I Hope Not

At a lost for something to watch, I checked out my Netflix recommendations and clicked on Body of War. Let's just say that the documentary was not ideal viewing for Saturday. I should have taken a clue from the title, hunh?

Synopsis:

Young man sees President Bush stand on a pile of rubble, signs up for military, gets sent to Iraq and five days into deployment, gets shot in the spine. I have to say that I didn't think about other ramifications of being paralyzed -- like the meds. In addition to being on Coumadin and anti-depressants etc., the young man has problems regulating his body temperature and, when outside, has to wear a vest with ice packs in them.

Most memorable line: I look at people walking down the street and I get jealous.


* * *
Before I jetted off to Florida, I made a mad dash to the library. I went to pick up one book but came out with two and after reading several pages of both books, went with The Memory Keeper's Daughter.



This part made me think of Hazira:

Caroline did not like Leo March -- he was not likable -- but whatever animosity she held for him was complicated by compassion. (100)

I had the pleasure of going to two libraries while in Florida. *



Cool Temporary Library Card


Clearwater's Cool Main Library


Hazira waiting for me outside of Beach Library


In Ikea -- starting to think she likes this position

Ikea map because you're gonna need it

*Okay, I think that I might have Florida out of my system. On the other hand, I hope not...

Pushing Back

After the flight attendants settled a seat jockeying dispute and made sure everyone was buckled in, one of them came on the intercom to say that the cabin was ready and that we were about to push back.

My aunt Alice once told me that all I need to do to lose weight is to pull away from the table.

I tend to let my guard down a bit when it comes to food while I'm on vacation. We had a kitchenette so I could have certainly cooked but I haven't been cooking at home much either.

Now, it's time to push back from the overindulgence including putting half and half in my coffee simply because it was put before me when I ordered coffee. I must say that no real damage has registered on the scale; I'm one pound up and I'm hoping that my body appreciated the change in food -- like a one week absence of noshing on almond butter.

Here's a food log of sorts from Florida where I sometimes felt like I ate like a queen and pushed my intake limits.

Instant Oatmeal with Mango, Soy Milk & A Lil Water)

Evos -- home of air-baked fries and flavored ketchup

Subway English Muffin Melt w/ Egg Whites + Bell Pepper + Tomato + Red Onion

Chipotle

All Natural Yogurt

Hazira had gelato...



Panera Bread Sesame Asian Chicken Salad -- pretty sure dressing had HFCS

Veggie Burger with Butter on Bun at Marguerite's -- had ketchup; pretty sure ketchup had HFCS

Ikea Before -- Wanted roasted potatoes but the Potato Nazi wouldn't let me substitute

Ikea After

Atlanta Bread Company

Break pizza kibosh -- organic pizza with veggies makes me swallow pizza much easier -- at Pan y Vino

I continue decadence by going to Sweet Art when I return home but I'm gonna have to say that I did not regret one bite of this Magnolia sandwich with avocado, sprouts, white cheddar, tomatoes, cucumbers, caramelized onion jam on toasted Companion bread. Amazing...




Do you take a vacation from your regimen while on vacation or have a regular "cheat" day?

Jedan Gram

Know that Stevie Wonder song "Love's In Need of Love Today?"

Well, 'Drea's in need of non-scale victories today.

When I saw a post, Screw Plateau, It's A Drought, over at by Body By Pizza, it summed up, precisely, how I've been feeling. I'm not going to dwell on the scale but I can't say that I haven't noticed it has moved north a tad bit and the seesaw variation is the same two or three pounds...


The first non-scale victory begins with lotion which I was putting on when I felt something odd; I thought the oddness was some kind of growth. Who knows? My skin does weird things and is so sensitive at times.

It turns out the growth was one of my bones. I can feel bones, people, without going on some excavational expedition. I can feel the bones when I trace my eye sockets and I can distinguish the shape of my rib cage now.

For a fleeting moment, I felt vulnerable like someone could run into me and break my new-found bones but no one call Dr. Paul Weston; I've got a handle on that feeling...Not that there's anything wrong with therapy -- to paraphrase a Seinfeldism.

A few weeks ago, I was over at my friend Hazira's when her friend, Rabija, came over. Rabija was kind enough to stop by and take a few IKEA orders before heading to Chicago the next day.

I hadn't seen Rabija since we were poolside in '09. Hazira escorted Rabija out the door and, upon returning, informed me that Rabjia said that I didn't need to lose jedan (Bosnian for one) gram. Wow.

What has been one of your biggest *wow* moments during your fitness journey?

The Skinny

After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I decided to give Louis J. Aronne's The Skinny on Losing Weight Without Being Hungry another try since I was still in learning about food mode.

I first saw Aronne on Late Night With David Letterman in a cheesy Biggest Loser-like segment. If my memory serves me, I believe that Aronne was one of the doctors on Letterman's quintuple bypass surgery team.

The cheesy segment initially made me go in search of Aronne's book since the Letterman staffer lost weight following Aronne's advice.

I like the front cover teasers:

Can't shed those pounds? It's not your fault. Dieting is not about willpower.

It's pleasing when I'm told things like it's not your fault.

One of the things that cracked me up was Aronne's oft-repeated mantra:

You can have an unlimited amount of vegetables.

No one ever tells you that you can have an unlimited amount of those delicious Ikea almond tarts.

Aronne's reinforcement of simple points stuck with me:

Choose the gym closet to your home.

Empty calories are fattening.

Lean protein is filling.

Low-calorie foods are filling.

They (liquids like soda) evade every calorie-detecting mechanism in your body.

...You just can't bully your body into losing the perfect amount of weight.

In Chapter 5, The Skinny Lunch Makeover, Aronne talks about the order of eating lunch: salad then vegetables then lean protein. To further illustrate his point, he puts the calorie count of some salad/vegetable items:

2 cups lettuce = 15 calories

An entire bell pepper = 30 calories

One large cucumber = 34 calories

1 cup mushrooms = 15 calories

1 cup broccoli = 30 calories

For those busy days, Aronne suggests having the following at-the-ready:

Bagged salad mix

Steam-in-a-bag vegetables

One or more Skinny-recommended frozen dinners

Aronne's recommendations for eating out at restaurants are beneficial.

The Skinny Resources are helpful too as are the Skinny Mini asides. Here's part of one:

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne and other hot peppers, may help you eat less by affecting levels of appetite-suppressing brain chemicals...

His whole person approach is refreshing:

Learn how to relax.

Don't do it (exercise) for vanity.

I'm starting now on the laughing/relaxation portion of the program.