Focusing on the Food: Week 5 Check-In

After five weeks of changing my eating habits and just over one-third of the way to my goal weight, I've discovered one of the most important - and most pleasurable - aspects of this eating plan: It reminds me to really enjoy my food. To focus on what I'm eating. To savor each bite. 

As much as I hate the word "mindfulness," this eating plan has made me realize that I need to eat mindfully. I had never noticed how often I do other things while I eat, so instead of enjoying the snack I thought I was craving, I just shove food into my gob while focusing on something else. I'd sit on the couch with a bag of tortilla chips and eat them while I caught up on e-mail, or worked a crossword puzzle, or watched a movie, and suddenly I'd look down to find that half the bag was gone but I didn't even remember eating it. The point of tortilla chips is not nutrition, it's pleasure, and I had completely cheated myself out of the pleasure of eating them because I wasn't paying attention. Now, if I want tortilla chips, I put a small handful on a plate, close the bag and put it back in the cupboard, then I eat them one at a time, focusing on the delicious saltiness, the crunch, the flavor. I savor each chip. I enjoy eating that small serving of chips much, much more than I used to enjoy eating half the bag. 

It's the same with eating meals. The point here is a combination of nutrition and pleasure, but taking the time to consider the amount I need to eat in order to get the proper amount of nutrition reminds me that the pleasure of eating is also limited. Knowing that I don't get a second serving even if it's really delicious encourages me to enjoy the serving in front of me. So I eat more slowly in order to savor the tastes and textures, with the result that my stomach has more time to register that I'm full, so I feel more satisfied with a smaller portion. Win-win!

Are there times when I just want to shovel a giant pile something delicious into my face? Yes! Are there tough days when I want to knock back that cocktail like a western hero in a saloon with a shot of whisky? Also yes. But the pleasure is over too quickly when I do that. I'm learning that prolonging that enjoyment without adding unnecessary calories is actually more pleasurable. 

And speaking of more pleasurable, I've also reached the point where my clothes are fitting noticeably differently - and I've been able to wear some clothes that were uncomfortably snug (or unwearable) before I started this journey. I even shrunk out of a belt and into one I haven't worn in ages. I'm changing my habits primarily for health reasons (I have several medical conditions that are significantly impacted by carrying even a few extra pounds), but the side effect of looking better is a positive motivator. 

The bottom line is that there are a number of factors that are making my new habits easier to stick with. Visible results is one; more enjoyment in eating is another. Isn't it funny how eating less but eating differently can be more satisfying rather than less? Focus on your food!

Quote for the Week: The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor. 

- Chinese Proverb

10-Pound Milestone: Week 4 Check-In

I started my weight loss journey on January 7, at a nearly all-time high weight of 178.6 pounds. Four weeks in, weighing in at 168.6 pounds, I am excited to share that I have hit the 10-pound mark! I am also excited to share that my weight loss "regimen" has begun to feel natural and normal. In other words, I'm not spending all my time thinking about food.

That definitely was not true the first week or two of this diet. My inner monologue when I started usually went something like this, "There's a box of cookies over there on the kitchen table. I would like a cookie. I would REALLY like a cookie. I probably shouldn't have a cookie. But a week ago, I'd have eaten 3 cookies, so if I only eat one, I've still cut my intake by 2/3! Naw, I'll be good. But I REALLY want a cookie..." and on and on. The cravings were not just cravings, they were CRAVINGS. I mean, they were cray-cray cravings. I had to consciously and actively distract myself from food to avoid driving myself crazy. 

But I soon discovered that the less I ate those tempting treats, the less I wanted to eat them. Refusing to give in and eat that cookie the first time made it easier to not give in to the cookie the second time. The reverse was also true: when I DID give in and eat the cookie - or drink the larger glass of wine, or order the dessert or appetizer, or eat that piece of bread - it was harder not to give in the next time. Progress begets progress! The more I resisted, the less effort it took to continue resisting. Now my inner monologue is much more along the lines of, "I want a cookie. Eh, maybe tomorrow."

