Year 3, Day 175: Vineyard, Day Two

Of course, I bought a lot of Quebec strawberries, Michigan blueberries and regular old South American bananas so I could continue to have the same exact breakfast every day while I was on the vineyard. In addition to Whole Foods and Russo's, we went to Costco prior to arriving and I got some 'healthy snacks.' They of course, like the Dale & Thomas Popcorn are somewhat high in fat but I continue to delude myself and eat them, and the calories just keep coming. We have rented a house with a pool, which is good for the kids (they love the pool) and good for us(we don't have to go anywhere) but it also PREVENTS us from going anywhere which would be good, because then it would be away from all the food!

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

2nd breakfast
1 slice of balthazar bread with super chunky peanut butter

Snackzapolaooz
1 stick beef jerky
cashews & almonds
some fruit & nut chew
a few bites of popcorn at Mini Golf

lunch:
hamburger (I made it on the grill)
salad

dinner
tilapia, salmon and chicken
string beans
salad
1 glass of red wine

peach crisp

We discovered that the basket of peaches I got from Russo's was full of unripe peaches, so I did what anyone would do: I made a peach crisp. I am incorrigible. I immediately brought it over to my sister-in-laws rented house where all of her family looked at me as if I had created a monstrously deformed DNA experiment. I left it there, and my brother-in-law apparently fell in love with it to the point where his wife had to forcibly remove it from the house, and then Emily had to hide it our house.

Year 3, Day 174: Vineyard, Day One

Got up at 6:30am after a fitful night. I knew we had to bail out of our house by 8:30am to make it to the ferry and I was afraid that the Saturday AM Bourne Bridge would give us the fidgets. Luckily, it was not a problem and we arrived at 9:55, earlier than expected but not early enough to get the earlier ferry, which as luck would have it, was the nice 'big ferry.' The seas were rough and the waves high, so I was not hopeful about a smooth trip when I saw OUR 11:00am ferry, something out of the movie "Used Cars" but only tug-boat sized. We got on excitedly, but Emily turned green rather quickly and had to repair to the car (on the ferry)

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

Pre-ferry Snack
4 pieces of beef jerky

Post arrival, pre lunch
Cashews, Almonds

Lunch:
Romaine, Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Feta, Balsamic, Tuna

Fruit & Nut Crunch

Dinner
Hamburger
2 Ears of Corn
More Lettuce with Balsamic
A Few Asparagus
1 square of 65% Dark chocolate
glass of wine

Emily got us this house, which was amazingly on the same road as the house her sister her family stay at. It was a very large house, whose space is laid out somewhat poorly, but it HAD A POOL. Now the truth is, you could really rent a house anywhere with a pool, and that would be a great vacation for kids. But being on MV made it good for the adults too, since it was quiet and peaceful and allowed us to get away from the weeks of construction that we had already endured, and that we were likely to endure upon our return to Needham. We had hundreds of dollars of groceries that I made a mental note to force my family to eat so we would not have to drag them back off the island. We went on a bike trip today which I counted as a victory for my calorie count.

Year 3, Day 173: Biggest Russo's Take Ever

I took the day off to get ready for our trip to the vineyard. Aside from working out (5 miles in 45 minutes, 100 ab crunches) Emily and decided to do a power shop at Russo's. (Amazingly, I did not get a salad from there, due to the timing).

Our take $138.00-- we got everything we could think of that was a plant, fruit or nut (including two batches of Quebec strawberries). I was heartened also to see local blueberries, especially since the day before they had only California Strawberries (with no labels but marked 'fresh') and blueberries from Michigan (are they known for their excellent blueberries?) Amazingly, there is (but only if you believe the state of Michigan). Amazingly, they own the URL blueberries.com. From their site:

There's nothing more basic than blueberries. A staple of our early ancestors, they're as much a part of our heritage as country quilts and wood-burning stoves. In addition to their visual appeal, intense blue color and sweet delectable flavor, blueberries are a healthy and convenient food. Luscious, sweet blueberries have a nutrition profile fit for the new millennium. They're low in fat, sodium free and a good source of both fiber and vitamin C. In fact, a one cup serving of fresh blueberries will give you five grams of fiber - more than most fruits and vegetables - and 15% of your daily vitamin C at a cost of only 80 calories.

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

Lunch
Salad with Grilled Chicken
Cabbage Feta
Balsamic

Postwork Out, Post Lunch Snack
3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (Super Chunky)

Snack
3-way split of Microwave Popcorn with Magnolia and Ruby

Dinner
Salmon with Garlic Butter
Raw Cauliflower

Tonight was about the dreaded 'eating what's in the fridge.' If there's a phrase known to send shivers up the spine of any married man (aside from "My mother's coming to stay- for a while") it's that. This involved eating some fish standing up because we were trying to get kids ready for bed, stuff packed for seven days away and you know the song.

Year 3, Day 172: Tennis Loss

Last day of work for eleven days! I can hardly wait. Today Emily and I played tennis. My shoulder and neck have been aching form working on computer plus sleeping wrong. I lost 5-7, and 3-6. Afterwards, We went to Isabella's wearing sweat clothes and we craned our sore necks so we could stare, tounges-a-wagging at someone who was demonstrating their new iPhone. On our way out we asked to touch it. The woman who owned it obliged. We were super-amazed by its coolness, and tried to remain unfazed, but we honestly, we acted quite goofy, like we'd never seen a fancy gadget before.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.26)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
3 slices ham
2 sticks jerky
4 oz Buffalo Blue Cheese Popcorn

Dinner: Isabella's
Mixed Green Salad
Salmon with String Beans and Pea Vines
Crab-Avacado Salad

Getting ready for vineyard. In a fit of pique, I ordered a tremendous vat of buffalo-wing and blue cheese popcorn from Dale & Thomas. It cost like $50.00 and it's amazingly high in fat. I might as well have chocolate for breakfast lunch and dinner. Well, I saw it on 'unwrapped' on the Food Network and I thought it was health food. So much for believing everything you see on TV.

Year 3, Day 171: No Walk But Yes to Russo's

A 1:00pm meeting meant no walk, but I did go to Russo's. Had to drive there. Fretting about the constant deployment of white plastic, oil-based bags and so have garnered some 'honey' bags from Whole Foods. However, I keep forgetting to bring them, so it is doubly-useless.

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


Snack
3 Slices of Ham
2 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 Apple
4 oz. Dale and Thomas Hot Wing Popcorn

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


Dinner:
More Salad, with Bread & Circus TUna

Dessert
Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chips

Started thinking about all I have to and Martha's Vineyard and my father's surgery and my step brother's wedding, it drove me right over the edge to the chips. Then the popcorn arrived.

Year 3, Day 170: Another Fine Walk

The Dog Days of August are usually unbearably hot and sticky, and days that you wish you had a corporate job so you could stay inside the cool air conditioning. Due to the climate crisis we have had temperatures in the 70s this week. Luckily, they'll go up a bit next week, touching on the 80s, but from the wrong side to really enjoy the beach. Though it's perfect walking weather.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($6.09)- Not paying attention
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
2.6 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
five sticks jerky

Dinner:
Flank Steak & Asparagus

Dessert
An Apple

Still counting down the days to Martha's Vineyard.

Year 3, Day 169: Vineyard in T Minus 4

I have been working hard and getting ready for vacation. It's been hard to track down good strawberries, but the Canadians have been coming through for me. Unfortunately, they only have them at Russo's when I walk there, necessitating I carry them home while sweating with my salad. I ate quite a few on the drive home, too.

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

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

Snack
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
2.6 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner:
Hamburger
Pickles
Asparagus

Went for a brisk walk today. On the way back we noted that there was a police investigation in progress. No doubt looking for perps. Should I start worrying about this walking thing?

Year 3, Day 168: No Sunday Workout

Spent $300 at Whole Foods. That's a record even for me, though probably not anywhere close for the store. We realized we really had to get to ready to go away. I wasn't sure I would have another no-pressure time there. So I took my time and thought really hard about what I needed. And yes, of course, the answer was: A LOT OF NUTS.


Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee
+ crusts of a slice of Balthazar rye bread with butter

Lunch
BBQ pulled chicken
salad

Dinner at Neighbor's:
2 Chicago style sausage with cheese
1 Omaha-Steak-Hambuger
Peppadews
2 tortilla chips
1,5 ears of corn
a few carrots with hummus
2 Bubbie's Pickles

Dessert
1 slice of crisp

Made two pies with my not-ready-for-primetime-fruit: old blueberries, cherries about to go bad, a peach I almost threw away, a soft nectarine and a plum Magnolia took a bite of in Whole Foods. One was a pie, one was a crisp. THey were a hit. The pie disappeared quickly, and half the crisp was left over.

Year 3, Day 167: Bedeviling Coffee Cake

My baking odyssey continues. I have no expanded into coffee cake and have had to procure a bunt pan to make it correctly. I have nailed the butter crumb topping but the crumby-cake part is still eluding me. To use sour cream or not? Yeasty, springy thing or light-crumb quick bread? I'm obsessed. Luckily one of my neighbors loves coffee cake so I continue to send the majority over to them.

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

Coffee Cake

Lunch:
Breast of Rotisserie Chicken
Salad

PostTennis Snack
6 oz Stonyfield Yogurt (Plain)
Super chunky peanut butter

Dinner: Zaftig's

Lenox Omelet (FIre Roasted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese & CHives)
Side Salad with Balsamic VIngarette

Tonight Aileen (original SoBe partner) was in town for a visit so we schlepped the whole family to the old stomping grounds of Brookline. While the gals went shopping, me Ruby and Magnolia played at the Devotion school and I imagined what it would have been like to have kids while I lived in Brookline. I supposed it would have been nice, but there would have been less parking, more bugs and a lot more train-chasing.

Year 3, Day 165: The Costcoization of America

I just can't help but think everywhere I go the nation is succumbing to "Costco-ization." Specifically: everybody is buying too much of everything because it's cheaper in bulk; there's nobody to help you, and you have no idea what you're buying. Every store is more and more the same. And then there's Nordstrom. But I digress.

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

Snack
Orville Redebacher Bag of Popcorn
30 Almonds
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
4 Sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Aegean Fare
Greek Salad with Chicken
Saginkoka

Dinner
Salad
Brisket

Took the staff out to lunch today. Was nice. I ordered the saginkoka, which is a Greek cheese served melted in a bowl. It's yummy.

Year 3, Day 165: Cramps

Went for a walk today and boy was it hot. We were schvitzing like stuck pigs when we got back. Spent under$5. on my salads at Russo's today, so I was feeling kind of keen. I had a real jazz apple for snack but I did also eat 50 almonds. I knew with my fast walk and tennis tonight it would be OK. I guess I've gotten to that place where a little bit of being bad is OK.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($4.94)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Added Tofu

Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
50 Almonds
1 Jazz Apple

Dinner: Paparazzi
Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese
Grilled Boneless Breast of Chicken
SPinach
Broccoli

After
1 Glass of Watered-down gatorade

Emily and I were entering our second hour of tennis play she took the first set, 6-4, after leading 3-2 and then I pulled ahead. Drats! In the second set she was about to serve at 3-2 when I felt the familiar rumblings in my calf. We took a break and called Amy; she yelled at me for not having orthotics, said she didn't want to be liable for a decision and said to get some gatorade. We got off the court, grumbling.

Year 3, Day 164: Bad Snacks Ruin Afternoon

First of all, stay away from the almonds. Secondly, I have taken to eating my popcorn in a bowl. I know, that's how families have eaten it for centuries, but I was literally eating it off my legal pad. That's not very couth. Unfortunately, I added a second bag which was totally stale to my fresh popcorn, therefore ruining all. To save my snacks I turned to my Jazz apples but realized that I either bought the wrong apples (they were Braeburn) or Russo's played a trick on me. I tried one, but it was powdery and slightly mealy. After two bites and a philosophical argument with myself about whether or not to eat an apple whether you enjoy it or not, I chucked it and got another one-- it was also a Braeburn! Drat. For solace, I turned to the almonds, and you know how that goes.

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

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

Snack
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
50 ALmonds
1/2 Braeburn Apple
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner:
Arctic Char
Bok Choy
Wonder Beans

Dessert
A few chocolate squares (Milk, natch)

Sometimes you just have to come home, and after a healthy dinner, eat a lot of chocolate.

Year 3, Day 163: My New Web Site-Unhappy Parent (& Gino Vanelli)

Unhappy Parent.com: Rate restaurants in number of flies (five flies is a must avoid). Papa Gino's wins the coveted five-fly award for having a number of employees who carefully avoid any and all contact with the impatient, justifyingly frustrated, and downright miserable folk that have the misfortune to arrive there, hungry. I called my order in at 5:50 and 6:25 it still wasn't ready. The manager was not managing, he was making pizzas. The counter boy could hardly run the register because he fielding a personal call for a female employee that appeared to be on a break. Another female employee had her back turned squarely to the ever-growing line of angry and hungry people.

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

Lunch: Chang Shin Yaun
Pea Shoots
Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce
Beef with Assorted Vegetables

Snack
3 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
7 oz Turkey

Dinner
Cheese from one slice of Pappa Gino's Pizza
Chili Con Carne
Salad

When I went to write about Papa Gino's, I accidentally typed Pappaginos and for some reason a page of links leading me to the Ebay section featuring Gino Vanelli ("Living Inside Myself") was revealed. Ah, the ever-unknowable and unwinding mysteries of the Internet.

Year 3, Day 162: Bad Day, Saved by Tennis

Today was just another typical 100-almond day that was going nowhere fast. I have been having trouble with the almonds because writing makes me want to do something with my mouth; chewing gum and eating jerky only go so far. I also ate all my popcorn. Things got worse when I got home and Ruby told me she was having 'chocolate' for dessert. "What chocolate?" I asked. "The bar" she said. I asked Emily what that was, and discovered a humongous Hershey's bar in the cabinet. "How much does she get?" I asked Emily. "Four Squares" she answered. Unfortunately for me, the four squares on top of Ruby's were cut in half, and you know the rule- you have to eat those, you can't just leave them there, all cut in half. Then I remembered I had recently purchased Consumer Report's best dark chocolate and I said "Ruby, do you want to try some really good dark chocolate?' She said yes. I told her that dark chocolate was better for you than regular milk chocolate. She was eating some and then asked me "What's in dark chocolate that makes it better for you?" I replied, thinking I was about to kick a soccer ball into an unguarded net "It's not what it's IN it, but what's NOT in it-- Milk." She paused for a moment and then said. "I thought you said milk was good for you." I replied "It is, but it's sugar and milk. Now don't be so smart." I gave Magnolia a piece of dark chocolate and just told her it was chocolate. I tried a piece of chocolate halavah I got at an Armenian store in Watertown. It wasn't very good, and being five days old, I tossed it.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($4.70)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
6 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% jalapeno cheddar
3 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
100 ALmonds (Tamari & Regular)

Dinner:
Turkey Crumble & Lettuce LEaves

Dessert
Assorted Lite, Dark Chocolates, Chocolate Halavah

Then Emily suggested we play tennis at night, which I said yes to automatically, For the first time in years, I took the first set and she took the second set. 6-3, 4-6. I could have taken in her that second set, but it was not to be.

Year 3, Day 161: Today's Triathalon

Today I woke up determined to make my streusel recipe. Because the best part of the coffee cake is the nut/sugar topping, I put some in the middle of the cake too. Ruby ate an entire piece in three seconds and handed me a few whole pecans declaring "I don't like nuts". After my workout I met my family at the pool, where I swum one lap and most oversaw the children. I only did 6.3 miles in 65 minutes and 100 ab crunches.

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

Lunch
Salad
A few bites of Pool Hamburger

Dinner
Some (but not a whole) Chicken breast
salad
1 full ear of corn
10 almonds

Emily brought me lunch by the pool, which was a nice treat, though I do hate to eat outside when it's hot.

Year 3, Day 160: Primos Via the Bubbling Brook

For the first time since I started the diet, and only time I can remember when I have not been sick, I was not hungry when I woke up this morning. So I did the only natural thing: I didn't eat. It took about two hours until I was ready. Then we didn't have lunch until nearly 2pm-- and dinner at 7pm. Not surprisingly, there were no snacks today, which again, excepting sickness, is the only time I can ever remember that happening.

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

Lunch
Tilapia a la Em
Salad with Feta & Almonds

Dinner: Primo's
Mixed Field Greens with Balsamic
Pollo Espinche

Emily, my niece and the kids wanted to go to the Bubbling Brook for dinner. Since it's in Westwood, we decided to find a nice restaurant down there we could go to en route. We figured if all the places were bad along the way we'd just eat there. It's a Howard Johnson type place, hamburgers and fried clams. As it turned out, the last place we visited before that plan took place was Primo's-- an Italian restaurant that absolutely had not one visitor. We practically surprised the staff who claimed the absence of ANY patrons was simply "Westwood in August." The chicken was dipped in egg and fried- not advertised on the menu- but the food was good. Then we went for ice cream, which I wisely demurred.

Year 3, Day 159: Chung Shin Yuan at Home

From the South Beach Newsletter: Dairy 101

It's easy to shop for dairy on the South Beach Diet® once you know a few basic guidelines. The South Beach Diet® recommends choosing low-fat and fat-free dairy products, which are low in artery-clogging saturated fats. In Phase 1, dairy options include low-fat (1 percent) or fat-free (skim) milk and low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt. (Feel free to flavor your yogurt with a sugar substitute and an extract of your choice, like vanilla extract.)

Beginning in Phase 2, you can also choose an artificially sweetened, no-sugar-added, low-fat or fat-free yogurt. You may also substitute low-fat plain or artificially sweetened soy milk (though unsweetened is better-Ed.) for dairy products in all Phases. Low-fat or fat-free, lactose-free milk is also fine in all Phases.

It's also worth noting that cheese is considered a protein on the South Beach Diet®. (Yay!-Ed.) To control your saturated fat intake, look for cheeses with 6 grams of fat or less per ounce. While there is no serving limitation for cheese, some people report stalled weight loss from eating too much. If you're experiencing this, cut back on your cheese consumption. (Drat.-Ed.)

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

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

Snack
4 sticks beef jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 Jazz Apple

Poker/Dinner
Pistachios
Cashew & Almonds
Popcorn
1 Frito Corn Chip

Chinese:
3 Moo Shi Pork
Kung Pao Chicken
Mongolian Shrimp
String Beans with Beef & Garlic
Boneless Spareribs
Beef Teriyaki
Double Cooked Pork

A few bites of pie
1 beer

Went crazy with the Chinese food. As always, I order too much and then try to make up for it by eating too much. And dessert didn't help.

Year 3, Day 158: Do Diet Foods Lead to Weight Gain?

Do Diet Foods Lead to Weight Gain?
By Alice Park
Time Magazine
Wednesday, Aug. 08, 2007

If you think you're cutting calories by eating diet or low-calorie versions of your favorite foods, think again. A new study by Canadian scientists published in the journal Obesity suggests that our bodies can't be fooled that easily.

Led by David Pierce, researchers at the University of Alberta studied the eating habits of young rats, and found that they tended to overeat when they were fed "diet" foods. Though the new study was conducted in animals, it adds to a growing body of research in humans that suggests a diet-foods paradox: the more low-calorie (or even zero-calorie) sodas and foods you consume, the more your body demands payback for the calories it was deprived.

Pierce and his team started with the assumption that animals, and young animals in particular, are adapted to crave high-calorie foods that are packed with fat and carbohydrates, the crucial biological fuel that rapidly growing juveniles need. Using classic Pavlovian conditioning techniques, Pierce trained his rats to associate low-calorie foods with a "diet" taste, and high-calorie foods with a different taste. So, when the rats were fed a high-calorie food that had been flavored with the diet taste, their brains assumed that their bodies were running low on calories. These animals then overate at their next meal in an effort to refuel and make up for the lost energy. "Animals have the ability to sense the caloric value of food they take in," says Pierce. "We found out that an animal can learn to use flavors to predict calories in an attempt to achieve energy balance."

This same phenomenon could explain similar results in recent studies of dieters, says Pierce. Two years ago, scientists at the University of Texas reported in an eight-year study that for every can of diet soda that a person drank, he raised his risk of being overweight by 41%, compared to a 30% increase in drinkers of regular, sugared drinks. Earlier this year, another study of diet-soda drinkers came to a similar conclusion, this time about metabolic syndrome, the dangerous constellation of risk factors, such as obesity, high cholesterol and insulin resistance, that increases the likelihood of heart disease. In this report, part of the 60-year-old Framingham Heart Study, researchers found that soda drinkers, regardless of whether they consumed diet or regular beverages, had a 48% higher risk of metabolic syndrome than non-soda drinkers.

At the time, even the study authors conceded that it was impossible to implicate diet drinks completely, since it's possible that those who drank low-calorie beverages were already overweight or at higher risk of metabolic syndrome, and chose the diet drinks in an effort to get healthier. But Pierce's work hints that a more basic, biological mechanism may be at work. The animals in his study were able to predict the amount of calories in a food based on taste, demonstrating that the body uses cues like taste and texture to make sure it's getting enough fuel. Just as Pierce's rats were fooled into thinking they hadn't absorbed enough calories after eating diet chow, people are preprogrammed to anticipate sugary, high-calorie fulfillment when drinking a soda or noshing on a sweet-tasting snack. So, the diet versions of these foods may leave them unsatisfied, driving them to eat more to make up the difference.

All of this emerging work could make the food and beverage industry, which has invested billions in diet and low-calorie versions of almost every food imaginable, a bit uneasy. "This study simply defies common sense," wrote Dr. Richard Adamson, scientific consultant to the American Beverage Association, in a prepared statement responding to the study. "To suggest that foods and beverages with zero calories contribute to weight gain contradicts the overwhelming body of scientific evidence that supports that they can help you reduce calories and maintain a healthy weight."

Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, lead author of the Framingham study, however, notes, "A zero-calorie drink could produce a metabolic response if it is sweet. It can condition you to develop a preference for sweet things, which can lead to weight gain or metabolic syndrome. So something that is sweet could produce a metabolic effect even if it doesn't have a whole lot of calories."

Of course, none of the studies has yet proved that diet foods or beverages actually cause weight gain or heart disease; they have merely found an intriguing association, which scientists are still trying to explain. Well, nobody ever said counting calories was easy.

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

Snack
5 cups Boston Lite Popcorn
5 Sticks Beef Jerky/Barbecue Beef Jerky
3 tsps Peanut Butter

Lunch: Fordee's Grill
Chicken Schwarma Salad with Feta

Dinner: Sol Azteca
Pork with Orange Juice
Tilapia with Tomato and Jalapeno
Salad with Cactus
a few chips

Emily and I played tennis. We split sets, 4-6, 6-4. She didn't want to play the tiebreaker. In our continued frustration to find a restaurant that we want to go to that has no wait on a Thursday night in Summer, we end up at an old sawhorse called Sol Azeteca in Newton Center. I forget not to order rice and get heartburn from the refried beans. I also succumb to eating lots of chips and would have ordered sangria but I wizened up.

Year 3, Day 157: Muggy Muggy Walk

Today a coworker made Rugleach and entreated me to try it. I did, knowing that I had to (especially because I almost killed my coworkers with crumbly banana cake just a few weeks ago) and that further more, as a result of having one, I would have to go on a fast walk or bust. It was good and tasty, but when I discussed with the baker du jour we determined that it didn't have that spongy-bounce back I like in a Rugleach. He said that was because he omitted cream cheese, therefore eliminating a lot of the fat (and natch, the flavor). I got my walking shoes on which was good because it had been raining cats and dogs all morning.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($4.70)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Assorted Jerky
3 cups Boston Lite Popcorn
No nuts

Dinner
Hamburger
Broccoli
Salad

We went on a walk today but it was so unbelievably hot that we were dying and sweaty when we got back. THough I have said it before, it was good that my office is like a meat locker, very helpful.

We got a huge order of jerky today, much thanks from the owner of Buffalo Bill's, which is the greatest jerky on the planet. I tried the Spicy Jerky today which was incredible, though honestly, not very spicy.

Year 3, Day 156: Everything tastes better at McDonald's

Every once in a while, you wake up with the determination and the power to stand up to the nut-monster. Today I vowed to be good and strong and really keep on the program. 30 Almonds? Ha, that's the ticket.

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

Snack
4 oz turkey
3 sticks beef jerky
30 almonds
1 oz Boston lite popcorn

lunch; russo's ($5.25)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

dinner:
tilapia a la emily
green beans

From Slashfood.com: Everything tastes better at McDonald's
Posted Aug 7th 2007 3:06PM by Bob Sassone

That's according to preschoolers, anyway.

A study done by a researcher at Stanford University has concluded that kids think that anything that McDonald's does taste better than anyone else. And not just the burgers and fries. This also extends to the milk, carrots, and apple juice! As long as it has a McDonald's logo, it's better. To quote Diane Levin, a childhood development specialist: "You see a McDonald's logo and kids start salivating."

There has already been news recently that some companies are going to stop advertising toward kids and I'm sure this news will add to that. Though I think McDonald's is probably advertising to adults more than ever now, with their "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. Over at the Obscure Store and Reading Room, a reader makes a good point, that when he was a kid going to McDonald's was a special treat, not a daily dietary choice. Now it's seen as a regular thing, I think, with many parents. I remember when I was a kid it was something that was done once in a great while, something I got excited about when we went out of town to the mall and we got to stop at the golden arches after shopping with family. But McDonald's are everywhere now, even in your small hometown, so those days are probably gone.

Year 3, Day 155: Almond Monday and a loud tsking noise

Compared to a lot of previous 100-almond Mondays, this wasn't so bad. However, when you compare it to any other day, it was a nut disaster. There really only is one secret to overindulgence when all self-discipline fails: abstinence.

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

Snack
4 oz sliced turkey
65 ALmonds
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
2 Sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Russo's ($5.73)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Dinner: Legal Seafoods
1 bite of Tuna Sashimi
mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette
wild salmon with tomato, artichoke
asparagus

We ate at Legal Seafoods and because of my heavy snacking, I decided to bypass the traditional wave of appetizers and just order an entree. Though it originally came with a 'mushroom risotto cake', they were out of it, which is good because it was deep fried and I wouldn't have eaten it anyway. I asked to have a salad substituted- the mixed greens with goat cheese. The waitress asked me twice if I meant goat cheese and I answered in the affirmative. Amazingly, I got an appetizer salad AND a side salad (which was mysterious) but neither of them came with cheese. I realized I probably lucked out anyway, and just ate quietly.

Year 3, Day 154: Baking Madness Continues

Today Ruby and I got up and made chocolate chip walnut squares. Last time there wasn't much, so I doubled the recipe. I ate a lot of it. No exercise today, but I was still sore from swimming yesterday.

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

Lunch: Yama
Edamem
Salad
Miso Soup
Sashimi Special

Snack
.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
3 Teaspoons Peanut Butter

Dinner
Left over chicken with Cashews
Cauliflower
Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

We had made the chocolate chip squares for the birthday of the son of a friend of Emily's who just moved to Wellesley from Sudbury. Though her son is nut-allergic rendering the gift both thoughtless and useless, we all had a nice visit. Then, en route home, we decided to take a chance on Yama, a Japanese restaurant for lunch for all the kids. We sat in the pit with our shoes off, and a good time (and lots of lunch) was had by all.

Year 3, Day 153: Dessert Out of Control

In a another fit of baking on gym workout day (3 laps in pool, 6 miles on elliptical 100 ab crunches) I attempt to make a coffee cake. I am obsessed with making a coffee cake and I want it to taste exactly like the Boston Coffee Cake and the Sara Lee coffee cake and they are both really totally different, so I must keep trying. Fine crumb or yeasty layery thing? I remain afraid of yeast. I'll need a master class to take it on. Maybe Jane, my sister-in-law will teach me. At night I attempted a recipe from Gourmet magazine, which was quite nearly a total failure.

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

preworkout snack
1 big slice of coffee cake

lunch
tuna romaine, cabbage, feta

pool snacks
1 bag boston lite popcorn
hot grapes
1 oz peanuts

various snack
2 oz 50% jalapeno cheddar
10 Tamarind Almonds

dinner
two remainders of pizza slices (make at home, 8 inch)
caesar salad
chicken with cashews

dessert
funky chunky popcorn
more cake

Realizing I was going to have to go to surgery, I bought a $14 container of funky chunky popcorn, which aside from being a shameless copy of Dale & Thomas original, is fantastic and impossible to stop eating. I have successfully hidden it in the house, but unfortunately now it has gone stale, so what was a savings in calories was a waste of hard-earned dollars. But even the small bit I had was so so worth it.

Year 3, Day 152: Nobody Doesn't Like Sara Lee

For some reason, I was remembering an absolute obsession with frozen cake products in the late 70s and 80s, mostly Sara Lee and Pepperidge Farm. For Sara Lee it was All Butter Pound Cake (why haven't they followed Sugar Pops and changed the name of that product!) and Pecan Coffee Cake. For Pepperidge Farm it was their line of double layer chocolate cakes with white frosting or white cakes with chocolate frosting. My brother and I used to make them disappear. In an effort to stop this from happening at so rapid a rate, my mother banished them to the refrigerator in the back of the utility room. But it didn't help-- we just kept sneaking in there and eating it. I can't remember ever getting sick, but I do remember skipping a lot of dinners.

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

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

Snack:
3 Sticks Beef jerky
125 Pistachios
3 cups Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner:
Salad
Chicken Breast

When I'm writing, I like to eat. I'll be doing a lot of writing in the next few months. This does not spell good news for the nut eating. I'll have to stock up on gum.

Year 3, Day 151: The Fruit Scientist

OH GOD, LET IT BE TRUE.

August 1, 2007

Summer's sweet headliners
Strawberries are here - the real, local deal - and the crop looks bountiful. Chefs who wait for them all year find intriguing roles for that perfect flavour

JULIAN ARMSTRONG, The Gazette
A bumper crop of Quebec strawberries is forecast and, in contrast to earlier times, it won't come all at once and then be gone. "It will be a big, big, big strawberry season, for sure until the beginning of October," says Andre Plante, a Marche Central official.

Montreal chefs are already working their magic with the berry they have been waiting for all year long. Responding to the prospect of all those sweet, juicy local strawberries, they are expanding their strawberry repertoires, from Grandmother's shortcake and a strawberry mille feuille, to the more far-out: Strawberries with seafood, anyone? Or in vinaigrette with the savoury likes of red onions and basil?

"It's one of our best strawberry years ever, and maybe we'll even have Quebec strawberries at Thanksgiving dinner," said Plante, executive director of the Association des jardiniers maraichers de la region de Montreal.

Fruit scientist Shahrokh Khanizadeh agreed, citing the traditional varieties of Quebec's favourite berry that are on sale now, and the new breeds that have extended the season into autumn. "We had wonderful temperatures (this spring), no frost at blossom time, and the perfect amount of sunshine and rainfall," he said from his federal research farm at L'Acadie.

Breakfast
Kashi
Canadian Strawberries
Massachusetts Blueberries
Bananas from Ecuador
Soy milk from Silk
Coffee from Peet's

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

Dinner: Quince
Assorted Olives
A few bites of very white bread with mushroom butter (this sickened emily)
Smoked Salmon on a Slice of Pickle
Field Greens "Dressed for the Season" (this meant Almond Slivers, Cherries and Goat Cheese)
Artic Char, on Spinach and White Bean Succotash

Dessert
1 Small Meringue cookie with Almond Slivers

I came home early and Emily and I played tennis indoors at the Wellesley spot. The lights went out in the middle of our second set. She won both 2-6 and 5-7. We tried to go to Sweet Basil (a fave Italian spot in Needham) afterwards, but it was crawling with ants (shaped like people) and so we tried the next best thing, which was the place across the street with very few people in it. This turned out to be a good choice and certainly better than the Rice Barn, a restaurant a little farther away with absolutely NO people in it.

Year 3, Day 150: The Word on Water

From the South Beach Diet Online Newsletter

The Word on Water
Certainly, bottled water is a convenience that helps us stay hydrated while on the go. But convenience aside, bottled water isn't necessarily more virtuous than tap water. In fact, did you know that bottled water is sometimes nothing more than
purified tap water? Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict labeling rules for bottled water, but it's up to you to learn the differences between various terms and what they mean. There are three major types of bottled water:

Purified water is water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, or other suitable processes. Purified water may also be referred to as "demineralized water."
Spring water is water that flows naturally from the earth and is collected directly from its natural source.
Mineral water is spring water that contains dissolved minerals and other trace elements (at least 250 parts per million) that come directly from the source.

In general, safety standards for bottled water and tap water are the same with a few exceptions. For example, because tap water may become contaminated with lead as it travels through pipes, the government limits the amount of lead in tap water to 15 parts per billion whereas the limit is set below 5 parts per billion for bottled water. Another major difference is that tap water is fluoridated, but most bottled waters do not contain fluoride.
Most people can safely (and inexpensively!) drink water straight from the tap. If you want to improve the taste of tap water, you can purchase a water filtration pitcher, which reduces the amount of chlorine in the tap water. If you prefer the taste of bottled water and you're serving it to your family, let your dentist know because young children require fluoride for healthy teeth.


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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.19)
omaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, No pepperocini, so added 'spicy pickle mix' from company fridge. Not very good.

Snack:
4 sticks beef jerky
3 cups Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Wonder Beans & Ground Meat
Salad

Fast walk to Russo's today. Still no Strawberries from Quebec. Having to make do with Driscoll's, which are sub-par, hard and white on the inside. Why can't I just give up the breakfast I've had every day for nearly a year? I am pathological.

Year 3, Day 149: Going to the Hernia Doctor

So I am scheduled to see a doctor about the hernia. Just like the gall bladder, I engage in stupid question asking, like "are there any surgical alternatives?" I am met, as usual, with a teeth-sucking breath followed by a scoffing laugh muffled by a simple "no." Do I want to schedule the appointment? Yes? See Mel outside. Thanks for coming.

Breakfast
Kashi
Heritage Flakes (Again)
Bad Driscoll Strawberries
Old Blueberries
Banana

Snack
5 Slices of Organic Turkey
5 STicks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Au Bon Pain
Mediterranean Salad (3 Pieces of Chicken)
1 Apple
2.6 oz Cashews & Almonds

Dinner
Hamburger
Broccoli & Cheese
Cabbage, Scallion & Mint Salad

The Brigham and Women's hospital has valet parking, which I take advantage of. We had to go there a lot when trying to get pregnant and I determined that except for a few pennies there was little advantage to parking it yourself.
Amazing how the car-park guy managed to put my car radio on 94.5 and turn the air conditioning up on high in the five minutes he had my car. It was a like in a totally different condition then when I left it, except for the egregious mess.

Year 3, Day 148: Another Monday Off

Again, I took Monday off because the thought of a long day of travel followed by going back to work was just too much for me to bear. Of course, I tried to make the best of it, by having a slow workout, 4.5 miles in 65 minutes in the AM (after dropping Magnolia off) and then playing tennis with Emily. Playing a tie break and interrupted by the clock running out; Emily 6-3, 1-6 (10-10)

Breakfast
Kashi/Flax/Driscoll
Banana, Blueberries, Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Lunch:
Burnt Ends
Salad

50 Tamari Almonds
1 Large Slice Banana cake

Dinner
Char
Cauliflower
Edimame
1 Horrible Boneless SParerib from Green Tea

Our girls love boneless spare ribs so sometimes we get some to supplement a dinner that's lacking. But after you've had Bernards, you can't hardly go anywhere else. And afterjavascript:void(0) tonight, we've determined that you certainly can't go to Green Tea. For boneless spareribs, anyway. Their Matrix maki is still right on the money.

Year 3, Day 147: Trip to Block Island

It was up early, get dressed, get sprayed and Ruby and I were off with David & his family to see my father and stepmother at their place on Block Island. It was a perfect day, not too hot but nice enough to go to the beach. David went to Dunkin Donuts en route and got Ruby some munchkins (at my request) and some coffee for the adults. We got to the ferry on time, got parked and got over. When we arrived safely we had lunch-- I eschewed the probably delicious fried foods or fresh lobster for a plain old greek salad with chicken. Just like my father-in-law would say, lunch is a 'biological requirement.'

Breakfast
Kashi
Flax/AMartahin
Driscoll's Strawberries
Blueberries
Soy Milk

Lunch: Block Island
Greek Salad with Chicken

Snack
Lots of Cashews & Almonds
Some 4-Bean Wasabi
1 oz Boston LIte Popcorn

Dinner
House Salad
Tuna (Black and Blue)
Zucchini

1 Bite of Coffee Ice Cream

We spent some of the day walking, but since my father's back is in crisis, we made our way to the beach. I suggest I drove us toward the beach with 'amenities' though everyone else wanted to go to the nicer, quieter, beach 'without amenities.' I didn't think the beach we went to was very crowded (by my standards) and I was glad to be there since we took advantage of their shower, their lifeguard (Ruby thought she got bitten by a jellyfish) and their ice cream stand (she actually got frozen Reese's). On the way back to the ferry, my father & s.m. took us out to eat, and perhaps egged on by her cousin, Ruby ate one entire Caesar salad all by herself. My jaw was on the floor but I stayed silent, all the way home, when at about 9:00pm, we carried her tired, drooping, half-asleep body upstairs to bed.

Year 3 Day 146: Intervention Needed

Okay, now it's not funny. I am addicted to baking. Then, I am also addicted to eating what I bake. When you read the post below, "Sugar more addictive than Cocaine," you'll know why. Luckily, I had a workout today. Tomorrow it's off to Block Island.

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

Snack
Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cake
Brownie Squares

Lunch: Salad + Hamburger

More Snack
2 diet cokes
Split a Microwave Popcorn with Ruby

Dinner
Turkey Crumble (+ Lettuce Leaves)

Sugar found to be more addictive than cocaine
from www.slashfood.com

We've known for years that sugar isn't good for us. It promotes tooth decay, provides quick highs and lows and offers nothing but empty, nutritionless calories that pack on the pounds. However, it appears that it is even worse than we previously thought. Researchers recently determined that refined sugar is actually more addictive than cocaine. In a recent study rats were given a choice between sugar water and cocaine, and 94% them chose sugar. Even the rats that had previously been addicted to cocaine switched to the sugar once it was a choice. No wonder it's so hard to give up that 3 pm pack of M&M's, it's more addictive than illegal drugs.

Year 3, Day 145: But Where Is the Obesity?

CNN takes advantage of modern Internet technology to show us exactly where we're getting fatter, and how quickly.
Go here to see it.

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

Lunch: Russo's ($5.89)
Romaine, red pepper, feta
chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar, pepperocini

Snack
4 sticks beef jerky
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
100 Almonds
6 Cherries

Dinner
Emily's Turkey Crumble with Cabbage
1 Ear of Sugar-Sweet Corn

Don't ask about 100 almonds. Why is that the right amount? I don't know. Why so many almonds? They are so tiny and yummy and crunchy and satisfying. I wish I could stop oh I wish I could stop. But I just can't.

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!