It wasn’t my fault—this time

I spent most of yesterday with the odd feeling that my timing was off. Last night I discovered why.

My alarm clock has a feature to automatically reset the clock when daylight saving time begins and ends. A great feature, except the government keeps changing the dates, so my clock is confused. Thursday morning at 2, my clock reset to 1 a.m., so when I got out of bed at 8:30 it was really 9:30. I discovered the time differential when I got under the covers long after Jay Leno’s monologue, but my clock read 11:30. Mystery solved!

So I spent a lot of time yesterday thinking that getting up too late was my fault, when it really wasn’t. I’m willing to take the blame when something’s my fault. Admit it, get past it, forget it.

Perception is a funny thing. Today I’m wearing a new pair of jeans in the same size that I recently shrunk into. The other jeans fit comfortably, but these, the same size and brand, are almost uncomfortably tight. A few times today I caught myself thinking, “These jeans are too tight because I’m too fat,” forgetting that I couldn’t even look at this size a few weeks ago. So today I’m telling myself that the jeans are just tight and they’ll be looser soon. Besides, the jeans are so tight that they’re keeping me from wanting to eat between meals for fear I’ll have a “food baby” that keeps the zipper from raising. (If you don’t know, a “food baby” is the phenomenon that a skinny actress can look pregnant if you photograph her right after lunch. I remember a message board arguing over whether a particular TV actress was expecting, but someone connected with the show pointed out that the scenes were shot after lunch.)

Have a great weekend, everyone. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back at 2 a.m. Sunday. This time for reals.

See you next week.

My mojo went on vacation

I think the world changed while I was asleep, because I keep missing bits of time here and there.

I woke up late today. I must have hit the snooze bar a few more times than I remember, because I got up, fed the critters and started getting dressed and realized it was an hour later than I thought it was. No time to make my shake this morning. I brewed up a sugar-free pumpkin spice latte while I loaded up my work stuff and picked up a meal-replacement bar. My surgeon’s office frowns on these bars unless you’re far along in your weight loss. Since I’m better than halfway done, I figure it’s OK occasionally. This bar had 32g of protein and wasn't too bad in the fat and carb department.  It was a nice complement to the latte.

Since I got in late, I felt behind all day, even though I wasn’t. I got my work done, and my meetings out of the way. Even had time for a flu shot at the on-campus clinic.

The daughter wants take-out Italian tonight, which I’ll probably get for her. I’m craving serious protein, so I’ll have some Trader Joe’s Apricot Rosemary Chicken salad that’s waiting for me in the fridge.

At least tomorrow is another day, and maybe I can start that one on time. Sunday morning we get back the hour lost to Daylight Saving Time.

See you tomorrow.

Getting used to new flavors

This morning I made a shake with new protein powder I bought: Isopure Zero Carb Protein Creamy Vanilla. It calls for 12 ounces of water, but I used 10 and added an ounce of Torani sugar-free syrup, in French vanilla. I whipped it up with my immersion blender and took a sip.

And realized I’m not a big fan of vanilla.

But that’s OK. I usually get chocolate powder, but I got vanilla because I can use it for a base for other flavors. Tomorrow I may add some frozen fruit and a nut flavoring. My daughter bakes, so we have plenty of extracts around the house. In addition, I have many sugar-free syrup flavors: peach, raspberry, lime, English toffee, caramel, hazelnut, cinnamon-brown sugar, pumpkin spice, plus chocolate and vanilla. I have a regular syrup in blood orange, and using that would add about 70 calories.  

I’ve heard of other people boosting the shake flavor by adding a teaspoon or two of sugar-free pudding powder in a corresponding flavor. I haven’t tried this yet, but it sounds like something that would work well.

I like getting the protein in early. My shake has about 50g of protein, then lunch has 15g-30g and the afternoon snack adds 15g. If I have string cheese on the drive home, that’s at least 12g more. So by dinnertime, I can have 100g of protein eaten. Dinner doesn’t matter as much, so I can have something light, or nothing, if I don’t feel like eating. Or if I want a nice glass of wine for dinner.

On a side note, I just discovered that the insurance company my employer is switching to doesn’t cover my bariatric surgeon, who adjusts my band periodically. So now I’ll probably have to pay for them, and get reimbursed. I’m not looking forward to that. My next appointment is right after the new year, so the new insurance will be in effect. Can’t wait to see what happens.

See you tomorrow.

Half-price candy is twice as dangerous

November 1 used to be a big holiday in my world, as was February 15 and the days after Easter and Mother’s Day. Half-price candy. Twice as much for the same price! Nope, cheaper doesn’t make it better.

I feel fortunate that the only Halloween candy I had this year was at a party in early October and one fun-size bag of M&M’s. Around the office, I saw a few piles of leftover candy, but I made sure to steer clear of those areas. Out of sight will keep me from going out of my mind. Because of a morning dental appointment, I didn’t get my usual shake for breakfast today. Instead I had a grande sugar-free, fat-free triple-espresso latte for the drive to work. Then I had my regular lunch and plenty of coffee and water in between.

November usually is a big party month for me. My 23rd anniversary is on the 12th, birthday on the 19th and hubby’s birthday on the 27th. This year I’m sneaking a champagne split into the nursing home to have with hubby. My sister is taking me to the L.A. Zoo and Huntington Library, so we’ll be walking a LOT. Hubby’s birthday won’t be on Thanksgiving this year, so we’ll have a low-key celebration. And of course, there’s Thanksgiving, but I’m making lots of weight-loss surgery-friendly dishes for that.