I have no doubt that as time goes on, there will be days when I fall off the wagon. I've had a few of those so far, although to be fair they've mainly been planned days of celebration that I have tried to compensate for on days before and after (with varying levels of success). If you look at my weight tracking, you can easily figure out my splurge days by the upward "blips" in the descending curve. And that's okay! Those splurge days remind me both how quickly the overindulgence in treats shows up on the scale and that it's easier to stick to my day-to-day eating plan when I know that I'm not completely eliminating any of my favorites from my diet. For me, planning and compensating for those treats makes skipping them the rest of the time tolerable. 

My plan from the beginning of this journey was to find a way of eating that I could maintain long-term, that would not completely eliminate my favorite foods, but that would help me develop awareness and self-control in my eating habits. I also wanted a plan that could be reasonably modified to transition from a weight-loss plan to a maintenance plan that I would be able to stick with for, well, the rest of my life. I realize that at only 4 weeks in, I can't be certain that things won't change, but as of right now, I feel like being conscious of what I'm eating (and drinking), considering "trade-offs" whenever I feel the need to splurge, and keeping an eye on my portion sizes is a system that will work for me long-term. Hopefully at some point I won't need to write down everything I eat, but it's good to know that if my weight starts to creep back up again, I have an easy way of keeping myself accountable that really works for me. 

Bottom line? It's going well, but if I start to plateau or creep back, it won't be the end of the world. I can see that those blips don't change the general trend of heading towards my goal weight. 

Quote of the week: It's not about perfect, it's about effort.
And when you bring that effort every single day,
that's when transformation happens. - Jillian Michaels 

Dieting & Trade-Offs: Week 3 Check-In

My current weight is 171 pounds even (it went as low as 170.4, but bounced back a bit). Nearly eight  pounds down is not bad for 3 weeks in! 

Here's what I've learned this week: When you have a food-related event coming up, it's best to plan ahead. I've developed a system of exchanges that allows me "treats," but it works best for me if I don't restrict those exchanges to a single 8-hour eating period. Let me explain.

First of all, I call these splurges "treats" rather than "cheats" because a "cheat" implies that you're going outside of your diet plan. My personal diet plan incorporates "treats" as an expected part of my eating. If I thought I could never eat a chocolate-chip cookie or drink a sugar-laden cocktail ever again, my diet plan would never work. But knowing that I can enjoy "treats" within reason makes my plan a lot more manageable for me. Here's how I handle treats: I plan a trade-off for each treat. For example, if I decide I want an iced coffee from Dunk's, I figure I should give up one of my 3 weekend cocktails. Do I want that iced coffee more than I want that lemon drop martini on Friday night? Sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes it's no. But it makes me conscious of the choices that I'm making. A lot of commercial diet plans restrict your total calories by the day, so if I wanted that iced coffee on Thursday, I'd need to give up something else on Thursday so my total caloric intake for that day would be under a certain arbitrary amount. I find that thinking about my food intake over a longer period of time, such as a week, is much more manageable. I already have weekend cocktails built into my plan, so that's an obvious choice to give up. But sometimes I might feel like, "Eh, I don't need a whole serving of mashed potatoes with dinner tonight", or "I'm going to drink my coffee black today and then have a mug of sweet hot cocoa when I get home from work," or even "I'm not that hungry today but I really want a cookie so that cookie will be my whole lunch." 

This works especially well when my schedule calls for food-related events. Over the past week or so, I had two big social events involving food: a (very) belated Christmas party with friends, and a women's potluck event at my church. For the first event, I planned ahead by skipping breakfast (which I frequently do anyway; I find my morning energy level is not much different when I have two pieces of toast than when I only have coffee) and having a handful of cashews as a late lunch. I also planned out ahead of time what my limits were: I would eat small servings of anything I wanted, I would eat slowly and stop when I was full, and I would limit myself to one cocktail and one (small) glass of wine, or two glasses of wine. Similarly, for the potluck event, I ate less than usual during the day, and then allowed myself to have a sample of everything, but promised myself not to go back for seconds of anything. In addition, I planned to skip my usual cocktail on either Friday or Saturday. In fact, I ended up not having a cocktail both nights, because I simply didn't feel a particular need to have one! In both situations, I really enjoyed everything I ate, and I didn't feel like I was being overly restricted. Over the course of the week, my food intake balanced out quite well. 

