I watched a documentary on the building of the statue of Liberty last night. A "gift" from France (which apparently New Yorkers didn't particularly want ). Interesting. I didn't realize she carried a tablet with the US Independence Day's date on it. I was not able to go inside (post 911 rules) the statue and up to look out of the torch when I did the tour in NYC. That must have been quite a view!
I hope all the Americans have a happy and (mostly) healthy 4th of July tomorrow!
I don't know if the reality baking show I watch is shot in advance and then aired but if not they should be coming up with Independence Day showstoppers tonite. Those should be quite spectacular.
Day two of my "detox" went well, tho I had to use a lot of willpower just to overcome huge sugar cravings. Today will be day three of being back on track and after this it should be easier.
Could some of you please send some of your extra rain to our fire-ravaged Colorado forests? Last week I performed a wedding in southern Colorado: hot, dry, 50 mph winds and smoky. I couldn't use the DJ's microphone cuz of all the wind distortion, and even screaming at the top of my lungs only the first row of guests could hear me. My allergies are usually pretty mild, but on this day my eyes swelled up all red and puffy and I had watery slits for eyes for three days! It's getting a bit better tho with temps going down a bit and some afternoon showers occasionally.
For July 4 Karen and I are celebrating our vegan friend Jude's birthday by cooking up a watermelon/mint dish, quinoa/black bean salad, green salad, maple balsamic tempeh, and a vegan chocolate cake with white tofu mousse with red and blue berries. Who was it who was wondering about bringing a healthy dish to pizza-land? I say bring something tasty and healthy you can eat. I know there are exceptions, but generally I go by the maxim that NOBODY CARES WHAT I EAT... they just want to see me!
Plus, it's past time for me to eat in a way that is different from the crowd anyway.
It was 103 degrees here yesterday but I had to go to a funeral and reception in San Leandro and Hayward yesterday, it was 20 degrees cooler there , what a relief ! The reception had the usual acres of yummy food. I tried to use restraint as much as possible. I just had salad which had lots of fresh vegies and oil and vinegar dressing already on it, roast beef, a couple of small pieces of cheese, skipped the sandwich rolls, a small portion of Portuguese Sweet Rice, I love this so limiting my portion is a huge sacrifice and I had a piece of cake.
One of my favorite salads is cucumber, red onions, black olives and Greek dressing. Sometimes I throw in some feta or mozzarella, but not usually. I haven't made it for a while. I'll have to do that next week!
DS and I are heading to the dentist this morning for our cleaning, so I'm not going into work until after noon. Not too many chores to take care of this morning, so I'll probably lounge on the couch and read. it'll be another hot and humid day here.
Andrea, I think you should go for it, as what kind of terrible person would be upset that a guest at their party brought food?
I just booked a trip with reward miles to visit a friend in Chattanooga TN and she wants to go to Aretha Frankenstein's. Be still my pre-emptively bulging belly.
Summer continues here. The humidity when I'm out doing field work is really getting to me and my workload is overwhelming. Is it this bad every summer? I feel like it's worse this year and I'm physically exhausted. At any rate I am just treading water right now. Blah blah blah. Only 3 more months of this. I'll get through.
It's been pouring here as well and I doubt we'll have many fireworks. I have to work all weekend so I'm looking forward to the day off tomorrow and hopefully resting. I'm not cooking anything, I refuse to. But I love this grilled veggie salad if anyone is looking for a recipe. Happy 4th to my fellow Americans!
Hey folks, I'm still here. Babies are going through a growth spurt which is kind of nuts, but hopefully they'll settle down soon. My parents were here but are gone now. It's nice having my mom around since she cooks me stuff from Cooking Light, which I'm pretty much guaranteed to like, but having my dad around is stressful. Now I've got MIL bringing us food a lot, but to be honest her dietary habits are so different from mine that I'm not as grateful as I should be. (Also, I have time to cook now and I have a fridge full of veggies that need cooking, but despite telling her I was going to cook myself she still brought dinner two nights in a row. I think she's using it as an excuse to see the babies, which would be fine if she would bring food that I actually like, but oh well.)
I'm sort of managing to take a walk most days. My belly is still enormous and I still look pregnant, and the 30lbs I have left are not going anywhere. No dieting for me though because I need to keep up enough milk supply for these two.
Hey all... I am slinking back here in utter and complete relapse mode.
We just returned from camping. I have eaten so much the last few days it's sickening. Made the mistake of getting on the scale as soon as we got home and it shows me up 12 pounds - 12 - from when we left!!!!
My stomach actually hurts and I CAN'T. STOP. EATING. And even worse I don't want to!
I'm feeling scared and ashamed and utterly pathetic.
Jen, I hear you loud and clear.BTDT, and so far at least, managed to come out the other side each time. One of the things that helps me when I get in the mindset where you are now is to pick something non-food to improve on: get in a good run, drink 64 oz of water, buy and read an issue of Cooking Light, or just post and read some threads on this forum. For me, one good habit breeds another, and I find it much easier to put the brakes on the overeating AFTER I've done some other, easier good-for-me things.
Jen-- I seem to remember you having issues with overeating when traveling before? You came back here. You'll go back to weight loss mode. You'll be back where you want to be in no time. You know it.
Mistake to step on the scale. However, I do it everytime. Almost like punishing yourself??
I agree about working on a non-food goal to get back into it. I'm working on only eating in an "eating place". Each time I put my food on a reasonably sized plate, relax a bit, look at it, smell it and enjoy it.
Wow Jen can I relate! After gaining too much weight and getting caught on a sugar cycle again, I didn't want to come back here at all. I felt like such a phony, not a real maintainer. Watching you come back here, I can see that if you come back, you're a maintainer! And so am I!
When I eat too much, I often am artificially bloated from too much salt and sugar, which causes excess body weight for a day or two. If I eat better that goes down fast and I can see where I really am on the scale.
I for one have a sugar addiction. I really have to be careful. When I fall down, it takes me an average of three days of sheer willpower to overcome the cravings and get back on track. I just went through those three days, my weight has gone down, and I feel I may be OK after all. The help and support from our friends here is invaluable.
Happy Fourth of July everyone! Tonight our vegan friend celebrates her birthday, but two desserts are still on the menu. My promise to myself and everyone here is that I will enjoy my friend and portion-control my sweets.
). Interesting. I didn't realize she carried a tablet with the US Independence Day's date on it. I was not able to go inside (post 911 rules) the statue and up to look out of the torch when I did the tour in NYC. That must have been quite a view!
