I Have a Rant - We're Programmed

When did we lose control?

When did we become sheep being led throughout our lives with other people telling us how things are supposed to be?  We're programmed.

I typed "ideal breakfast" into the image search on Google and this is the first image that popped up:

This is what we're told is a "good" breakfast.  Look at it. Really look at it.  Is that the best we can really do for ourselves?   Of course not.  But we've been programmed to think that this is what we need.  I'm not saying it's devoid of nutrition by any means!  Although I'm pretty sure the croissant falls more in the "butter" group than the "whole grain" group  ;)

We're so programmed that some people will adamantly argue the appropriateness of your food choices if they see you deviating from what has become the norm. My husband for example, has a huge problem with just the idea of breakfast for dinner.  It's just not right even if many of us are beginning to truly embrace brinner.  A dear friend of mine began eating salads for breakfast.  They are a compact, nutritionally dense meal that can easily be modified to hit the protein, fat levels, etc that a person might want or need.  Oatmeal for breakfast is great.  It just doesn't hit as many points that are beneficial as something like the salads do.  When my friend mentioned her morning salad diet,  some people commented that they couldn't do it themselves.  Why?  For a minute my brain said "that's weird".  Why are we so afraid to step outside the norm?  Americans on the whole are suffering from obesity and a wide range of ailments that can be diet and fitness controlled.  Obviously the norm is NOT WORKING people.  I yell to remind myself to get the message as well.

Doing the same thing on Google, here is the ideal lunch:

That looks... less than thrilling. Nutritious?  SURE!  But positively boring.  Because good-for-you food is all bland, uninspired, and just something you have to consume.  Eat to live, don't live to eat right? I say WRONG.  I want to enjoy every bite that goes into my mouth.

I challenge you. Yeah, you.  I'll do it too.  I challenge you to make a list of all the food you like that's pretty much totally good for you.  Then next to the food, write why it's a poor food choice for each meal.  A lean grilled steak for lunch?  Yeah, it's pretty hard to make one fresh when you're at work all day.  But if you had steak for dinner last night, there isn't any reason leftovers couldn't become sliced steak in a corn tortilla with a bit of cheese and veggies.  Steak tacos!  Heck, it almost sounds better than the original meal.  I had steamed broccoli for part of my breakfast. I eat constantly throughout the day when I'm home so no formal breakfast.  So far today here's my food:

•   7:30am  - 2 light Babybel Cheeses
•   9:00am  - 1 cup of steam broccoli with salt and my healthy "butter" with lots of omegas
• 10:00am  - 4 or 5 fried egg whites (I used egg beaters whites)
• 11:15am  - mixed melon pieces (still eating but I suspect 3-4 cups will be eaten)

Just all foods I like.  Sure, I could make it look "normal".  It's all just a deconstructed broccoli and cheese egg white omelet with a side of fruit.  But I didn't want an omelet and I refuse to eat one just because it's what I should do according to the programming i have received.  I like to think for myself.  That's freedom.

So take the challenge.  Make your lists and share them with me.  if you don't eat a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast just because it's weird, tell me so.  I'd like to know.  I'll post my list tomorrow.

It's Here at Last!

No, nothing so dramatic.  Although I am quite close to throwing myself a party for escaping the 200lb club.  Quite.  Like maybe by this time in a week or two.  But that's not the excitement.

It's salad season again!

Some of you may be wondering at my excitement but that's just because you are unaware of my hippie tendencies.  I generally don't eat salads regularly unless the ingredients are all locally available.  I'm all about local agriculture.  So much so that I've got my own little urban farm planned for my backyard and deck.  Once the weather gives me the A-OK to transplant my seedlings from indoors, my summer will be complete.  I'm growing all the things I love to eat.  A huge amount salad greens, tons of tomatoes, and all the veggies my garden beds can hold.  Hopefully it'll be amazing.  No.  It WILL be amazing.

Gardening season means a return to fresh foods and incessant grilling of dinner.  It's so much easier to eat fresh, green, and healthy foods when it's nice out.  I'm hoping that since I got through the holidays and winter still losing, it'll really jumpstart now.

Finger's crossed!

Happy Monday! No, Really.

I've been suffering from what I refer to as "the weekend bloat".  It's due to my weekend eating being a tad more free and less regimented when it comes to salts, gluten, and fats.  So to be fair, I don't really suffer on the weekend.  I enjoy myself immensely.  It's the full pound or two of bloat that is in evidence on Monday and often until Wednesday that makes me suffer.  I feel all squishy around my mid-section and I think it's really visible in my face.  BUT not today.  i hopped on the scale this morning and it said I am .2 pounds less than I was on Friday morning!  That's not a big loss at all but since I sorta expected it to say I was up two pounds due to bloat, I'm thrilled.  I guess this low-cholesterol diet IS good for something besides torturing me.

In other news:
I made the best salad EVER.  So simple, healthy, and amazing it taste like one of those bad-for-you meals.  It even looks unhealthy.  I failed to pick up tomatoes at the store so it was a tad lacking today but generally it tastes like a BLT.

It's just baby romaine lettuce tossed in a balsamic vinegarette and then topped with a half ounce of cheddar cheese, two diced hard-boiled egg whites, and a serving of turkey pepperoni that I crisped up in the oven.  It really is delicious!  Especially with tomatoes diced as well.

I'm Think I'm Melting

Did you read the title?  Because I really do think I'm melting.

It's really not that hot here at all but heat is relative.  Two days ago the high was 64F.  Today it's 82F and the humidity is thick enough to feel like the air I'm breathing is a hundred times heavier than yesterday.  It's gross.  Hell, I'm gross.  I've turned on the air-conditioner and hopefully it will cool down and dehumidify quickly so I can get my afternoon run in.  Let me rephrase that.  I've turned on the air-conditioner and hopefully it will cool down and dehumidify quickly so I can get my afternoon run in comfortably.   I'm making myself do it even if it doesn't cool down.  I will not be fat anymore.

Know what's good on a hot summer-like day?   Cold food.  I'm not usually a big salad person, but I love a crisp salad on a steamy day.  Thanks to Christmas 2010, I just harvested my first bag of salad greens out of my Aerogarden. I also have some very fragrant basil growing. They're only 2 weeks old, so i only trimmed what I could to eat but they are thriving and delicious.

I'm looking forward to a time when I can order a meal in public without thinking the server is judging me for not ordering a salad.  Maybe I'll get lucky and this heat will help me melt off a few extra pounds.  I don't know how and yes, I do know it's wishful thinking.  Miracles happen sometimes though.  I can use and help I can get though.  This fat thing...  it's no fun.