I've never been good at counting calories, and I could never be bothered with weighing my food to calculate exactly what my caloric intake is, or to make exact trade-offs. But it's not really meant to be about a perfectly even exchange. It's about being aware of what I'm eating and making conscious decisions rather than eating out of habit or convenience. By consciously swapping out foods that I know are richer, sweeter, or fattier than is good for me, I can keep things reasonably in balance. Is the number of calories in a "glug" of half and half (I have no idea how many tablespoons are in a "glug," nor do I care) roughly equal to the cookie I traded it for? Not a clue, but simply considering the exchange made me think about how badly I wanted that cookie. I've surprised myself at how often, when I stop and think about whether I want to eat something, I find that I don't, or at least I don't mind skipping it. As I mentioned last week, I added a column to my spreadsheet listing temptations I've resisted (this week that column includes a burger and fries, seconds on dinner, tortilla chips, a stop at Dunkin Donuts, an entire dessert tray, a Saturday night cocktail, and breakfast from McDonald's), which is a real encouragement to me, particularly when I give in to a treat - yes, I'm splurging, but look how many times recently I would have splurged but decided not to merely because I stopped to think about it. This week I also added a column for treats that I enjoyed - not to shame me for eating sugar and fat, but to remind me that I can still have "unhealthy" foods in moderation. It's easier for me to resist that cookie when I look at my spreadsheet and remember that I just had a cookie (or an iced coffee, or a handful of tortilla chips, or pancakes with syrup, or a midweek glass of wine) a couple of days ago. 

One aspect of my diet plan that doesn't really fit in my spreadsheet is portion size. As stated above, I can't be bothered to weigh or measure each serving I eat, but I am avoiding seconds and trying to take smaller portions, especially of carb-heavy sides like potatoes and rice. In addition, I'm avoiding add-ons like bread or rolls, appetizers, and even sauces and condiments. It's amazing to me how quickly those calories add up. A dinner roll with butter can run 200 to calories; a dollop of sour cream is 30 calories, half and half and sugar are 60 calories, a single cocktail is 200-300 calories, and two slices of bread with butter is a whopping 350 calories! But on the flip side, what about treats? A single Oreo cookie is about 50 calories, a whole apple is 100 calories, a couple of tablespoons of hummus is 50 calories. So sensible trade-offs can really have an effect on my overall calorie intake, especially when judged over the course of a week!

I'm sure that I'll continue to tweak my plan as time goes on, and I have no doubt I will hit slower periods and plateaus in my weight loss journey, but by my calculations, if I can keep this trend going I'll be able to hit my goal weight of 150 pounds in about 9 more weeks, or by mid-April. Which, since I'm aiming for reaching that goal by my nephew's wedding in early July, gives me lots of wiggle room. But so far, it seems like not only an attainable goal, but a way of eating - and thinking about eating - that I can sustain in the long term, and not just while I'm actively working on losing weight. We'll see how it goes!

Quote for the week: "Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health." ~ Julia Child

The 2024 Emmy Awards Red Carpet - How To Get "The Looks"

I am a big fan of competitive fashion design shows such as Project Runway and Making the Cut. And one of my favorite challenges is when the designers have to create a "high fashion" look and a related "accessible" look. In other words, one outfit would look at home on a red carpet worn by a celebrity and one outfit would look at home in my closet and on my body, but they share common elements. And since I always watch red carpet events while thinking, "Wow, I'd love to be able to wear an outfit like that," this year's review of the Emmy Awards red carpet will show some of the best celebrity outfits alongside a commercially available "real person" look. 

Padma Lakshmi's chartreuse silk gown designed by Marchesa, top, featured a Grecian-inspired wrapped bodice trimmed with narrow chains and a super-full yet soft skirt topped with a narrow self-belt. A similar lime-green gown from Sumintras ($140) features a corset-style lace bodice with criss-cross straps and a full skirt with thigh-high slit also topped with a narrow self-belt. The corset top is more slimming and supportive, and the less voluminous skirt is more flattering on most figures. 

