Year 2, Day 182 Tennis Wins, Arm Loses

90 minutes of tennis were a great workout today though, as I have discussed here not at all the same as 60 minutes on the elliptical. My arm is now totally in a state of throbbed-out shock, such that typing is quite uncomfortable and carrying anything of substantial weight is a no-no. I took both sets from Emily tonight, 7-5, 7-5, a first in our recent play. Though she said I wasn't moving well, I felt good and worked up a good sweat. Except for an occasional bout of pre-carpel tunnel, I do not recall such an arm injury. I suppose I will be sidelined for quite a while.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Strawberries & Blueberries
Green Tea
Ruby's unfinished French Toast

Snack
Coffee
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
3 Sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Russo's ($4.98)
Red leaf, red pepper, red onion
broccoli, chicken, mushrooms, feta
balsamic vinegar

Pretennis Snack
Several handfuls of Almonds/Cashews
3 Wheat Thins

Dinner:
Turkey Crumble in Lettuce Wraps
Diet Ginger Ale

Dessert
Two Nips

Strawberries remain good; and in a fit of inspired pique, I took over the dinner duties and made Emily's famous turkey crumble. I have asked her and observed her making it, so I addressed myself to the wok and did it. Emily said I made it better than hers, which is a great complement. It's also great because it is hands down my favorite SoBe thing to eat, with the possible exception of turkey bacon.

Year 2, Day 181: Crawling from the Wreckage

Today I vow, as I have done every day since my vacation to get back and get lean. Despite suffering some kind of injury during my last tennis game, I want to remain healthy, and I don't want the end of the summer, the return of Emily and Ruby to school, and Magnolia's first year in preschool to send me to the Ben & Jerry's bin. So far that's been a way off, but there's pressure.

Breakfast
1 Cup Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean/Kashi Go Lean Crunch
1 Cup Blueberries/Strawberries
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

E-Snack
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn
6 Dried Apricots

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken and Feta
Balsamic Vinegar

Dinner
93% Sirloin Hamburger
Pickles
Peppadews
Salad, Cabbage, Celery
Balsamic Vinegar

The Domania Gang went for a walk today. In the morning in was breezy and I almost took my jacket, but it's good that I didn't because about half way through it became noticeably and almost uncomfortably hot. One of our gang was walking so fast that he took the lead, stayed out in front, and at the end, for the first time, had to look back to make sure we were still behind him. I think he had some tension to walk off. The results was that we all walked super fast, and by watch we shaved about five minutes off the walk, which is usually 37 minutes and today was about 32 minutes. I sashayed over to Peter's Kitchen and realized I could order balsamic vinegar instead of the tasteless red-wine vinegar I had been ordering. That was a plus.

Year 2, Day 180: The Addictive Nature of Sugar

I have noted that when you go on a program, like South Beach or Atkins, they both ask you to take two weeks and try and wean yourself off the white stuff: white flour, white sugar, potatoes, rice and pasta. They all promise those cravings will go away, and you know what? They do. It's true. Once you get through the two week hazing, it's gone. You don't crave it and you don't want it. But there is one exception. It's when you put a toe back into the water. THAT's the tough part. There is very little I've experienced in the world that's so rife with a "I've got to have MUCH more" than sugar. Sure nuts are tempting, and carbs are nice, and liquor is pleasant occasionally, but when you taste something sweet, especially after a long time without, it can really make your head explode. I think this explains why kids crave sugar— a lot of sugar equals a big sugar high. We should all be thinking about that before we pack our kids with their lunches off to school, I think.

Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean Crunch
1 Cup Strawberries & Blueberries
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Snack'm'
3 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
3 Almonds

Lunch: Russo's ($5.89)
Red leaf, red pepper, red onion
broccoli, mushrooms, feta, chicken
balsamic vinegar

Dinner:
Turkey Crumble with Lettuce leaves and Cabbage leaves
cauliflower

Moments of Weakness Involved in Feeding My kids and Having a Breakdown
12 wheat thins with super-chunky peanut butter
A few grapes


And on that topic, Quaker has come out with a new product, which is ingenious in its economical use of left-overs, but I think a relatively poor choice for kids, who are the market. It's called Quaker "Kids Snack Mix." The ingredients: Smartfood, Doritos, Pretzels, Cheese Doodles and CAPTAIN CRUNCH CEREAL. All in one bag. Now 6g of sugars and only 40 calories from fat of its total of 130. Somehow, though it just seems wrong, doesn't it? I must say that for mega-conglomerates that control the world, Frito-Lay does boast an impressive record: they were the first to label trans-fats in their products (even before the Government made them do it) and they were first ones to remove it. Compare that with say, Nabisco, who went to the trouble to make what they are advertising as "100% Whole Grain Fig Newtons," but they neglected to take out the partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil and high fructose corn syrup. So hey Nabisco, don't do us any favors, OK? We're sticking with the Snack Mix. But only 1 oz. at a time, please.

Year 2, Day 179 Whoah Nellie

This day began with a somewhat less than strident control and led to a runaway train of nonstop eating. Finally arrested at dinner, and quelled the need for anything else (excepting a strawberry).

Breakfast
1.5 Cup Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean
1 Small Banana
Blueberries
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Snackz
40 Smoked Jalapeno Almonds
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
1.5 Sticks Teriyaki Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
2 Squares Dobago Chocolate
Coffee

Lunch: Russo's ($4.72)
Red leaf, red pepper, red onion,
broccoli, mushrooms, feta, chicken
balsamic vinegar

Dinner:
Cabbage, Romaine, Celery, Onions
Chicken, Balsamic Vinegar
a Few Strawberries

To my amazement, and certainly a shock to anyone who might read this, I passed by the Strawberries at Russo's—and it was a little bit like "The Way We Were" moment. Did I believe my eyes? Here, in August, and not from Canada, or at least, not advertised from Canada, were some very June looking Strawberries. Forgetting all previous renouncements, I scooped them up and took them home, and they were very, very, very good. I continued to eat them for days. Maybe not June quality, but very close. I don't know the secret, and I'm not asking.

Year 2, Day 178 The Sunday Night Blues

The vacation officially, in my view, ends Friday at around 6pm, as that is really when you would be at work. The weekend is just the weekend, but I continued by unending streak of off-the-rails eating today, including a vat of popcorn that was the size of Ruby's head. I did manage to get to the gym today, and do six miles on the elliptical, but at the third mile I really didn't think I was going to make it. I was so grateful to be able to make it to six miles, and again in less than an hour—57 minutes. Since no one else was at the gym, I again took the liberty of changing the TV to the overwhelmingly mediocre remake of "The Planet of the Apes" starring Mark Wahlberg. When you watch it with no sound you do get an idea of how hard the actors are working. As usual, I noted a new thing in the closed captioning: the description of something that is probably superior to the sound. In this case, a notation that said 'sound of metal slicing flesh.'

Breakfast
2 Soft Boiled Eggs
1 Large slice Balthazar Rye
3 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
5 small bites of French Toast with Maple Syrup
Green Tea

Pregym Snack:
Coffee
1 Handful Almonds/Cashews
1 Stick Beef Jerky

Lunch:
93% Sirloin Burger
Cabbage, Romaine Salad
Pickles

@ The Movies
Large Popcorn (split with Ruby)
4 Reese's Bites

Dinner
Chicken Breast
Broccoli
1 Ear of Corn
Peppadews


One thing I notice after being on the SoBe while is a phenomenon of 'slippage.' It can be easily identified by noticing that pieces of French Toast have started to slip into my mouth. This is generally a bad thing, though on gym today I don't worry about it too much. But you've got to take a long, hard look at the vat of popcorn and the Reese's bites. I mean, the ear of corn would ordinarily put me into an apoplectic fit (if not a glycemic coma). I think there are two things going on simultaneously: one, I am generally relaxing about my state. As I near the two year mark I realize that with hard work, determination, and a lot of guilt (and a forgiving schedule) I'll be able to maintain my weight. The other thing is that at the end of the vacation week, on the day before you have to go back to work, you're lucky if you're not curled up under the coffee table in the fetal position. If a few Reese's bites lets you vent that steam, I say you're better off...as long as you get back to the gym...soon.

Year 2, Day 177 Saturday, Off to New York

Saturday came and with it Emily was off to New York. My Mom and I stayed behind to look after the kids. My brother and sister-in-law came by for a visit and we went for a very adult lunch at the kid-friendly Johnny's Luncheonette, where I surprised myself by skipping my usual salami and eggs with a grilled chicken salad. That's the thing about a diet: you really eat a lot of salad. I remember one particular day at 226 lbs thinking, "how could I go on a diet? I'd have to eat a lot of SALAD!" With the onset of that crispness in the air, you can feel Fall coming. And when Fall comes, you want to be cozy eating oatmeal and yummy things, not the cold, un-yummy salad. But after a while, it becomes like water. It may taste (or not taste) different everywhere you go, but it's coldness and wetness become familiar, and then pleasing.

Breakfast
1 slice Balthazar Bread
6 slices of Ham
Green Tea
Coffee

Lunch: Johnny's
Greek Salad with Chicken
Balsamic Vinaigrette
V-8 with Lemon

Snack:
1/2 cup of Go Lean Crunch!
1 1/2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner:
Steak Tips
Broccoli
1/2 ear of Corn
Salad with Romaine, Cabbage, Onion, Feta

Dessert:
Wine
Pistachios

Though my vacation is over, I celebrated my last night of staying up late by drinking a few glasses of wine with a half a bag of pistachios. It's not quite the old days of a six pack and a roll of cookie dough, but I don't feel as bad in the morning.

Year 2, Day 176: Last Day of Vacation at Home

No matter where my vacation is, the highlight of any vacation is going to be a round of tennis. I played Emily today in our first three-setter of the post-children era. I took the first set (6-4), she the second set (4-6) and the last one was a grudge match where I took the early lead 4-0 but I couldn't close it out and she took the set 7-5. Afterwards, I had to set my elbow on ice but at 2 hours, it was the most tennis we have played together sinc the 90s. Tried to do a little better on the food today.

Breakfast
2 slices balthazar bread
2 soft-boiled eggs
1 oz. 50% jalapeno cheddar
green tea
coffee

lunch: blue ribbon bbq
burnt ends
pulled chicken
baked beans
japanese salad

post tennis-snack
1 oz. 50% jalapeno cheddar
3 sticks beef jerky
1 slice balthazar bread with super chunky peanut butter

dinner: skipjacks
3 fried clams
6 french fries
1 shrimp shumai
1 chop-chop salad
50% mahi-mahi fillet

Sometimes you play tennis and there isn't much action. There can be a lot of sweating, but without a lot of movement and cardio. Some games are just a lot of swinging a racket, but this game was a lot of running and jumping and sweating and it felt good. It also feels good when you work hard to come home and eat peanut butter. What followed the snack was a rather unspectacular but quite large dinner where I was irresistibly drawn to cold fried clams and french fries. Maybe to most they wouldn't be good, but to someone who hasn't eaten them in quite a while they were deeeeelicious.

Lastly, I forgot to include a conversation I overheard at Storyland, about five minutes after Ruby and I got there. A woman said to her daughter: "Now we're going to be careful about putting our hands in our mouths today, right? Because we are going to touch a lot of things that a lot of people have touched." Without missing a beat, she turned to her companion and said "I brought the Purell."

Year 2, Day 175: Fifth Day of Vacation, Trip Home

I've written a lot about trips home, and how they often require good food planning that doesn't happen. Though I had a breakfast at about 8am, I had thought we would have lunch in town before we got on the road. For one reason or another, it was not to be and we skipped a BBQ road house restaurant that I desperately wanted to stop at but with two kids and two hours to go I understood that it didn't make sense. After about 45 minutes of driving I did get hungry but because I thought we would have stopped for lunch I really only packed 'kid' food, so I ate a couple of handfuls of yesterday's "kettle corn." I think I got it at Zeb's, (www.zebs.com) which despite being in New Hampshire, was the greatest place ever. Sitting on the 'jumper' seat munching on kettle corn made me so queasy that I thought I would never again have an appetite. That is until we got home and got blue ribbon barbecue for our late (2:30) lunch.

Breakfast
Two soft boiled eggs
1 slice Balthazar multi-grain
1.5 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Green Tea

On the Road Snack
~1 oz. Kettle Corn

Lunch: Blue Ribbon BBQ
2 Ribs
Burnt Ends, Pulled Chicken
Baked Beans
"Big Green Salad"
1/8th of a piece of corn bread

Dinner: Sushi
Sashimi Combo
Edamame
Green Salad
Ass't Sushi (Spicy Yellowtail, Crispy Salmon)

Dessert:
40% of a nearly Decarmelized apple

We were glad to be home, and somehow I convinced everyone to let me go to the gym, which I did, and did six miles in 56 minutes, which I made me feel great because I was literally carrying the physic and physical weight of four days of irresponsible eating, but especially last night's dinner. When I got home we had a late dinner of sushi, and though I usually abstain from the rice, I did have a few pieces of regular sushi. It probably comes from a long standing feeling I have about not 'wasting' food, though in all my SoBe time except for the past week I have learned to ignore that particular urge of mine. For dessert, I thought it would be a neat treat to get a carmel apple for Ruby, which I picked up the previous day at a store next to one of the outlet stores. The carmel sort of melted on the paper, but we split it anyway, for some reason, we were cracking up about how melted the carmel was because I kept trying to keep it on the apple by wiping it, painterly, with a knife back onto the apple. I need to eat a caramelized apple like a whole in my head, but I was on vacation, so I just 'went with it,' as the kids say.

Year 2, Day 175: Fourth Day of Vacation- Storyland

A VERY LONG POST.

This day, if it didn't already have a title, would have been called "Blackout" or "I knew this day would come." The first refers to the eating on this vacation. The type of eating that if it was drinking would result in a blackout, or waking up in a dumpster with a mouth like moist cotton. The second refers to the fact that Ruby and I went alone to Storyland today. This is a theme park centered around the so-called "children's stories" of our childhood, like humpty-dumpty and such. It's really quite an amazing place, not just for the kids, but for people like me who are physically sickened and intimidated by the modern rides featured at Six Flags or Busch Gardens. All the rides (save for the Turtle Twirl) are designed for young kids and are for most adults palatable. The turtle twirl stands out because it is a sickening ride, and one that I told Ruby she would have to return to alone. She did. Apparently, children are not bothered by these rides because their Vestibular systems are not yet fully developed, so they don't get dizzy for hours after like their parents when subjected to things that spin within a thing that spins while it simultaneously bobs up and down. But all other rides, the Polar Coaster, the Crazy Barn, Spinning Teacups, but mostly the Bamboo Chute (A Chinese-themed Flume ride that we went on four times) were just great fun and all lasted about 90 seconds, tops. I knew this day would come because I realized when I had children that I would eventually have to accompany them to a theme park some day. But I had never before heard of Storyland. At the first ride we went to do today (Antique Cars) there was a map of previous iterations of the park, including a ride called "Little Black Sambo's Merry Go-Round." My liberal sensibilities were shocked by this display (dated 1954) so I looked to the next map, dated 1968, to see if the ride remained on the map. To my dismay, it continued to be on the map until 1988! That doesn't say much for Storyland, or New Hampshire, but that's another story entirely. I was really amazed at the t-shirts and hats on display there. Many men were boasting of being 'the best Dad ever' or were instructing to me to check out 'the world's greatest grandpa.' One young girl had a shirt that read "Saw it. Wanted It. Had a Fit. Got it." I made a mental note never to get that for Magnolia. I saw lots of pimply teenagers suffering the indignity of having to be seen with the rest of their family, but there were two disturbing sites: one, of an obviously pregnant teenager (about 16?) with her two other friends waiting to go on the Raft Ride, and a teeny baby in a stroller who had frighteningly deep-set and completely purple eyes. Both made me want to 'call them in' but without knowing who to call, I figured the world was best served if I concentrated on bringing up my kids so they avoided purple eyes, irritating teeshirts and teenage pregnancy.

Breakfast:
Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
1 Small Banana
Blueberries
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Storyland:
Popcorn
A Salad with Chicken (if you can call it that)
a bite of sub-par pizza

Pretennis:
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
3 Slices of Virginia Ham
2 oz. Cheddar Cheese

Post Tennis:
About 10 Grapes
1 Rye Vita Cracker with Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Dinner (Don't Ask—A Sobe Disaster)
Nachos (that's chips, cheese, olives, tomatoes, scallions, salsa)
Chicken Fingers (lots)
House Salad
Ribs (about 3)

Dessert(!)
1 Kiddie Cone Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup

Naturally, you expect the food at the theme park to be two things; nutritionally deficient, and calorically expensive. In earlier days I would have (and did often) make a beeline for the fried dough. I love fried dough ever since I was first exposed to its original and better ancestor, the funnel cake at a German festival in Kutztown, PA. From a SoBe perspective, there is really nothing worse for you than white flour-dough deep fried in high-fat oil and then doused with butter and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar (which for those of you who never thought about it is a mix of sugar with corn starch). All of the soft-serve and other yummies were there, but Ruby had no eyes for anything but rides. We arrived at 10:00AM and it wasn't until 1:30 that I got her to even look at food and she had little interest then, and in fact, didn't eat any of her pizza. She was more interested in my McDonalad's style salad (very cold, but way too thinly sliced iceberg lettuce and other shredded things, hard cucumbers and Newman's own lite dressing).

When we got back to base, Emily suggested we go play tennis, so I quickly improvised a lunch and we got out there. It was a tragic game, where despite the fact that I completely forgot how to play, we split sets. When we headed out to dinner, I suggested another restaurant, but because we didn't plan there was a 30 minute wait. As a backup we went back to Horsefeathers, but I knew it would be a SoBe disaster. Hungry from tennis, and worn-out from the day, we over ordered on the appetizers and we consumed them while waiting for the entrees to come. I can't tell you how long it's been since I ate a plate full of loaded nachos or chicken fingers but this night I ate a lot of them. The ribs were so sugary that they could barely be consumed, though I remembered that I was quite fond of the Ground Round ribs that I used to eat with Emily when we were in our teens and didn't know from ribs, but surely appreciated all that free popcorn.

In the final act of SoBe-destruction I decided that if we were going to be at a Ben and Jerry's, and on vacation, and on the last night, that I was going to damn well treat myself to a small cone. Though I did get up and get a cup and do away with a portion of it, I did consume it, cone and all, and I did enjoy it though it would be inaccurate to say I savored it. I was sort of going down the drain at this point, so it was just a matter of "surrendering to the void." The one redeeming moment was the fact that I realized how terrible I felt as a result of eating the ice-cream cone. Not just mentally, but physically. I didn't need it, I shouldn't have eaten all of it, and I'm lactose intolerant on top of it all. Feeling quite poorly, I resolved to have more resolve, though I knew in the coming days, that would be tough.

Year 2, Day 174: Third Day of Vacation

The day stopped short of being an unmitigated disaster because Emily and I played tennis for an hour (and in all honesty, it wasn't our finest hour) and I actually swam a little. Other than that, it's been an all-out eat fest and the gloves are off.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
1 Small Banana
Blueberries
~1 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

That which cannot be described but falls most closely into the 'snack' column, but really more like 'things that fell into my mouth while I wasn't paying attention'
10 grapes
4 handfuls of kettle corn
1 handful cashews/almonds
1/2 of boston lite popcorn
1 oz. cheddar cheese

Lunch:
Seared Steak on Salad
A few bites of Chicken Fingers
Chips'n'Salsa

Dinner:
Another Salad, with Goat Cheese, Chicken, Olives
~1 Slice of Pizza
Nitrite-Free Pepperoni (which looks nothing like pepperoni, for the record).

Dessert:
A bite of Ruby's Vanilla, One bite Emily's Chocolate Soft Serve, two bites of my mother's vanilla ice cream cone.

One of the most highly and frequently recommended places in North Conway was a place called Flatbreads pizza. They did have very good pizza, and ironically they ONLY served two things—pizza and salad. Fortunately, their salad was incredible, and one of the only salads I've ever had that could make Russo's look like a poor man's salad. They are all about organic produce, sustainable economies and spring water. One of their pizzas is called "Punctuated Equilibrium." They obviously used real whole wheat flour and so I felt justified eating a slice, but in the state of mind I was in was likely to do it anyway.

Year 2, Day 173: Second Day of Vacation

Aside from the problems of vacation in general for my family, for which interested parties can review my earlier vacation in July, there is always the "well, what are we going to do today?" aspect. The truth is, this is the first time since before we became parents that Emily and I ever went somewhere without having relatives to visit, or some event (like a wedding) to attend. In fact, this is a vacation for absolutely no purpose except to be somewhere else. In that way it was very new, and very different, and after this first day, we realized, very difficult. Emily had a realization while we were away. She said "Our life is a vacation. Being away from it is work." This may sound odd to those who look forward to getting away from it all twice a year, but I guess that's not us. We're funny like that.

Breakfast
1/3 of a Cheese/Egg Omelet
1 Slice of Balthazar Multi-Grain Bread
Coffee

Lunch:
Chicken with Fried Onions
Salad with Onions (Caesar dressing)

Snack:
2 handfuls of almonds/cashews
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
5 spoonfuls of coconut shaved ice

Dinner:
Bar Popcorn
Chips with Salsa
Steak
Baby Carrots
Salad Bar (Salad was romaine, bean salad, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, pepperocini)
3 french fries

After Kids
1/2 bottle of Merlot
4 oz. Pistachios

Today what we did do is get up and go to the so-called "Outlet Stores" of North Conway NH in the morning, and then Storyland for a quick hour in the afternoon. I must say that the whole "Outlet" situation IS A SCAM. Though I have not been to the outlets in Wrentham, I know for a fact that that goods at most outlet stores are not any cheaper than those found in that store's other or 'premium' locations. In Brighton, MA there used to exist a real outlet store, which was called the New Balance factory outlet. Factory Outlets tend to be meaningful because the revenue in a company's ability to move its unwanted inventory without shipping it somewhere (like North Conway, NH) to be sold and without having to hire a staff with managers and equipment and such is a significant savings. So the New Balance store was close to the corporate offices. All the returns had to come there anyway, so they just sold them. It was a pretty motley and unsustainable collection of stuff, but you could always find amazing bargains, though there was a lot of 'no laces' or 'irregular cuffs' or 'stained' merchandise, which was perfectly serviceable. The building was sort of ratty, had an abandoned warehouse feeling and was populated by people who probably worked in the office but picked up extra dough working shifts at the store. On the other hand, the FAKE outlet stores in NH are in Class A retail space (Settler's Green was recently rebuilt) populated by a staff wearing company clothing. How is the Nike Factory Outlet any different than the Nike Store in downtown Boston from a price perspective? Answer: It's not. To add insult to injury, these 'fakelets' are opening everywhere across the country. Keep an eye out for that. There is much to say about Storyland and the Red Parka Pub, but that will have to be in tomorrow's entry.

Year 2, Day 172: First Day of Vacation

In what I thought was an inspired idea, I suggested that we leave a day early to go on our vacation. What do they say, "The best made plans..." Though our rather preposterous plan was to get up, go shopping, get packed and get on the road by one, we actually would have made it within minutes. Except that Ruby, who had been pretty good all morning, started complaining of stomach pains, and actually, in a most heartbreaking way, fell back on the couch holding her stomach and saying "ouchee ouchee ouchee ouch." There was little we could do since she didn't want to be held or even really distracted. Once it passed things started to look a little brighter. She took a midday nap (which she never does when well) and I went to get some Legal Seafoods since I realize we were not getting on the road at one. When I came back Emily was asleep! My mother and I ate our share and set about getting things ready to go. It was quite a task, but we got the show on the road by 4:30pm. The sky was looking grim, but vacation beckoned.

Breakfast
1 cup Kashi/Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch
1 cup Strawberries/Blueberries/Banana
1 cup Skim Milk
Green Tea

Snack
Medium Dunkin Donuts Coffee
1 slice Balthazar Rye with 1 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 cup Go Lean Crunch
3 handfuls of almonds/cashews

Lunch: Legal Seafoods Takeout
Calamari Salad
1/3 Grilled Rainbow Trout
Broccoli
Seafood Antipasto
1/2 of 1 Shrimp Dumpling
Diet Coke

Dinner
Hamburger
Broccoli
Cabbage and Onion Salad, with Oil'n'vinegar

Dessert
3 more handfuls of nuts
3 yogurt covered pretzels

We arrived with a lot of groceries since you never know whether you're going to be on a 'cook at home' vacation or 'eat out at every meal' vacation. Well, YOU might know, but I never seem to know. Our plan was to make dinner or lunch at home at least one day, so we'd have options. With a toddler, you always need options. You can ask older kids to endure practically anything, but until reason and bribery really resonate, you need options. At Whole Foods this AM, I did buy a few things that were probably unnecessary in hindsight, like yogurt covered pretzels, but again, it was about options. Though anyone could look at the above's menu and say 'that's not that bad,' as I sit here and write this I feel pretty, well, whatever the word is when you can feel yourself getting fat. With luck, Ruby and I will walk off our calories at the fabled Storyland and avoid many of the fried yet delicious foods their hawkers will no doubt be offering.

Year 2, Day 171: Capeniks

Today was supposed to be a day all about getting ready for our vacation. Amazingly, we were visited by not one, but two sets of post-vacationing siblings and relatives. My brother's family disembarked from the cape and stopped by for lunch. I was actually eating lunch when they called. Then Emily's sister and her family, disembarking from Newport, RI, stopped by for dinner, after indicating earlier that they would not. I was very glad to have visits from both of them. From a diet perspective, though, it was a diet-buster. It's pretty early in my vacation (not really even started yet officially, though some might argue that the minute you leave work you're on vacation) to start descending into pre-diet behavior, but that's what happened.

Breakfast
4 Slices of Ham
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-grain bread
Green Tea

Snack
12 oz. Peet's Coffee (half-decaf)
1/2 slice of Balthazar Rye Bread
1 Egg
1 Chicken Chorizo Sausage
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Lunch:
75% of a Buffalo Wrap (but not most of the wrap part)
Cheese from one slice of pizza
Caesar salad

Dinner:
Sashimi Combo (Octopus, Whitefish, Yellowtail, Salmon, Tuna)
Lettuce it came on as a salad
several chunks of boneless spareribs (have been my weakness since 1987)

After a long day of visiting relatives, we were exhausted and realized that we had packed exactly NOTHING for our week long vacation that was to begin tomorrow. To top it off, Ruby had complained about her stomach (something she rarely does unless she has to make a technicolor yawn) and gone to bed with the worrisome parent trifecta: she had the chills; she slept in her clothes, and she had refused dessert. Emily and I prepared for the worst, and we decided that if she made it through the night we would leave as planned. If the other thing happened, then we were just going to take it hour by hour.

Year 2, Day 170: Workout Hooky, Breakfast Cookie

For various reasons I decided I needed to work out in the morning, and go into work late. Unfortunately, I had a meeting that I called at 11:30am that involved people from both coasts and I could not be late, thus necessitating a shorter-than average workout. I did four and some change miles in about forty minutes before I decided I needed to get out of the gym. I could have done the next 20 minutes easy, but I had the good sense to leave. On the way out, I noticed Ruby was sitting with her group (Ruby camp and my gym are at the same facility). When I got closer I noted it was a 10:30AM picnic meal of entemann's marshmallow cake (http://entenmanns.gwbakeries.com/product.cfm/upc/7203000074) and M&Ms. I went over to say "hi" to her and she confided to me that she was very thirsty. I gave her my poland spring water and told her she could keep it, which she did. Later that day there was last-day carnival, at which Emily saw Ruby (her physical therapist also in same facility). She noted that Ruby was eating cotton candy! We determined two things from that day: one, Ruby was not going to camp there next year, and two, Ruby would not be having any dessert that night. We did allow her a bowl of grapes with her bath, though.

Breakfast
1 cup/60 g Kasha Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
Strawberries/Banana
Green Tea

Post Workout Snack
4 Slices of Ham
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken, Feta

Costco & After Snacks:
Assorted Nuts, Almond
Cashews, Almonds, Peanuts
1 Stick Beef Jerky

Dinner
Lil' Burgers
Broccoli
Cauliflower, Emily style
Cabbage Salad (olive oil, salt) and Feta

After being nut-accosted at Costco, I went home wanting a smaller dinner, and that worked out for me because Ruby was still hungry after she finished hers and I gave her one and half of my burgers.

This item caught my eye the other day. All I have to say is "Shame on you Quaker oats. You used to stand for something. Now you're just a sugar factory, relying on cheap marketing ploys to sell your product. Where do you come off selling a "Breakfast Cookie?" There is nothing "Breakfasty" about this cookie. Even if you made it with "whole grain Quaker oats." It's still a cookie. And cookies aren't for breakfast, unless you are using Cookie Crisp as your precedent, and you know how I feel about that." In case you forgot go here: http://sobediet.blogspot.com/2006/03/year-2-day-18-end-of-world-as-we-know.html

To see Quaker's site, go here:
(http://www.quakersnackbars.com/CHW_Products/BreakfastCookies/)

Quaker® Breakfast Cookies
Help yourself to a soft-baked cookie made with whole grain Quaker oats. Plus, there are real pieces of delicious fruit in every bite!

Quaker goodness in every cookie:

Made with Whole Grain Oatmeal • Good Source of Fiber

Try all of our delicious flavors:

Oatmeal Raisin and Apple Cinnamon

I mean come on, they can't even believe this stuff they're selling, now can they?

Year 2, Day 169: OMG Peppadew Potato Chips

I did pretty well today. Pretty much in control, with two little hiccups. The first one happened when I was passed PEPPADEW flavored potato chips in Russo's. I couldn't resist, and I purchased two bags. Though they have 17G of carbs in one one-ounce serving, I had to taste them. Rather than taste them before my salad, I waited till I was done, so I wouldn't be at the mercy of my hunger, because I had gone for a walk today with 2 others in the DWG and I was ravenous. In retrospect, that didn't really help because something deep inside me made me eat more potato chips than I wanted. Did I go off of the program, or just blunt the benefit of the 2 mile walk? Maybe both? The Peppadew Potato Chips weren't very good in either of their two main categories— that is, as potato chips or a delivery mechanism for peppadew flavor. But like they say, it's hard to eat just one.

Breakfast
2 Soft-Boiled Eggs
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
Green Tea

Snack
3 Beef Jerky Sticks
1/2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
1 oz. Peppadew Potato Chips

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

Dinner: The Met Bar
1/2 slice of pumpernickel bread with hummus
beef tenderloin kebabs
3 oysters
1/2 caesar salad
1/2 pressed chicken under a brick
one very tiny bite of chocolate cake with whipped cream

I was thrown off a little bit today because I had planned on Jalapeno Cheddar for a snack, but I left it on the counter, and had to substitute some early morning jerky and popcorn. Then of course there was the peppadew potato chip issue. Then Emily and I had an impromptu date at the Met Bar where we probably consumed more than we should. I felt very fortunate that the dessert was so bad, preventing me from eating any more of it.

Year 2, Day 168: Slipping off the rails

When people ask me about how to give up carbs, I remember that first two week period, "Phase One" in both SoBe and Atkins is the real tough part. The book says after that period, you won't miss sweets, and what I have observed anecdotally is that people who try to give up that stuff without the two week 'hazing' period fail to be able to give up the white stuff. I have also noticed that on a day like today, when I allowed a little more than usual white stuff into my diet, I am hungrier and somewhat less in control. You could also draw the conclusion that whatever is making me allow the other stuff into my diet (stress, life changes, anxiety) could also be responsible; I was always an anxiety eater. Many, many, many rolls of chocolate chip cookie dough were consumed in the name of fighting back anxiety. And in truth, it did work very well, if only to replace anxiety with shame, but for a brief period there in the middle there was a feeling of deliciously satisfying fulfillment of a hedonist's agenda.

Breakfast
60g of Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean
1 Cup Strawberries from Quebec/Blueberries
1 Cup unsweetened soy milk
4 cherries
1 handful of fruity cheerios
1 handful of Whole Foods cheese curls
Green Tea

Snack
4 sticks beef jerky
12 red grapes

Lunch: Guatemalan Restaurant
Grilled Breast of Chicken
Salad
Black Beans
1/2 Empanada (Fried Beef Dumpling)
Taste of tamale (Corny porridge)

Dinner
6 strips of boneless spareribs
Salad of romaine, cabbage, celery, red pepper and 30 almonds
balsamic vinegar

Dessert (if you can call it that)
A taste of coffee-heath gelato (had no heath in it)
three bites of Ruby's oreo gelato

One of the things every parent can gain a lot of weight from is eating their kid's leftover foods. This is one area where I rigidly refused to compromise when I discovered how often I was doing it. I realized that Parents develop their weird eating habits by picking up their kid's leftovers, like grilled cheese crusts, chicken bones, rib ends, left over cold cereal, bread that has too much butter on it...this morning I grabbed a lot of what I giving to Ruby and I felt like I was on a SoBe version of some spy show, with a glycemic level in the lower right hand part of the screen instead of a timer. As much as I tried to avoid it, there was sugar or something bad waiting around every corner for me, just like double agents. There was a unplanned visit to a Guatemalan restaurant whose name I can't give you, but it's at 254 Brighton Ave (but don't go there, it was mediocre). Then there was there the sugarific boneless spareribs (Emily got them for the kids, but especially for Ruby before her performance) and we went for gelato after the performance (as I noted above). Though it is slightly insane, I am feeling like I've gone off the rails. Feels bad. Tonight Ruby was a participant in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown," where near as I could tell, she played the letter "D" and had one line "Beautiful bird." Magnolia was enthralled the whole time she wasn't shoving cheddar guppies in her mouth. Ruby's parents kvelled through the whole poorly-sung, often inaudible performance by the camp.

Year 2, Day 167: Back To Grind

After the SoBe equivalent of 'tying one on' last night, I got up determined to right myself. With all diets, and all commitments, one must repeatedly right oneself. It is not enough to be committed to your program. It is not enough to be a zealot; you must be determined that once you go wrong your goal is to get right. People often ask me how I lost weight or isn't it amazing that I did this, or how do you stay married? Or you're this kind of father...what's the secret? The secret, I think, is allowing yourself your mistakes. Because if you don't make any mistakes, as an old boss of mine once said, you aren't trying hard enough.

Breakfast
60g of Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean
1 Cup Strawberries from Quebec/Blueberries
1 Cup unsweetened soy milk
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Reduced Cheddar (the next thing to go from my diet)
3 sticks beef jerky
1 diet pepsi

Lunch: DeMos
Western Omelet
Greek Salad

Dinner: Cafe D
1 sip of wine
1 tiny crust of bread dipped in olive oil
Bib Salad with Radishes
Smoked Trout with Horseradish Creme Fresh
Sock-Eye Salmon with Green Beans, Asian Flavorings

I went out to dinner with Jill tonight. She wanted me to promise that I would say "Jill forced me to eat bread, beets and pasta," which she didn't. She WANTED me to eat beets, but we agreed on the bib salad, which was excellent. Like a good friend, she ate all the potatoes of the smoked trout so they wouldn't tempt me. I did have one bite of her lamb bolognese. I liked my sock-eye salmon, though I usually don't order it when I go out because it reminds me of being at a Saturday night Jewish wedding at 1AM, which is when they serve dinner. Following dinner we took a walk around JP and then it was time to go.

Year 2, Day 166: Detecto says "185"

So here I am again, at the scale, with Donna, and it's 185. It's 185, so that's it. I mean, OK, I got down to 183, but I guess I have to face the fact that I am plateaued at 185 and that's not necessarily all bad. After all, it is 41 pounds lighter than I was in February 2005. I've basically stayed at more or less the same weight since March of this year (that's five months). I have changed my life. I can run 6 miles (on the elliptical) and swim 3 laps in the same day. I can pick up and carry both my kids. I don't get tired from playing with them, and I'm not facing my 40s being depressed about my weight. But I suppose the reality that I will now have to either work much harder or set about maintenance for the rest of my life was a little depressing. So, I decided to treat myself to a special dinner or dessert or something.

Breakfast
52 grams Kashi/Heritage Flakes
1 Cup Strawberries/Blueberries
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Snack
3 Sticks Beef Jerky
1/2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
5 Rainier Cherries

Lunch: Russo's ($5.53)
Red leaf, red onion, red peppers
feta, chicken, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar

Dinner
Rotisserie Chicken
Salad (Cabbage, Romaine, Celery, Red Pepper, Feta, Almonds)

After Dinner Party
1 oz. Whole Foods Cheese Curls
1 bite of Ruby's Chocolate Cake
about half of Magnolia's popsicle (A Haagen-Dazs Raspberry Sorbet with Vanilla)
3 squares of Burdick's sugar free chocolate
a chocolate chip cookie
2 pretzel chips

A friend told me about a site called "Chowhound.com." It's subtitled "for people who live to eat." It's really just a cool discussion board about restaurants and stuff, but by people who have very high food standards. One of the questions it asks you when you register is 'what is your favorite comfort food?" I had to think about it for a minute, and the answer is probably Chinese food take out followed by chocolate chip cookie dough. I wrote cookie dough, and I realized tonight that the other thing that I never ever let myself do is just wander through the cabinets and mindlessly nosh. So that's what I did tonight. I just took everything that came at me. I really enjoyed it. Then I had some tea and regained my senses, ready to get back out there tomorrow on the program. But tonight, with all of its late night sugar, carbs, and irresponsibility, was my celebration of the 40lbs that I hope never to see again.
Good riddance.

Year 2, Day 165—Records are for Breaking

Today I did 6.5 miles on the elliptical, in under 60 minutes. This wouldn't have been a remarkable feat except that at the halfway mark some very inconsiderate, neanderthal-browed savage felt the need to wheedle between my elliptical and the one next to mine (about 12 inches), where his slip-of-a-thing girlfriend was getting on. I shouldn't have been mad at them, since they were obviously unaware that there five other machines she could have gotten on where they wouldn't have had to endure my icy, cold stares for 10 minutes. Instead, he was just there, affecting a careless stance as if he was leaning up against a wide, blank wall, instead of a space that was not designed to accomodate a human man. Though she had all the signs that she wasn't interested in talking to him (a copy of this week's star magazine, and getting on the elliptical), he was obviously keen to display his grunting prowess that I'm sure he thought passed for clever conversation. Thankfully, he departed only bumping into me three times, which I'm sure he thought was my fault, as if I could have moved the machine to accomdate him. I imagined us coming to fisticuffs, and then it be his girlfriend and him against me. I then try to get the older man who came in a collared shirt who sits on the bicycle fan, or the four-foot woman who took great pains to sign onto the stair step machine when none of the five of them were taken, the gym was completely empty and closing in an hour. Sensing the trial would go badly, I tried hard to sweat on him as he was moving by and left it at that.

Breakfast
60g of Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean
Half of a small banana
Strawberries from Quebec
Blueberries
1 Cup unsweetened soy milk
Coffee, black

Snack
2 Light Rye Vita Crackers
2.5 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
3 oz Almonds/Cashews

Lunch
Chicken Breast
Green Pea Pods
Peppadews
Emily's Cabbage

Dinner
Steak Tips
Romaine Salad with Feta and Balsamic Vinagrette

Yes, you might notice that I did have strawberries today. Early in the AM I was out at the farm stand, and noticed that the Strawberries bore a strong resemblance to June strawberries. Then, I noticed that they were alluringly labeled 'from Quebec.' It was too much for me to resist (So much for renouncing). I won't say they were as good as American June strawberries, but I don't regret buying them.

After working out today, I came home, had lunch, and rescued Ruby from a beautiful summer day of playing with her friends at the park by forcing her into a hot car so we could go to the pool. Actually it was her idea, but it did seem kind of queer at the time, what with the passing clouds making the temperatures seem like the high 60s instead of the low 70s. Naturally, I ran into parents of a a friend of Ruby's for whom we did not properly convey our inability to attend their daughter's party. So I had some 'splaining to do. When that was over, I swam my customary three laps, and on the last lap I overheard a ten year old boy say to his father: "Dad, next time you go to Stonewall Kitchen, can you get the citrus teryaki?" I thought to myself, you know, I hear "Now it's REALLY time to go" and "Because I said so" and "No, you can't have any ice cream" countless times every time I'm at the pool, but in all my years I never heard a father asked about sauces. His reply had something to do with the fact that the Stonewall Kitchen sauces are cheaper at Russo's (!) than the Stonewall Kitchen. My ears perked up, but unfortunately I had to move on because I was holding up the swim lane I was in.

Year 2, Day 164: Dragon Chef, What Number?

I had a realization this morning, as I stumbled into the sunlight, feeling the years more keenly that I usually do upon waking. My card game used to be a carb fest: white sugar, white flour, malt coupled with fat, caffeine and alcohol. I realize now that it has transformed from a carb fest to a fat-fest. That is to say, what I am eating differently from what I eat most days is the large volume of fats, and in this case, nuts. This morning I thought, "what is the anti-fat?" "What can I eat that will counteract the fat?" And of course, the answer is really exercise, because you need a little fat to make all the other fiber and stuff get absorbed by your body. So I just had my regular breakfast.

Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
1 Small Banana
1 Cup Unsweetened soy milk
Green Tea

Snakenz
Coffee
2 small bites of Ruby's french toast with Vermont Maple Syrup
tiny bite of Emily's Cheese Omelet
2 handfuls of cashews/almonds

Lunch
Romaine, Cabbage Salad with Celery, Red Pepper, Feta, Almonds and Balsamic Vinegar
Chicken Breast
A few bites of Ruby's leftover hamburger

Dinner: Bernard's (Chinese)
Spare Ribs
Steamed Chilean Bass (which is actually Patagonian Toothfish)
Sesame Chicken (which is really candy)
Green Pea Pods
Broccoli

Not a great day from an eating perspective. If I can't eat like a monk on a diet prior to the card game, I know I should eat like that afterwards. But Aileen was in town and so we all sort of went with the flow. We had lots of yummy Chinese food for dinner. Ruby discovered boneless ribs (as her father had, 20 years ago) and ate nearly half a plate full. I tried to stick to the fish and the greens, but I do have a soft spot for chicken, rolled in chestnut flour, deep fried, and then dipped in a sweet sauce and ladled with sesames. It reminds me of "Dragon Chef"—a takeout Chinese place in Brighton with an open kitchen and a gruff staff who would take your order (only after demanding that you order by number) and deliver it to my college apartment. Ray (my roommate) and I and Emily often made the perilous trip rather than take our chances on their spotty delivery service. Because of their open-style kitchen, it was always worth the trip, but we really went so we could eat the boneless spareribs out of the bag on the way home.

Year 2, Day 163: Poker

Waking up on poker day, I always think two things. One, I must go for a walk today, and two, how can I save all my calories for dinner? Trying to think hard about what I would eat at dinner is the best way to plan what I will eat for breakfast and lunch. I decide it will probably be deli, a meat-tastic plate of high-sodium with a side of high-sodium pickles and some sugary cole slaw with some sugary peppadews. So, how to avoid fat, protein and sugar? What I really need to do is eat all vegetables all day. Instead, I just try and take it easy. I did go for a fast-walk today with just one other Domania employee, and that was good. Then I skipped the oil on the salad. Have I mentioned that Peter's is the poor man's salad? Iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, carrots? Really, it's bottom-shelf as far as vegetable selection goes, but its quality is good, and I always make them leave off the green peppers.

Breakfast
2 Eggs (eaten after their best sell-by date)
1 slice balthazar multi-grain bread
green tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno cheddar
3 sticks beef jerky

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Greek Salad, with Feta and Grilled Chicken

Poker/Dinner:
2 oz popcorn (Boston Lite)
2 Handfuls Almonds/Cashews
My own weight in pistachios
3 roll mops: roast beef, turkey, corned beef
pickles
sour tomatoes
peppadews
Cole slaw
1 UFO Beer

Tonight, uncharacteristically, I had a beer. Naturally, it was a UFO which I have become enamored with since the Pig Roast. I think it may have affected my performance since I started losing almost immediately. It wasn't until after dinner (and theoretically, the absorption of some alcohol) that things started to look up. The moment occurred during a game called "Mexican Sevens with a Sweat" that I discovered online. It's nothing new, just a version of seven-card stud where all the cards are down, but if you flip a seven you have to match the pot. In this particular game, three sevens had been turned, meaning three people had already matched the pot, and I think five out of six players were in. The game had gone on a long time, and there was a substantial pot at risk. It came down to literally, the last card, which as the dealer, fell on my hand. I had to draw a wild card to beat the flush that was on the table. It didn't look good for me. I turned the card. It was a seven! There were screams and I took a moment before I used my arm to sweep up the winnings, carefully avoiding eye contact with flush-holder who I had just vanquished. From that point, I couldn't lose and walked away the big winner. Did I mention as a card game we finished the quart of almonds and cashews AND the bag of pistachios? We are nutsed out at this game I tell you. Nutsed out.

Year 2, Day 162, I Went to a Chinese Restaurant

From the South Beach Diet Newsletter: Get Nutrition-Label Savvy

Do you have a hard time making heads or tails of the nutrition-facts panel on food packages? You're not alone. While it may seem as though the nutrition label is designed to confuse and mystify, with a little education and a handy primer, you can become an instant nutrition-label expert.

Here's a breakdown of some key label items and how they relate to The South Beach Diet® from top to bottom:

Serving Size. Serving sizes are standardized by product type and based on the amount of food a typical person consumes. For example, a can of diet soda will always contain one serving no matter who manufactures it. Many products contain more than one serving size within the package. While The South Beach Diet® doesn't require you to count servings for most foods, there are certain exceptions, like nuts. That's why it's helpful to understand serving sizes. Also, if you are experiencing a weight-loss stall, our nutritionists suggest cutting back on certain foods, such as reduced-fat cheeses. Again, this is where serving sizes come into play on The South Beach Diet®.
Carbohydrates, Dietary Fiber, and Sugars. If you're following The South Beach Diet®, you already know you don't need to count carbs. On the other hand, you do need to be aware of dietary fiber — a listing that appears beneath carbohydrates on the food label. Choose whole-grain breads that contain at least 3 grams of fiber and cold cereals in the 3 to 4.9 grams range or higher. When it comes to sugars (also listed below carbohydrates on the label), this number represents the sum of sugars that occur naturally (like lactose and glucose) plus added sugars. Rather than focusing on this number, take a peek at the ingredient list to check for added sugars — and avoid products made with them.
Fat. This section is always broken down into saturated and trans-fat content. Unsaturated fats may be listed voluntarily, but manufacturers are not required to list them; they are included in the total fat calculations. Avoid products with 20 percent or more of the daily recommended value of saturated fat, as well as those that contain trans fats. You can determine which products contain good fats, like canola and extra-virgin olive oil, by checking for these oils in the ingredient list.
Calories. This is a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of the product. The South Beach Diet® does not require you to count calories, so don't dwell on this panel.
Cholesterol and Sodium. While Dr. Agatston does not require you to limit your intake of these two items, your physician may suggest it. If this is the case, follow your doctor's recommendations.
Educate yourself and your family about these nutritional guidelines, and you'll be better able to make healthy choices when buying food.

Breakfast
4 slices of Ham
1 slice Balthazar Multi-Grain bread
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 stick Honey Pepper Beef Jerky
2 Sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Chinese
Hot and Sour Soup
Pork with Cabbage
Moo Shi Pork (2 pancakes, hoisin sauce)
Sliced chicken with spinach

Dinner
Chicken (cooked after its sell by date)
Emily's Leeks

After what felt like more than a responsible amount of Chinese food and all kinds of beef jerky, I thought I would come home and just eat leafy green salads, but Emily had made our chicken (that we were unsure about throwing out or not) so we ate it, and without incident. I guess three days is okay, but you always wonder, don't you? Well I do. I try to make anything more than three days from the day I got it at the store. But I must say that Emily and I have come a long way from where I used to be. I bought a lot of stuff that eventually got thrown out. I suspect everyone has some product that they continue to buy, even though it simply will not get eaten. For me it was (obviously) deli turkey. It took a few years for me to realize I'm not going to eat this turkey. Luckily for me and my children, that's all behind me now.

Year 2, Day 161: Day of Oriental Fish

In a surprise last-minute turn of events, we got a babysitter and Emily and went to play tennis outside. It was a perfect night of no humidity. We played at the JCC since the indoor courts are so hot and really only suitable when the weather is inclement. There were annoying people on the court when we got there, but they left after the first set, which I won, 6-3. As we started the second set, we moved over (we were on the middle court) to the far court and a so-called "Tennis clinic" came in and insisted on playing on the court next to us, even though they could have easily played on the far court, furtherest away from us. This caused Emily and I to roll our eyes and become very sill. She took the second set 7-6 (7-1) after getting me down 5-1. Then we went to a sushi place for something quick and noticed the restaurant had a picture of Magnolia on their wall! They took it last time we were there, which was about a year ago.

Breakfast
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-Grain
4 Slices Ham
Green Tea
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter (Super Chunky)

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
4 sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: The Elephant Walk
Salade Cambodgienne
(Shredded cabbage, carrots and chicken with red
bell pepper, onion, peanuts, mint and Asian basil;
dressed with tuk trey)
Grilled, Boneless Trout
Bamboo Basket of Vegetables (Steamed baby bok choy, asparagus, utoy, summer
squash snow peas and red bell pepper)

Dinner: Sushi
Miso Soup
Salad
Edamame
Sashimi Combo: Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail, Crab
5 Raisins (Magnolia made me eat them)

The Elephant Walk, as you may have guessed, is a special place reserved only for special people, and today I went out with a recent ex-co-worker. We may have ordered wrong, since the bamboo basket was bland, but we had a good time. My friendship with this employee feels to me very much like my discovery of the Balthazar outlet store not five minutes from my father-in-law's house (which is being sold in two weeks). I don't think I properly explored it or took advantage of it, and soon it will be far away from where I am most days. But I sure am grateful for what I got when I got it.

Year 2, Day 160: Baba Day

This day, the luckiest of all days in Chinese lore is called Father's Day, because the number eight (ba) twice sounds like the word for Father. My father's day present was that I got to be alone with the kids while Emily played in a tennis tournament. The night was so beautiful that we all spent most of the time outside, with Ruby and Magnolia playing with their next neighbors on the slide. It's amazing how the ingredients of four kids, a summer evening and a slide is really all you need to have a good time. After a while, Magnolia wanted her abschminke (blanket) and we had to retire inside, but Ruby was still going an hour later. I literally had to get out the fishing rod and hook to reel her in, and she was kicking all the way at that.

Breakfast
1 slice Balthazar multi-grain bread
4 slices ham
green tea

Snack
2.5 oz 50% jalapeno cheddar
4 sticks beef jerky
diet pepsi

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Salad with Feta and Grilled Chicken
Red Wine Vinegar

Dinner
93% Sirloin Burger
Pickles
Peppadews
Romaine, Cabbage, Red Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinegar
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

On reviewing many of my days, I realize the next thing to give up is probably red meat. Might still seek out some grass-fed beef before that. I'm worried that I'm a victim of 'corn-fed' raising, and that I won't like it. But it's on my list. Right along with starting my regimen of situps. When will that happen?

Year 2, Day 159: 6 Miles and 60 Minutes

I had originally intended to take Monday off from work because I thought I'd be going to New York with Emily after the pig roast. We decided it wasn't necessary and probably not a very good idea at that. A few work things made it necessary for me to go in, but no one wants to 'give back' a day they took off, so I decided to go in late and leave early. By going in late, I knew I could get to the gym, and I had hoped it would be my second trip in two days. Because the gym was closed when I got there yesterday, it would be first trip in quite a while. With my new Video iPod (thanks Mom) I got on the elliptical and did 6 miles (a new record) in 60 minutes. Then I thought: man, I could do this for another hour if only someone would get me some more water. I thought about getting a machine for home, but I can count the individual hours that I have to myself, and they are few. That doesn't mean I don't get them, but most of them come at night, when I find that working out is not ideal.

Breakfast
2 slices Balthazar bread
4 slices Ham
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Green Tea

Snack
1 small Banana
1 oz. Soy Crispettes (Cheddar)
Diet Coke

Lunch
Cabbage, Romaine, Red Pepper, Peppadew, Celery Salad with Chicken and Balsamic Vinegar

Dinner
93% Sirloin Burger
Broccoli
Peppadews
Pickles

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal this week about how fat actually aids you in getting the right amount of nutrition. Because of their subscription policy, and the draconian security surrounding my use of Lexis-Nexis at work, I can not share the article with you, but to sum it up, it was 'don't skip ALL fat from your diet, because it's counterproductive if you're trying to lose weight and eat well.' The South Beach diet book describes how a sour cream can actually make the potato you're eating better for you by 1) slowing down the absorption of starch, and 2) by aiding you in absorbing what nutrients there are. The Wall Street Journal article used avocados in their study, and showed how it helped in the absorption of nutrients from the salsa, like lycopene. So don't skip the fat (entirely) and most of all, don't eat potatoes.

Year 2, Day 158: Vermints

The amazing thing about the B&B was not that it had been someone's house before becoming a B&B but that the room David and I stayed in looked a lot like the room that we used to stay in when we went to visit our grandparents in Philadelphia. That room, with its uncomfortably high twin beds and over abundance of abandoned dressers, each brimming with an unknown collection of whoseewhatits was always a special place. The B&B also had uncomfortably high beds, but they firm, unlike the ones in my youth, that probably had been firm at one time, and they were just broken by years of systematic destruction the cause of which had been incessant jumping by grandkids. For that reason, the room reminded me of how excited I used to get by the thought of 'different TV channels,' a concept that is rendered quaint by some and unfathomable by most children. Along with strip-mall-ization of America, the the corporate-tizing of American cinema (90% of all American movie theaters show the same 15 movies at any given time) came the streamlining of American TV. Yes, each city and state has different channels but Nickelodeon, The Cartoon Network and the Disney Channel are in every state, so that's what kids watch because it's what their parents rely on. When we were kids we used to delight in some of the local Philadelphia shows, one in particular called Captain Noah, where some local guy (who was no Captain Kangaroo) would come on and host cartoons. There were only two real chairs in the TV room (for my grandmother and father) and four cousins (at the time) so it was always a race to get up early and get a real 'seat' instead of having to lay on the floor. Although many times I valued sleep over a 'seat', I never wanted to sleep so long that Hodge Podge Lodge, the most boring of all PBS children's shows was the only thing on.

Breakfast 1
Tomato, Feta Omelet
Side of Bacon
Coffee
2 Strawberries
ass't blueberries
3 bites of a small pancake with Vermont maple syrup

Snack
2 pork sausages
refried beans
1 oz cheddar cheese

Lunch: Legal Seafoods
Rainbow Trout
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Broccoli with Cheese
3 Oysters

Dinner
Cabbage, Romaine & Red Pepper salad
Chicken Breast
Peppadews
1 Glass Red Wine

We stopped by the farm on our way out of town and picked up some roasted pig to go. While there, we had a little more breakfast to fortify us for the long haul back. No matter what, the drive home, when it's in multi-hour range, always seems to take longer if you ask me. All I could think about was getting to the gym to make up for the previous night. After a brief interlude at Legal Seafoods for lunch, I dropped David off at his house, emptied the car and got on home. By the time I was unpacked and ready to go the gym (I got a new iPod and had not yet filled it up), it was nearly five. By the time I got to the JCC the janitor told me it was closed. While I thought it was for an obscure holiday, it's actually just that they close at 4:30 on Sundays during the summer. Fortunately, I had my swim trunks and a towel in the car, so I popped into the pool, which was pretty deserted and swam 9 laps. My previous best was 3 laps (that's one back and forth for each lap). I figured, I'll just keep going and see how many I can do. After all, I usually work out for about 45 minutes, so I tried to swim for as long as I could. All but 1.5 laps were the crawl. The remaining ones were comprised of a very poorly executed series of backstrokes. Even though I broke my record times three, I can't say it felt the same as working out. But it was all I was going to get, and better than nothing, so I went home and ate dinner.

Year 2, Day 157: The Pig Roast

It's a long story. Do you have time? Get a drink and sit down at the computer. My friend Gary has a farm in Vermont. Three years ago, he had first ever pig-roast. This is an event, if you haven't already guessed, where the host acquires a pig, and cooks it till it's crispy. People come from all around, and party like it's 1999 until the food (in this case the pig) is cooked and ready to eat. The first year Gary had it, he mentioned it like "hey I'm doing this crazy thing." Last year, Gary formally invited all the guys who play in the card game to come. None of us went. We really all thought he was putting us on that he even wanted us to come, and I personally thought he was bonkers, since I have hard time getting six guys to come to the place in MASSACHUSETTS to play cards for the NIGHT, even after they've AGREED to show up. Now, he thinks he can get those same guys three hours north with a stay overnight with a simple request and an email? Clearly, he was unprepared the level of non-action he got. In what I think was the cold shoulder and what he has claimed is the longest coincidental period of him not speaking to us in history, he showed his feelings were hurt. So even though he didn't tell us his feelings were hurt, we all decided to make a concerted effort to go to the next one. David immediately reserved a Bed and Breakfast. Gary suggested we all bring our kids, but the thought of our kids running down the green mountain of Vermont unsupervised and frolicking in the moose droppings was not winning any Mothers over. People who know me know I refer to the mountains only as "Tick-squito Land" and imagine that Dick and Perry live behind each long, windy, unnamed country road. David and I went alone.

It just so happened that the weekend, a lot of things conspired to KEEP us from going to the pig roast. For starters, my father's only trip to Boston was that weekend (when he returns from his time share on Block Island) and this is when David and I (and our families) would usually see him. On top of that, Emily's family decided THIS would be the optimal weekend to clean out their father's house, which they are selling in New Jersey. Then David's kids both came down with something. Like Horton Hatches the Egg, we were doggedly determined to get this pig roast. Now if I could tell you that the car broke down and....well, everything went well from the time we left, except the B&B gave us bad directions and we wasted 40 minutes going out of our way because they said on their confirmation email that no 'live person would be there after 8:00pm'. It was an excellent B&B (more on that later) but I'm still holding a grudge about their directions. It was about five lines. 'Take route 107 to 100' it said, without mentioning that that part of the journey would take 20 minutes. It was teeth-gnashing, really.

We got there around 5. There were living people there, and we got our keys. Everyone was very nice, evidence that we were not in New York or Boston. We asked if there was a better way to the pig roast, and in fact, there was. The new route, over the road THEY WERE ON took five minutes! When we got there, the pig was already cooked, which was a relief because we were very hungry. I had a hard time deciding what to eat and what not to eat. David and I took on another family from Brookline in Badminton, and split games. David and I then played each other in the "who's first to have a heart attack' badminton finals. I won both games, 21-14 and 21-18. The amazing thing is that we played badminton with a volleyball net (way too long and high) and on a field the size of a tennis court. So you're covering this amazing amount of ground, and unlike tennis, you don't have a bounce, so when the shuttlecock goes over your head, all you can do is laugh because it's a completely preposterous set up. I could only hope that I burned off both ears of sweet, sweet corn that I ate.

After four games of badminton, I treated myself to seconds. Then came the smores. Alice, Gary's wife and the co-host, came out with a bag full of hershey bars, stay-pufts, and graham crackers. Kids scattered like ants from a water balloon to find appropriate sticks, which they studied like rabbinical scholars to see if they were properly outfitted for the job of keeping a marshmallow in the fire till it was black. Just like the cotton candy at Ruby's party (for which kids lined up in the rain to have seconds and thirds) the children, to my observation, never again left the campfire site where the smores were, except those perhaps, whose parents insisted on staying close by to monitor their intake. I naturally eschewed them. Though I like all the individual ingredients, I never really understood the fervor which people approach smores. I guess it's a melty-chocolate-gooey-marshmallow-crunchy graham crust-texture kind of thing. Now if there had been pecan pie and ice cream, that would have been trouble.

