us in the office. In advance celebration, three of us went out to a grand Chinese food lunch at Victoria's Seafood in Allston. Hard to believe, and even harder to understand if you don't live here, but Victoria's Seafood made Chang Shin Yuan seem like Dragon Chef.

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

Snack
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 Pink Lady Apple
Some Tamari Almonds, Cashews & Almonds

Lunch: Victoria's Seafood
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Deep Fried Crabs
Shrimp & Scallops with Green Beans
Steamed Tilapia

Dinner
Steak
Cauliflower

Of course the 'eating as celebrating' is not generally a good thing for me, however some moments in time call for commemoration, and the commemoration opportunities among colleagues are few. When forced to be spontaneous, they are even fewer, but I will certainly remember that lunch for a long time to come.

Year 3, Day 99: A Paean to Strawberries

I must confess that I love my breakfast, and so the fact that I am in a breakfast rut has stopped bothering me. Local strawberries (that appear in plywood-like containers, as opposed to the green, egg-type containers that feature California strawberries [bad] or the even worse, the plastic containers by Driscoll [evil]) are so perfect- so sweet and sour; so firm but tender, so delicious but low in carbs. Part of the ritual in the morning I have come to love is the selecting and slicing of strawberries for my breakfast. I am probably overdoing it- eating almost a whole cup of strawberries in each bowl of cereal. Though even a whole cup (152 g) is only 49 calories, 12g of carbs and 7g of sugar. It has zero fat and 3grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of protein. I'm not even thinking about how I will get by when the season is over. I can't.

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

Lunch: Fordee's
Greek Salad with Chicken
Oil & Vinegar

Snack
1 Pink Lady Apple
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
50 Banana Chips

Dinner
Hamburger
String Beans
Cabbage, Feta & Balsamic Salad

Today we ventured out to a new place, Fordee's which used to be a glass-cased counter refrigerator passing as a sandwich shop. I really demand more in a sandwich shop than just the display of your Boar's Head wrapped deli meats. Does that do it for some people? Really. But now they've come under new ownership, added seating, and turned into a pretty nice place. It's in a part of Watertown called "Little Armenia" but don't get a romantic notion- it's just a few shops and restaurants filled with nice Armenian folk. We stopped in a little market and I picked up a package of banana chips, which I thought were just dried bananas (oh, when will I learn!) but they are actually cured with oil and sugar, and so even worse for you than just a banana with its 14grams of sugar (for a medium). Of course most of these little shops don't feature products with nutrition labels on them. So before I was any the wiser, I was half done with the package. Drat.

Year 3, Day 98: That's Lice

More nuts, more lice, more anxiety. One day, I will explain everything. For now, let's just say we can't rid of lice, anxiety, or nuts, and let that be that for now.

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

Snack
4 sticks beef jerky
1.5 oz boston lite popcorn
50 tamari almonds

lunch: russo's $5.41
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

dinner:
tuna-cabbage-feta salad
2 oz moo shi pork
a few bites of chopped cauliflower

Just two of us today, and a much needed, very very fast walk.

Year 3, Day 97: OOps I did it again

Continued anxiety over pending change, both real and imagined sends me to the loose almonds and other snacks. Though it is familiar to most, I can only describe it as a feeling of 'letting go' somewhere deep inside you. Somewhere in you there is a voice that says "I am going to allow you to feed the nut monster." It's sub-transient. For me there is little difference between stepping on the elevator and how far you down you get, floor-wise. Once you get on the nut elevator, it's over. I know for most people it's ice cream, chocolate, liquor, but slowly I've removed a lot of vices in my life, and at this point to paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, "it's just the three of us: you, me and all that stuff we're so scared of." Oh, and of course, the nuts.

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

Snack
4 sticks beef jerky
1 apple
almonds, to taste
.5 oz Boston Lite popcorn
12 oz decaf coffee

lunch: russo's $5.74
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini


dinner: Chun Ying Shun
Shredded Pork with String Beans
Mooshi Pork
Chun King Pork
Boneless Spareribs

It never fails that a day when I've eaten too much (of one thing or another) is the day Emily surprises me by asking for Chinese food for 'special. Of course, you don't have to ask me twice for Chang Shin Yuan. I also have learned not to bring anything home but the big winners, all listed above.

Year 3, Day 96: 100 Days of Vitamins

If it's Monday, it's must be NUT DAY. Again, I hit the tamari almonds hard. Really, the only way to eat them responsibly is not buy them at all. I think I have proven beyond a doubt that I am a nutaholic. Since no one will stop me, it will ultimately be my responsibility to stop myself. Now if only Russo's would stop selling them...