Jenna Ortega's silver strapless tea-length Dior dress featured a bell-shaped skirt with a hoop-skirt structure visible through the semi-sheer fabric, which was embellished with delicate pale green and lavender three-dimensional flowers. For a less-intimidatingly structured (and more easily maneuverable) look, try this tea-length lace frock from Lord & Taylor ($500),  which also features a delicate floral pattern and semi-sheer fabric in the 3/4-length sleeves and yoke over a strapless underbodice. 

  

Cody Heller's bubblegum pink retro 1950's-inspired strapless tea length dress with tulle skirt was clearly a tribute to Barbie. But since that particular shade of pink is a bit too intense for most of us, how about this similar style blush pink dress from JojoDress ($300), featuring a wide wrapped belt, tulle ballerina skirt, and just a touch of lace?

Zuri Hall was stunning in a chocolate brown strapless wrapped-bodice mermaid gown by Wayne Clark. You can find a more forgiving silhouette with a softer sweetheart neckline, a similarly-wrapped bodice, and a less severe trumpet skirt from ChicSew ($130), which is available in multiple colors, including several delicious shades of brown.

Heather McMahan wore a simple black strapless sheath paired with a cropped bolero jacket with bell sleeves that fell to the floor and were edged with eyelash trim. If the jacket is a bit extreme for your taste, try pairing this simple strapless black crepe sheath from David's Bridal ($100) with this black velvet shrug with slightly raised collar and much more moderate 3/4-length bell sleeves from Amazon ($25). 

Christina Ricci wore a Saint Laurent black velvet sleeveless column with a super-plunging neckline that framed a stunning emerald tassel necklace designed by Martin Katz. If you have neither the cash nor the decolletage for this couture look, go for this less extreme sleeveless black column from Anthropologie ($300). It also has a deeply plunging (although significantly less revealing) v-neck and a subtle a-line silhouette, and it's begging to be paired with this gorgeous African turquoise tassel pendant from Mercari ($100).

Emily Hampshire's vivid red halter gown featured a twisted neckline with a keyhole opening, a slightly raised waistline, and a full skirt. Only slightly less dramatic is this red halter gown from Mac Duggal ($220), which features a halter neckline with similar keyhole and wide neckband, an empire waist, and a figure-flattering A-line silhouette.

Robin Thede's Ines Di Santo-designed blush-pink satin gown featured a boned corset-style bodice with gracefully curved lines and a satin skirt with a voluminous wrapped drape over what appeared to be a mermaid-cut base, with a rounded train. This look would be a bit much anywhere besides the red carpet, but this tamer ivory satin gown from Stacees ($150) features a modified corset bodice with a draped front but visible boning at the waist creating similar graceful lines, and a flared satin skirt with a twist feature over one hip at the top of a deep slit. 

Issa Rae's feather-bedecked high-neck ivory column, designed by Pamella Roland, was topped with a shift style (i.e., no defined waistline) overlay. A much prettier look, in my opinion, is this silver sequin gown with chiffon cape from Kohl's ($130). It features a figure-skimming modified shift silhouette and a round gathered neckline, and both slim dress and fuller cape are a pretty ankle length. 

Quinta Brunson took some criticism for her dusty pink crushed satin Dior tea-length gown - there's a fine line between "crushed" and "wrinkled" (especially when it comes to satin) that some felt she had crossed. But regardless, her scoop-neck gown featured narrow straps, a surplice (wrapped) top that created diagonal lines across the bodice, a simple self-belt, and a flared skirt. A similar look can be found in this dress from eShakti ($40), in a nearly identical shade of dusty pink dupioni, which provides a subtle texture to the fabric, and features similar narrow straps, surplice bodice, self-belt, and flared skirt - without the flap about wrinkled vs. crushed. 

