13th Aug 2010
What a wonderful time Neil and I had in Mississippi! We saw so many friends and family and people we didn’t expect to see but so glad we got to! I can’t wait to go back now… There’s really no place like home…
I have been very lazy lately about posting so I’ll make no promise but I’ll try to be better. So much to say about the state of Mississippi’s health - and I mean the people who live there. I did a live radio show with Seth Kent at WONA while I was there and so I made “my” food for people to stop by and try. I had a hard time finding some things that I take completely for granted here - like low fat cheese…couldn’t find it. I needed a red bell pepper and the only way to get one was to purchase three (one yellow, one orange and one red) in a package all together.
Now I know that people don’t get fat because they are missing something like low fat cheese - but it was hard to find fat free mayonnaise and I got the very last Balsamic Vinegar. If people don’t have choices - what do they do? I can tell you that it took very little to persuade me to eat wrong. Something like - not finding pretzels would send me straight to the potato chips. I could rationalize that “at least I tried” to find the right food.
I hope anyone reading this will go to your super market and request that they stock the shelves with the items you need to make you more powerful. You can take the power food has over you back - but you first need the right food to do that with. So ask for it - WINONA!!
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8th Jul 2010
I just found this out and I’m freaked out. I’ve been cooking and eating Splenda and NOT counting any of the calories! It meets the FDA standard for a ZERO calorie product because it has less than 5 calories per serving - but their serving is 1 teaspoon which has 2 calories - so you do the math. 2 cal per tsp = 6 cal per T X 16 T in one cup = 96 Gee whiz - we can’t win…. We in the overweight community are taken in once more. I’m still going to use Splenda. I mean it’s the best for baking and cooking that I’ve found so far - but HEY GUYS in the food industry - tell us the truth! We can take it. Like I say- knowledge is POWER. And this is knowledge we needed to know!
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23rd Jun 2010
This is the most inspirational blog I have ever read. There is nothing she says here that I disagree with. Read and be inspired.
http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/b5223_losing_feargaining_understanding.html
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12th May 2010
After 4 years of having lost weight and the daily work of keeping it off - something happened today that is truly remarkable. I went on a bender but what I wanted to pig out on was not delicious and so after three bites - I quit eating. I had shut the door to my office (Sneaky Fat Kitty had come to visit) and was ready to hunker down and eat - and after three bites I quit.
My boss Dave Bell used to give away one pound boxes of dark chocolate with his logo on the block of chocolate for Christmas each year. He didn’t do it this past year but he had two boxes left from the year before and one box from two years ago. I went into his office to do something and I spied the one box that was 2 years old. Knowing that he’d never give two-year old chocolate to anyone I talked myself into thinking that this would be okay. That he’d never miss it. And Fat Kitty doesn’t care how old the chocolate is - I mean this is one pound of luscious dark chocolate. She’s never been picky before.
So I tore open the packaging and looked at it. There it was - a pound of chocolate. My mind was telling me that this was not a good thing to do but then I walked over to the door of my office and shut the door, like I’ve done a thousand times before - knowing that I’m about to do something I shouldn’t do.
I sat at my desk and tried to break off a piece to eat. It was too hard to break so I got a knife and after a minute of sawing I was able to get a chunk ready to eat. I chomped down and felt the chocolate in my mouth. It was - WHAT - tasteless????? What’s going on here. So I took another bite and ate it and then another and this was not going as I had hoped because the chocolate was AWFUL! Hard and tasteless and old. So I threw away the remaining part of the chunk and then threw away the remaining block - box and all.
This might sound like a bad thing, but I’m choosing to see it for what it is - a breakthrough for me. I have over-eaten most of my life - many times and a variety of foods - and it never matter if it was delicious or not. It was just food and I was eating it. This was tasteless - and so I stopped.
Maybe Fat Kitty finally got picky about food, or maybe my good sense kicked in. I don’t know. I only know that this was another example of how good habits can overtake bad ones if you give them half a chance.
There are two more bars of chocolate in Dave’s office from a year ago - but he should not give them to anyone. If Fat Kitty won’t eat them - no one should.
A blog is about being honest - so when I am doing things that I question I want to share them with you - in case you behave this way on occasion too. We are not bad people. We just want to eat. But hopefully by me telling you this story it will make you feel more comfortable with being honest with yourself. If I can tell you a story like this - you, only talking to you, can surely be honest with yourself.
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9th Apr 2010
I was recently talking to someone on the phone about my weight loss and at the time she had not met me so wanted to see a before picture of me. I told her I lost 60 pounds and she thought that was incredible - until she saw my before picture. I could hear her voice change over the phone as she said, “Oh, you’re not that fat.” You just look kind of chubby.” I told her that I was 60 pounds overweight and lost it all and that’s not chubby - that’s fat. She took a second and then agreed. Yes, that’s a lot of weight to lose. And speaking for myself - YES it was… And I still work to keep it off.
But this morning I got to thinking about that conversation. When I was in high school years ago no one was fat. Maybe one or two schoolmates but not like today. I wasn’t even fat. I was “chubby” then. I needed to lose probably 20 pounds back then and at the time that was considered a lot to lose. But today, since 66% of the country is so overweight 20 pounds doesn’t seem like very much anymore. People who have weight issues are almost always 40 - 60 - 100 pounds overweight, so it seems to me that 60 pounds is the new “chubby”. My body mass index was in the obese range yet I was not the fatest person I knew, far from it. I had even allowed myself to think that I wasn’t all that overweight.
Now that I have lost all that weight I cannot imagine gaining even 20 back and to gain all 60 pounds - well, I will never do that. This is the first time that I can say that for sure. After almost (coming up on) 4 years since I started this journey and always thinking that I could gain it all back - I now know that I will not. I will never be fat again.
And you don’t have to be either. Let me hear from you. What can I do to get you started and how can I help you stay on a path that leads to a healthier you? I know you are beautiful - do you know that? Once you know that and truly believe it - your life will change in ways that you cannot imagine. And you are beautiful if you never lose a single pound. I’m not on the “everybody needs to lose weight” bandwagon. This is your life and should be lived on your terms.
But if you do want to lose weight - first you must realize that 60 pounds is NOT chubby.
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3rd Mar 2010
I can’t believe the new year is here and I didn’t even post a blog the whole entire month of February! YIKES! I’m behind!
A lot is going on - but that’s no excuse. I’ve been finishing my book and creating new recipes and I have a few more irons in the fire for TV appearances so who knows what will be up in 2010.
My friend and confidant (and fellow RFP) Carol T from Biloxi, MS sent me an email a couple of days ago about Mississippi and how overweight the state is. I then turned on the TV show RUBY that I recorded from last week and Ruby is going to Biloxi, MS to see if she can remember her childhood and maybe connect why she is so overweight. As Ruby travels through Mississippi she stops at various places to eat and at each stop she is hit with Southern Fried Comfort Food like no body’s business. I know all the dishes and how they smell and taste. BUT I now know how to cook them in a way that doesn’t make me gain all my weight back. Carol’s email was about how she and her husband had gone out to eat at one of the Casinos and she was the only normal weight person in the restaurant. Not surprising…
I don’t know how I can show people the way I cook but I’m determined to do it. I could cook for Ruby and she wouldn’t have had to say NO to everything on her trip to Mississippi. The South is so notorious for cooking with butter, sugar and for frying everything - and I mean if we could figure out a way to fry tap water I think we’d do it. I mean, back in the day I even fried my own potato chips.
There is a way to prepare food so you don’t have to live a life of NO. Let’s face it we can say no when people are around, but something takes over when it’s just me alone in my kitchen with my friend the refrigerator. