Yo-yo writing

It's hard to maintain a blog, especially when life gets in the way.

It's also hard to write when you lack a focus.

Since I first began this blog I have been on too many diets to count -- even though the purpose of this blog is to not diet.

And that means I am a fraud. It also means I am human, and like many of the thousands of people who want to lose weight, the only way we can do so is to go on our favorite four-letter word: DIET.

We feel in control. We pat ourselves on the back when we weigh, measure, count Points or eat only watermelon for a day. And then one day a switch goes off in our brains and we just start eating. Maybe just a nibble here, but hell, since you had a nibble might as well stuff your face.

And start your diet again the next day.

Been there? Then you know that next day often occurs three months later.

Can you tell how angry I am at myself?

Tomorrow I am waking up and starting to eat Paleo once again, because according to all the testing I had done last summer, it is the way my body wants me to eat.

So I'm back, writing again.

Easy to trick

Two years ago, I spent a week at Kripalu Center for Yoga Health learning all about mindful eating. It was a magical, lovely week, and although I am still not anywhere near my goal weight, some of the principles I learned that week have remained part of my daily life.

Mindful eating is all about paying attention to everything that goes into your mouth. To slow down. To concentrate on the food and how it tastes. To put your fork down between bites and chew your food thoroughly.

When I returned from Kripalu, I started using a salad plate for all my meals instead of a large dinner plate. Although I know I am not putting as much food on the salad plate, just the act of filling the plate to the rim with food makes me feel good.

I just read another trick that I think makes perfect sense: Ditch the large fork for the salad one. And while you’re at it, eat with your non-dominant hand, for me, my left. I tried it last night and boy does it work. Spearing food with my left hand is not a pretty sight. At times, I was frustrated, but I persevered because it slowed down my eating. I sat at the table reminding myself that there was not reason to rush through my meal.

So smaller – and slower – it is.

Breaking the daily fast

I have a love/hate relationship with breakfast. I am not a fan of  eggs, so scratch that breakfast. Cold cereals leave me, well, cold. I've tried the Paleo way -- protein, and lots of it for breakfast -- but although it filled me up, it wasn't for me.

And my wheat allergy cuts out a whole category of breakfast dishes that are appealing: pancakes, waffles, English muffins, and on and on.

I've been reading a lot about dieting recently, and over and over again I find research that says successful dieters always eat breakfast. There is also research that suggests having the same breakfast day after day -- although it may sound boring -- is actually helpful because you don't have to think about what to eat during the early-morning rush.

So, for the last four days, I have made a breakfast that takes 4 minutes from start to finish, it's very filling, and I also like it. It's probably not for everyone, but it works for me. Plus, I'm getting lots of  protein, key to keeping me sated through the  morning.

MORNING CEREAL
1 serving, 6 WW Points

1/4 cup cream of rice
1 cup water
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
6 blackberries, halved

• Mix cream of wheat, water and spices in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1  minute. Stir. Microwave another minute on high. Stir. Microwave on high 30 seconds. Stir.
• Add banana and yogurt, mix well, and stir. Top with blackberries and sprinkle on some more cinnamon to make it not so white!
• If you want it warm, return to microwave for 1 minute. If not, eat as is.

REPEAT DAILY! Or until I really can't stand it anymore....

Yet again

For months, I was eating terrific foods. But in January, something clicked, and all the foods I had avoided for months started calling. And calling they did. Even my fat clothes don't fit.

So Monday, I finally got up the nerve to jump on the scale, and the result brought tears to my eyes: I am the heaviest I have ever been. Honestly, I didn't need the scale to tell me this. My knees ache. My shoulder hurts. My hands are cramping.

My body has been telling me for weeks to knock off the junk food. Yesterday, I decided I better start listening.

I joined Weight Watchers and started eating like a normal person yesterday. Of course, my noon salad was enough to feed six, but I figured ODing on greens is lots better than the candy, crackers, cookies and nuts that have been my go-to foods for months.

So, I'm back. I'm enthusiastic, which is always the way I feel whenever I start eating well. It's keeping up the momentum that's key.

And so, I write!

The sweet life

Last night, at the end of a successful Day 1 on Whole 30, I decided that the gorgeous organic peach I picked up at the market would make a yummy little dessert.

And boy did it!


The peach was diced -- skin and all, kissed with a bit of fresh lemon juice, and lightly sauteed in a small pan with a tiny bit of coconut oil until a bit soft. Into a small baking dish it went.

I mixed together a few chopped pecans with a little shredded coconut, and sprinkled this on top of the peaches. A few minutes under the broil -- to crisp the topping -- and it was done.

No deprivation here! It was the perfect end to a wonderful day of clean eating. I could eat like this forever....

Whole 30!

My decision to eat Paleo was not spur-of-the-moment. It came about gradually, but became a natural progression after -- with the help of my doctor, Tamara Sachs --  I discovered the foods my body can't tolerate.

Today, I am taking my Paleo experience to a whole new level, starting the Whole30 -- 30 days of clean eating:

• Organic, grass-fed chicken, beef and pork
• Wild fish
• Organic fruits and veggies
• Raw nuts and seeds
• Good fats, such as avocado, ghee, coconut butter, nut butters and olives.

I will eat three meals a day, and skip snacks because I really don't need them when I eat well. And although some might argue that this way of eating is way too expensive, I actually save some money because I am not buying crap -- and crap takes it toll, financially and physically.

The Whole30 concept is the brainchild of Dallas and Melissa Hartwig,who ask followers to think of the 30 days as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, calm systemic inflammation and put an end to unhealthy cravings, habits,and relationships with food.

The Hartwigs outline the 30-day program on their Web site, www.whole9life.com. It's there for free, although I recommend their book, "It Starts with Food," a bargain at less than $14 on Amazon. They have no agenda, and although they think the way they eat is the best way possible, they understand that we are all human and have to eat in a way that works for us.

But one sentence from the book keeps repeating in my mind:
"You are what what you eat eats."

Say that five times. And then think about it. If we eat meat, poultry and fish raised on genetically modified corn and soy and injected with hormones, we are eating those things as well. If we eat non-organic fruits and veggies, we are eating pesticides.

I won't promise to post daily the next 30 days, but I will try. I am pumped. And I can't wait for Day 30 because I know I will feel terrific. I also plan on posting lots of recipes, because the more I cook, the better my chances of staying motivated.

I am so looking forward to Oct. 2, the morning I wake up with 30 days of clean eating under my hopefully much-smaller belt!

My body knows best

For months I've taken one day at a time, recording what I eat daily, and then listening to my body tell me whether I made good food choices the day before. On days when I eat something that does not agree with me my sleep is restless, and in the morning my tummy aches and I feel as if I am in the throws of a mild hangover. That sums up how I feel today.
The culprit: The chia pudding I made with coconut milk in a package, not the can. I was cleaning out my pantry yesterday, came upon a box, and immediately whipped up a batch of pudding, a great dessert after dinner, topped with some luscious berries. What I didn't do was read the ingredients on the box of coconut milk, which I did this morning. I was shocked by the unpronounceable items it includes, the stuff I have avoided for months.

The experts always say to listen to your body, but before I felt as good as I do now, I had no idea what good felt like or that my body could tell me when I've eaten something that does not agree with me.

For the past few months I have religiously read ingredients, and either tossed ones I shouldn't eat from my pantry or left them at the grocers. So why did the coconut milk stay? Along with the almond and rice milks in my pantry, I assumed they were nutritious. And you know what they say about making assumptions.

Never again!