Lisa Ann Walter's Greta Constantine gown (top) was cut in a mermaid style, with black satin on top and a vivid red flounce, and Jessica Williams's Rodarte gown (center) was also mermaid style with a black velvet top and a double-ruffle white tulle underlay. You can find a similarly striking silhouette in a slightly less jarring color palette with this black satin strapless mermaid gown with pale pink tulle flounce (bottom) from FashionNova ($140). 

Ali Wong wore a custom Louis Vuitton gown with a strapless silver sequin bodice with a sheer black sleeveless yoke and a bright blue straight skirt covered with multicolored flowers. A more understated version of this look with a softer silhouette is available from Editorialist ($170). This dress is a midnight blue with a light blue and silver embroidered pattern, with a strapless bodice and sheer sleeveless yoke and a slightly flared ankle-length skirt. 

Jessica Chastain's chartreuse Gucci gown was a sleeveless column with plunging v-neck and long, fringed overlay. Since no one (including, unfortunately, Jessica Chastain) can get away with that particular color, a better choice would be this emerald green fringed gown from Burlywoods ($180), which features a more flattering (and forgiving) wide v-neck, wide satin belt, and fringed peplum. 

Ellen Pompeo wore a Monique Lhuillier gown consisting of a flared black velvet skirt and a sheer metallic shirt with a white collar and short black tie over a basic bra. I wouldn't advise most of us to appear at a formal event with visible undergarments, but you could definitely pair this flared black velvet skirt from Amazon ($40) with this gold sequin button-up shirt from Nordstrom ($70), and even add a detachable white collar with black velvet bow from Etsy ($20), for an equally great look. 

Oh dear, where to start with Alex Borstein's disastrous outfit? It consisted of a sheer black lace corset-style minidress, topped with a cranberry-colored...I'm going to go with "garment"...that included a floor-length skirt overlay that was split up to the belt, and a long-sleeved halter top with wide straps that didn't really form a bodice but joined to a wide collar, and which had black and red feathers around the armscyes (if you didn't learn that word in my last fashion blog, it's a fancy word for "armholes"). I would transform this look into something an ordinary person could wear - and wear better - by starting with a less revealing black lace minidress, like this one from Hot Topic ($40), which has a lace overlay over a solid black base. And then to add color and coverage, and to echo the pretty neckband of the original, I'd top it with this long-sleeved cranberry chiffon shrug with lace-trimmed collar and cuffs from Walmart ($20).

Mychal-Bella Rayne wore a 2-piece gown with a satin trumpet-style skirt topped with a white strapless structured bodice with wide belt and modified peplum. A simplified, one-piece version of this look is available from Macy's ($130), and features a similarly-tailored black trumpet skirt and a white satin strapless wrapped empire waist bodice with an oversized bow and wide trailing ribbons at the back. 

Since I started with Padma Lakshmi, it seems only right to end with Gail Simmons. Simmons wore a Balmain Art Deco-inspired multicolored metallic sequin wrapped gown gather in to one hip, where the skirt opened in a broad slit. For a more wearable gown with a similar silhouette and feel, I recommend this metallic gold high-low wrap dress from The Dress Outlet ($400).

Happy shopping!

I'm a Little Less Fat: Week 2 Check-In

I'll admit that I'm actually a little surprised to be seeing results already, but there is a distinct downward trend in my weight. The past few days have been consistently in the 173.5-174.5 pound range, which means I've lost roughly 4 pounds in two weeks. Hooray!

Looking back at my initial post, here's how each of the parts of my diet and exercise plan have been working out:

• Drink less alcohol. I've been good about all aspects of this part so far. I've limited myself to a single drink only on weekend days only. We went out for dinner last night and I opted for just a cocktail and no wine (okay, I had one sip of my husband's wine), which is definitely a change to my usual routine. I've been successful in cutting my at-home cocktails with seltzer to reduce the alcohol and therefore the calorie content. On nights when I'm not drinking, I'll sometimes have flavored seltzer in a cocktail glass with a fancy garnish so I don't feel like I'm missing out. Starting this week, I'm going to continue cutting back by limiting myself to alcohol only on Fridays and Saturdays, with the occasional exception for going out to dinner, which I'll continue to limit to either a cocktail or wine, not both. 
• Shrink portion sizes. This aspect is a little harder to gauge. I'm certainly making an effort. There are some meals where this is easier to do than others. For example, when we had pork chops the other day, I naturally served myself a whole pork chop (which I then ate in its entirety). But when we had chicken fried rice, I served myself a smaller portion than I normally would. I still struggle with overdoing it on the carbs, especially bread. My family loves bread, and I love baking bread, so I don't want to remove it from our menus; I just need to work harder at resisting the temptation to eat the whole batch all at once. 
• Drink more water. This has been a mixed result, mainly based on my schedule, When I'm at home, I keep a mug of water nearby at all times. I use the "measured fill" function on the water dispenser in the fridge to drink in 16-ounce increments. Somehow it's easier to think of drinking a mug of water several times a day than it is to look at the larger (32-ounce) jug I bring to work - when I remember - and think about drinking the whole thing. I also find myself tending to drink more in the morning and less later in the day. I'd like to work on drinking more before dinner, so I'll feel fuller at dinnertime and therefore hopefully eat less. I'd also like to make more of an effort to bring water with me when I'm not at home, whether I'm at work or out running errands. 
• Walk every day. I'll be honest: this one has been a big fail. It's been too cold and snowy to go outside for walks, and I have yet to unearth the treadmill. So on days when I'm at home, my activity level is pretty much zero. On days I work, however, I have been consciously making an effort to get up and walk, even if it's as simple as keeping my laptop on one side of the room and the pieces I'm working on on the other side of the room, so I have to keep walking back and forth. It may only be 10 steps each time, but 10 steps there and 10 steps back times 80 or 100 does add up. 
• Write down all of the above. I have been faithful about keeping my spreadsheet. It has certainly made me more aware of what I eat, especially while I'm eating it - or before I choose whether or not to eat it! In addition to the original information - water intake, alcohol intake, activity level, foot eaten, and current weight - I've added a column for foods and drinks that I've resisted. My husband baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies the other day and the smell was driving me crazy. I really REALLY wanted one - just one - but I resisted, even after both my husband and my son asked if I wanted one. (My answer, both times, was, "Yes, desperately, but I'm not going to have one.") And after my son's school concert, the whole family had frappes but I didn't. Looking back at all the times I wanted some bread, or a cocktail, or a sweet treat, or a Dunks iced coffee, but chose not to have it, reminds me that I'm doing really well at resisting temptation and making healthier choices. Even choosing an apple with peanut butter for lunch instead of a PB&J is a baby step on cutting out unneeded calories. It reminds me that I'm making progress even when the scale might not reflect it. Looking back at the good choices I've made makes it easier to make good choices the next time, and the next. 
• Track my weight. Again, this isn't for everyone, especially not on a daily basis, but for me it's a daily (sometimes twice daily) reminder to keep that needle moving in the right direction. And with my app, it lets me see the general trend of my weight changes over time. 
• Blog at least once a week. Making my weight loss journey public - knowing that people will know if I'm not doing well - is a huge motivator for me. If I have a couple of extra cocktails or eat large portions or have a few desserts, I'll have to confess it publicly, or at least confess the resulting weight gain (or lack of loss). It makes me think twice before deciding to cheat (or hopefully not to cheat). 

I thought about including a mention in each blog of "cheats this week," but I realized that I don't want to think of deliberate food choices as "cheats." So instead, this week's "treats" were one Dunk's iced coffee with cream and sweetened flavoring, and an appetizer with dinner at a restaurant. Allowing myself a reward every now and then reminds me that I'm not giving up treats forever, but that I can choose to enjoy them within reason. And it encourages me to find another place to cut a few calories to balance it out. 

So as my journey continues, I plan to work on being more active, avoiding bread, continuing to reduce my portion sizes and alcohol intake, and drinking more water (especially later in the day). But so far, what I'm doing seems to be working, and it seems to be sustainable. 

Quote for the week: Your diet is a bank account. Good choices are good investments.