Fiberlicious

Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would eat French toast that wasn’t made from wonder bread or sour dough. John made some DELISH from his Hi fiber bread. I decided last year that the only way that John would be successful in weight loss is if I adopted his necessary diet. We started making everything hi fiber. I began reading about fiber and making sure I got at least the 25 recommended grams daily ( the average American only gets 11 grams). Tons of fruit and veggies were on the agenda. I actually lost weight just from doing that and of course switching to diet soda. I know the chemicals are probably eating holes in my brain, but one step at a time ok? My winter ass started coming on when I quit being the fiber Nazi. John is sort of hovering around the same weight that he’s had for a while. He seems to eat healthier than I do most of the time, so he must have that disorder that he sleep eats, or doesn’t admit to me what he consumes when I’m at work. John told me about a show he watched called the Science of Obesity. They were mentioning Sumo wrestlers, how strong they are and how they work out like fiends in the morning and barely eat, or not at all through the day, then GORGE on carbs at night before they go to bed. John claimed that he has been on the Sumo’s diet all these years. I’ve always thought it was funny that John and I are so opposite on food and he’s the one with the weight issue, so I’m sure genetics play a part as well . Altho, I also think that genetics have more to do with how one was taught to eat. I’ve never limited fat in take and have never had a weight issue till I met John. When we go to a steak place I eat the steak and salad, but never had much interest in the potato. Sometimes I’m in the mood for just a baked potato, but nothing else with it, just a little butter. When I started eating the things John brought in the house, I started growing, until I started eating only the healthy things he brought in. So back to hi fiber, more broccoli and apples. Enjoy the meat and cheese. French toast is ok on occasion if we stick with Brownberry’s double fiber (6 grams per slice), and barely drizzle the syrup (can’t stand natural maple--but maybe that‘ll be the next flavor I‘ll adjust to). I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. For me it sets me up for failure. I do believe in setting a goal that makes me strong, like preparing to walk all over Europe with a back pack. If I set a goal for a certain size jeans I quit eating normally. I’ve decided that I just need to eat my regular stuff and get back on the treadmill on the incline with a weight vest . Get back to the dumb bells and get out of pain. That’s for another blog that I may or may not bore you with later.

Old Friend

2008-12-27 Driving home from Chicago right now. Went the day after Christmas to the Museum of Science and Industry. I thought it would be more interesting. There were a couple of cool things, but we seemed to stay mostly in the area of the submarine. We saw the WILD OCEAN movie at the cinedome. It was making me drowsy. I enjoyed the scenery shots of the coast of Africa. We then stopped at Tess and Mick Kearns in downtown Chicago. It was Tess’s birthday, so she had another couple and their kids over. We had Chinese food and enjoyed a bottle of wine. Had and incredible tasting cake, apparently from whole foods. YYYUUUUMMMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!! Their son Mikey--about to be 5 in a few days, is a funny, clever little guy. I really got a kick out of him. Tess had Matilda Rose in October. Such a pretty, sweet little thing. Mikey hugged her all the time and told me he just couldn't help himself. He also asked me at one point, "Isn't she just so beautiful?". I think she'll have a problem dating.
The weather was foggy and slick and they were advising ppl to stay off the roads so we spent the night. Loved the massage chair in the guest room. Such a gorgeous loft they have in their old building. One would not expect the lavishness from the outside. Geez the kitchen was my dream, wish I had snapped pics. Big open area, 2 gas stoves, full sized freezer and huge frig. Giant bar area. High ceilings big open spaces. A couple of giant Buddha heads for décor and a 2 ornate hookahs on either side of the TV. I asked Mikey what they were, just to see what their parents told him, “ I dunno, a trophy I think”. Mick had a few motorcycles inside and loads of original movie posters displayed on the walls or propped up on the floor.
We talked a lot about food and how to prepare, since Mick is studying to be a chef and hopes to have his own restaurant someday. I loved to pick his brain. He gave me organic raw blue agave, really low on the glycemic index and a natural sweetener. Can’t wait to try it in salad dressings and other stuff. He told me about aged balsamic, and had me taste it. It was thicker and sweeter. He said it was around $50 for that small bottle of vinegar. The lessons I learned were invaluable. I wish I could pick his brain some more. He mentioned kosher salt as well, which I never understood the point, but I guess consistency has something to do with it. Feeling inspired to try some new things now. Being with Tess and her family was so comfortable. I was pretty tired and not thinking clearly, so I really hope it wasn't uncomfortable for her to have us. She made omelets for us in the morning, and I REALLY thought we'd be gone before she felt the need to take care of us more, but I was enjoying chatting and sharing pics, so I wasn't considering that she and her family were as hungry as we were. I just kept ignoring my growling stomach because I enjoyed the company so much. She apparently was to the point of having to fix food and shared with us. I think the last 3 days made it a lovely holiday.

Christmas with the family

12-25-08
Had a very nice Christmas with the Vaughns last night and the McKerns tonight. Played scrabble and catch phrase, then more scrabble. Colleen's Mike beat me but I came in second with 4 players. Diane had some Christmas trivia games. Norma's mom is a hoot. I got a kick out of her. We did the white elephant gift exchange. Nothing too outrageous happened. Dan picked my gift which was a cassette series called "light his fire." Adam ended up with lottery tix from John. He put several real ones, then 1 fake worth $10,000. We were hoping for some loud fun/ high drama, but Diane read the ticket back revealing it's falsehood, before Adam could scratch it off and so it was anti climactic. Had the traditional Ham, cheesy potatoes, and green bean casserole. The Vaughns had all their traditional fare as well. Lot's of food, too many gifts and fun with Matthew our God son. I hope he likes us as he gets older.

For my family

This blog is a journal that I'm sharing with you, my friends and family if you are interested. I have no plans of writing anything too personal or deep or controversial. I don't want this to be the place for that. This is the mundane and the fun spot. If I choose to write about anything political, or theological, I hope any commentary will be lite. Pretend we're all sitting around smoking a joint and pretending to solve the universe's problems, but not take ourselves too seriously. This is my way of staying close if you're interested in peeking into my life. Everyone stays so busy and it's difficult to really stay as close as I'd like with everyone I care about. I would love you to interact if you care to. I used to think bloggers were self absorbed. There may be a few of those out there, but I now see an advantage to just sharing what's on one's mind. If no one seems interested, in my boring every day stuff (which frankly I think can be quite hilarious), I guess there might be something on CBS you could watch. So many funny things I share with clients all day long, just to pass the time, could actually be enjoyable for the people I love as well. Once I've talked all day about the same things, I usually don't log them for my e-mail list. I also am no writer and hope you view this more as a conversation and won't judge me too harshly on improper grammar or wrong placement of quotations, etc. I just want to talk and hope someone is interested in listening.

So now's your chance to view a few snippets of my life....