Breakfast
1 Cup kashi Go Lean/heritage flakes
1 cup Strawberries/Blueberries
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Snack
3 handfuls of Cashews/Almonds

Lunch
Spinach, Feta Omelet with Sliced Tomatoes
Side of Bacon

Dinner
Pork (what else)
2 ears of corn
cole slaw
beans

After-Dinner Drinks
2 glasses red wine
2 beers (UFO)
1/2 package of microwave popcorn
spicy peanuts picked out of the bar mix

After the moon started lighting the sky, it was time to go. We returned to the hotel bar, which was comprised of four five seats and took two of them. I decided that this would be a good time to drink, so David and I worked our way through the bar, keeping the staff busy and entertained while they cleaned up, wrote their reports, and waited for some endless talkers to ask for their check. I must say that you can't really sit at a bar for two hours without becoming ravenously hungry, which is funny because you're not really doing anything but sitting. I asked them if they had any plain nuts, but they said no. I think I actually asked them if I could bring my almonds in from the car. They politely declined, but offered me some microwave popcorn (I assume from their private collection, since it was non the menu). I dove into it head long. I also had my first beer (or two) in about a year and a half. It was called UFO, which stands for unfiltered offering. It's made from wheat instead of barley and it was FANTASTIC. Not sure whether it was 'end of a long day beer tastes great' or actually the beer that was fantastic, but I had a sip of David's and ordered one of my own. Then another. Of course by that time, I needed to be carried upstairs on a gurney, which happened not too much later. I was thinking "I've got to get to the gym tomorrow, but absolutely." When they lowered me down, I went to bed with sweet dreams of dancing plates of pulled pork in my head.

Year 2, Day 156: Return of Walks

Today Ruby had another field trip, this time to the aquarium. It sounded to me like a much more age appropriate field trip than the museum. I am probably just a philistine in that way. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what she should have in her packed lunch, vs. what she have for breakfast. She has oft favored a hamburger for breakfast, but we didn't have any fresh chopped meat. All we had was pre-fab burgers with sweet onions. She loves the regular Bubba's, but when I served this to her she asked me "what's in this?" Which all parents know is the question of doom for any new food item that is served to your kid. I like it because the taste reminded me of White Castle, even though at their best they were probably not very good. This fact was often obscured because whenever you were there you were either 'under the influence' or it was your hamburger of last resort.

Breakfast
4 slices Ham
1 slice balthazar rye bread
1/2 Bubba's Hamburger with Sweet Onions (that Ruby didn't eat)
1 cherry

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
4 sticks Beef Jerky
2 stalks celery

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken and Feta
Oil & Vinegar dressing

Dinner:
More burger
Cabbage/Lettuce salad with Feta, Balsamic Vinegar
Slices of Turkey
3 Chicken Nuggets

A beautiful day after a week of heat and rain and we finally got out there again. We brought the new guy on his first walk. He did well. In that crowd, I was the slowest, but I held up OK. Came home and it was a sort of 'grab what you can' dinner. I made a salad of leftovers and Emily and I split it on the porch, overlooking the beautiful day's sunset on the park, our children, and the summer. It was a moment that deserved a better meal (or at least a cocktail) but in my quest to deromanticize food I simply crunched loudly on my cabbage and enjoyed it.

Year 2, Day 155: Four Russo's in a Row

It has almost become comic how the little staff at Domania so frequently go to Russo's. It's funny, but in my role as Food Services Director and Trailblazer of New Food Places, I sent out an email to the team that Russo's had recently completed a total renovation and was "a destination to add into your rotation." That was in 2003. Maybe folks in the office went there once a month, IF that much. That crew of people (nearly all different) were more into other foods that I no longer consume, like obviously Subs and the like. This week, I have been to Russo's four times in a row and amazingly, my enthusiasm has not waned.

Breakfast
1 Slice Balthazar Rye
5 slices Ham
Green Tea
5 Cherries

Continuing to keep my eye on all the new products that come out, I found that Jimmy Dean is now featuring a product called "Pancakes & Sasusage On a Stick" (Pancake batter covering a sausage link)— Chocolate Chip. They are being touted as "Delicious AND Fun" on the box, but "fun on a stick" in the description below.

From Jimmydean.com: Jimmy Dean full-flavored sausage inside a sweet pancake covering - it's fun on a stick. Just pop these sweet treats in the microwave for less than 2 minutes and you'll have a hearty breakfast or snack that's not only filling but easy to eat and enjoy. Plus, each package includes packets of Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup.

Year 2, Day 154: Renouncing Strawberries, Now

I have learned my lesson. Long time readers may remember that have at least three sisters-in-law that repeatedly schooled me about the quality of corn during the off season. Their disdain for non-August corn was so great that was I often ashamed to be seen with any corn when I was with them in other months. Now I have come to my own conclusion about Strawberries. You just can't buy them after about the second week of July. You can, obviously, because Driscoll seems to make them available year round. But after you've had a straight-from-the earth strawberry, even from a strawberry farm that declares there are 'no strawberries' after promoting the event in a local paper, you can never go back. I have just purchased (but not necessarily eaten) my last out-of-season strawberry. It's hard to renounce Strawberries because not only do I love them so but they are the lowest carb, lowest sugar of the berry family. And as we get a peek of the end of summer's approach, I can tell that the blueberries and raspberries won't be with us long either. [sigh]


Breakfast
1.5 cups Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
1 Cup Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries
1 cup of probably not very good USM
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
3 sticks Beef Jerky
2 Sticks celery

Lunch: Russo's ($4.98)
Red leaf, red onion, red pepper
broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, feta
balsamic vinegar

Dinner
Hamburger
Yellow Beans
Cabbage Salad with Feta
Pickles
1 Peppadew

Every once in a while I think of a little thing that helps me in my constant battle against unnecessary eating and I figure I would share it with readers. Today's thing is toothpaste. I can't tell you helpful it is if you can brush your teeth almost immediately after finishing dinner. Of course, if your bathroom is on another floor it might not be as easy for you, but you might want to keep a second set of your dental tools (toothbrush, floss, red tip, tongue scraper). Your minty mouth can really help you fight off that urge for something sweet when it comes calling (and darlings, it ALWAYS comes calling sometimes) around an hour after dinner.

Year 2, Day 153: Beef Jerky Returns

Today a co-worker received a package of Buffalo Bill's beef jerky, which to my mind, is the greatest beef jerky on the face of the planet. Available from http://www.choochoorsnacks.com. This co-worker came across the product from an unsolicited email (read: beef jerky from spam) and decided to give it a try. During a week he was off to buy his house, another co-worker and I decided to order all of the other known beef jerkies we could to try them and find a better one. We could not. Most people recoil from the though of beef jerky, and for good reason. It is often a combination of the worst flavors and textures of the beef-eating experience: too chewy, too salty and often, too sweet, which is a cover up for a poor quality of meat. This jerky just seems to have it in the right combination. It's also VERY SoBe friendly—one 7" stick is 35 calories, with less than 1g of carbs, negligible sugars or anything else problematic. Predictably, it's high in sodium (327g per stick), but that's to be expected. It also has 7g of protein, making it a great on the go snack. One of the reasons we don't get it too much is that we often can't stop eating the strips until the whole bag is gone.

Breakfast
1 Cup Heritage Flakes/Kashi Go Lean
Strawberries
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Snack
12 oz. Coffee
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheese
5 Sticks Beef Jerky
1 stick celery

Lunch: Russo's $5.12
Red leaf, red onion, red pepper
broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, feta
balsamic vinegar

Dinner
Emily's Tuna
with Leeks, Scallions, Peppers & Onions

After Dinner/Neighbor's House
a few raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
one spare rib with FIRE hot sauce
a little bit of Brighams ice cream

EATING WELL; New Serving Sizes: Confusion in Fat City
By MARIAN BURROS Published: May 10, 2000

Now that the nutrition police of the 1980's and 90's have been silenced, Americans are going hog wild, eating more food than ever and eating it in larger quantities. Food manufacturers are happily encouraging the eating binge by providing single-serving packages that are often twice as big as they used to be. It's an easy way to sell more food and make more money.

This has made it extremely difficult for that small percentage of shoppers who rely on nutrition labeling to sort out calories and portion sizes. The companies are doing nothing illegal. The Food and Drug Administration has given them permission.

Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts illustrates the point. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which sets serving sizes for all food, says that a single serving of peanuts is 28 grams, about an ounce. But it also says that a single serving can be up to 60 grams, or two ounces. So if you buy a package of peanuts that contains 56 grams, or about two ounces, the label says it is a single serving; that serving contains 310 calories. But if the package weighs more than 60 grams, under the law a single serving has to be considered one ounce. On a three-ounce package, or 84 grams, the nutrition label says it contains three servings, and each serving contains 140 calories.

According to Ann Smith, a spokeswoman for Nabisco, which owns Planters, the different sizes ''fill consumer needs and demands for a lunchbox or single serving, and the three-ounce package is one you put in your purse or gym bag to share with someone else.'' But do you?

Who is going to take the time to figure out the difference in calories among the various Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? One supermarket carried six different packages and four different calorie counts. In packages of Reese's snack size, two pieces equal a serving and contain 190 calories. In Reese's Miniatures, a serving equals five pieces and contains 210 calories. In ReeseSticks, a serving is a whole package and contains 230 calories. In Reese's six-pack, one serving is one package and contains 250 calories.

For the full article:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9905E2DB1138F933A25756C0A9669C8B63