I’m sure I’ll be tempted between now and the holidays. If I eat a piece or two of candy, the world won’t end. The important thing is to savor those treats. Don’t just pop a truffle in your mouth. Bite it. Taste it. Savor it. Let it melt in your mouth. Wring all the taste out of that sucker.

If you’re going to eat it, you might as well enjoy it.

See you tomorrow.

And the holidays begin …

I’ve always loved Halloween. Where I grew up, Palm Desert, California, usually would start cooling down for the fall, and it was the start of the holiday season. Back when I would trick-or-treat, some houses would give away little bags of homemade treats. The razor blade hysteria didn’t start until I was older. We walked the dark streets—no streetlights or sidewalks back then—with a parent hovering. When I was in junior high, the first dance of the year was on Halloween, so all those hormone-fueled glances in class could come to fruition or frustration.

Halloween also meant the sale of those single-serving candy bags. I mean those bags of “fun size” candy that I’d eat in one day. In theory, the “fun size” is a good idea in that you can get your candy fix in a small dose. But like the old Lays potato chip ads, betcha can’t eat just one.

This year I didn’t buy any candy until last night, when I picked up a small bag at my daughter’s request. I don’t know why she wanted it because she’ll be out partying with her pals. It’s not open yet, so that’s a good sign for me.

This weekend was a mixed bag. My shopping trips didn’t bring the amount of exercise I’d hoped for. One of those trips was to Costco, so you know how that was. I didn’t eat badly, just lots of tiny bites, so I likely didn’t get near enough protein. And today we had a Halloween party and I ate some cupcakes. It was a one-time thing, so it won’t do much damage. Over the weekend my weight went up slightly, 1.3 pounds, but I expect that to drop quickly. I’m not going to worry unless it lingers longer. Starting this moment, I’m back on track.

Of course, now that the holidays are starting, it’s the season of dietary pitfalls. All I can do is my best, make sure I eat the good food I’m supposed to, and to ward off the things that I probably shouldn’t.

See you tomorrow.

New toys are always fun

This week I got two new toys from Amazon that are helping the weight-loss fight.

Cuisinart CSB-76 SmartStick 

200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender

First I received my Cuisinart immersion blender, shown at the right. I bought this model on the recommendation of Bariatric Foodie. I’ve always wanted one, but they were too expensive. This one was less than $30 on Amazon. I can make my morning shakes much more easily. Previously I used a Blender Bottle, but that took LOTS of shaking since I put so many extras in my shakes. I’ve also used the blender stick to chop up the rosemary apricot chicken salad from Trader Joe’s. I simply sank the stick into the bowl. It left a few pieces bigger than I’d like, but I much prefer washing one piece of equipment than dissembling a food processor. I look forward to pureeing my soups. The only thing it doesn’t do well is chop ice. The instructions tell you to blend only crushed ice.

PB2 powdered peanut butter,
and with chocolate, right.

My next purchase was also at Bariatric Foodie’s suggestion, PB2. I tried to buy this a few weeks ago but the supplier wasn’t able to come through and the order was canceled. This time I ordered the peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter flavors. This is powdered peanut butter with 85% of the fat removed, so there are only 1.5g of fat (1g in the chocolate flavor) in a 2 tablespoon serving—compare that to the 16g found in most brands. So far I’ve used the chocolate in my morning protein shake and it gives it a nice nutty flavor. You also can reconstitute it with water to make peanut butter. Discovering fresh-made peanut butter at one of the stores where I shop was the beginning of the end of my previous weight-loss efforts post band. But this peanut butter looks like it’ll be a helper.

See you next week.

No reason to go AWOL—I just did

I didn’t write a blog entry yesterday and I’m just now getting over the guilt. My goal is to write every weekday so I keep my weight loss efforts in the front of my brain.

No big reason I didn’t write yesterday. My sister called me at the time I normally write and we chatted over an hour. After I got home and tried to eat dinner, I tried to come up with a topic, but my mind was empty. I figured you didn’t want to hear about how my dinner didn’t stay down. I think 3-day old pulled pork isn’t quite soft enough for a third meal. I ended up with pistachios and they stayed down fine. I’ve gotten better at eating at restaurants. I take small bites and set down the fork in between. Still, I’ll occasionally get stuck and have to fast-walk to the restroom. One time, when I thought I was alone, I took care of the stuck stuff and cleaned up. A woman in another stall looked at me all concerned when she came out and asked if I was bulimic. I assured her I wasn’t and explained how the band lets food get stuck sometimes, but I don’t think she believed me.

The upshot of my sister’s phone call is that she and my mom don’t want to brave the Thanksgiving traffic, so they’re staying home and dining with our aunt. That leaves me and the daughter free. Haven’t decided if I’m going to cook a small turkey, cook something else, or just go out to a fancy place for dinner. We did some serious cleaning last night and can actually see the entire dining room table for the first time in years. The daughter even put on a new tablecloth (a plastic one from Walmart) and trimmed it to fit. We bought new red place settings from Target and this year we were going to finally coordinate. Oh well, it’s nice to have a clean table. Plus it gives our cats a new perch from which to stalk the parakeets and canary.

My eating has been great these past few days, except for the stuck episode last night. I accidentally bought the full-fat Greek yogurt—the packages look so similar, and I thought it tasted a bit rich—but that seemed to pose no problem because I’m down another 1.8 pounds, for a total loss of 86.9.  That seems to be my pattern—stay the same weight for a few days, then drop 1.8.

I’ll take it!

See you tomorrow.