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.74)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
4 beef jerky
50 Tamari Almonds
1 Cameo Apple

Dinner
Turkey Crumble
with Cabbage Wraps
Cabbage Salad
Cauliflower

So today I have been taking a multi-vitamin for 100 days. I really can't point to feeling any better. I can't really point to being any less under the weather. Less tired? No. When I started this diet, getting rid of the white stuff made me feel so great. Almost immediately I felt I had more energy. I was less tired, didn't crash, stopped getting headaches. Maybe I am so nearly health-optimized that I can't see a tangible difference? Maybe vitamins are a scam? Everyone I know that takes vitamins does so with a shrug—like 'it's not doing me any harm.' I guess I am joinging them for that ride.

Year 3, Day 95: Continuing my Search for Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

It may seem odd or even self-destructive that I yearn to perfect the art of making chocolate chip cookies. Not sure why I feel so compelled. Of course, I used to collect records and Beatles memorabilia so I suppose I have always had the element a detective or searcher in me. For about five years in the late 80s and 90s I was obsessed with making the perfect Caesar salad. Both these things have something in common—they have relatively few ingredients; there is little room to make them badly; it's like you're riding a razor-line to success with moats of failure on both sides. Last week I fell soundly into the moats with my cookies. I followed the Neiman-Marcus recipe and failed miserably. But I think I know why: I used "Frookie" brown sugar from Whole Foods; and perhaps unwisely, I used unbleached, whole wheat flour. This week I used the Silver Palate recipe with Domino light brown sugar and pastry flour. The results: 100% improved. I did however fail to chill the cookie dough or grease the cookie sheet, resulting in a tray full of non-delineated cookies that adhered cruelly, and somehow unpredictably crisp-ily to the cookie sheet.

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

Snack
Cookies

Lunch (at Carmen's)
My Salad
2 Hamburgers
1 Chocolate Chip Cookie

Post Workout Snack
6 oz. Stonyfield Plain Yogurt
3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

Dinner
Turkey Crumble (Robert & Emily combined)
Lettuce Leaves

Dessert
More Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the continued grip of the Chocolate Cookie disease.

Did a great workout today; 7 miles in 65 minutes; followed by 100 ab crunches and 20 squat thrusts. Saw bluestars, but did not seek professional help. Then I chased Ruby all over the soccer field. Later, I ate a lot of cookies. Overall, probably did not justify my caloric intake visa-vis cookies with my exercise. C'est la vie.

Year 3, Day 94: 4 Laps to Nowhere

Totally out of control with the nuts. The tamari nuts are impossible to eat, literally, impossible. You have a handful; you count them out. You put them away. You close the cabinet. Then you finish what you had. Then, you think- hmmm, those were good. Those were VERY good. Then, you think. I should like some more. I should have some more. I WILL have some more. Then you say No, I don't need anymore. Then you think, they're just tiny little nuts! Then you open the cabinet. Reach in. Take them out from the back. Open the container. Take out a handful. Try and eat them slowly. Rinse. Repeat. Go out of your mind.

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

Then...
2 Handfuls of Whole Foods Frosted Flakes
2 Handfuls of Heritage Flakes
2 Handfuls of Kashi
Crusts of Magnolia's Buttered Bread (tiny bit of Peanut butter)
Coffee

Lunch;
Salad
Breast of Chicken

Snacks
Tamari Almonds
.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
Cashews & Almonds

Dinner(Blech)
4 Trader Joe's Meatballs
2 Bell & Evan Chicken Nuggets
Leeks
Edamame

We went swimming today but I didn't get to do much in the way of actual swimming. As soon as we got to the pool, literally, five minutes or so, there was lighting and they made everyone get of the pool. I couldn't have us have gotten all dressed up with nowhere to go, so Ruby and immediately high-tailed it to the indoor pool. Of course, there the problem is that you are required to wear a swim cap (men and women- for what reason I don't know). I did swim 4 laps, but I was breathing so hard I had to stop. I eventually took off my swim cap so some other parents with the same idea, but no swim cap, could go in the water with their children. When we got home it was a "make what is so deep inside your freezer you don't remember when you bought it" dinner. The kids were understandably unenthusiastic. Must go shopping tomorrow.

Year 3, Day 93: A Big Announcement

Today we learned that as a company, we are changing directions. I can't give details but it was very exciting news. More as it becomes public. We went for a fast walk to celebrate.

Breakfast
2 Slices Balthazar Bread
Peanut Butter
Coffee
2 Cherries

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 Cameo Apple
1 Bag (3.5) Of Con Agra Microwave Popcorn

Lunch: Russo's ($5.81)
Romaine, red pepper, red onion, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner
Hamburger
Salad
Cauliflower

I really should stop eating the ConAgra products. I don't support them in any way, and anyone who finds a way to make popcorn bad for the American people (aside from the Movie Theatre chains of America) should be tarred and feathered. Yet, there it is, so available, and so easy, just like all the other processed food in the world. Damn!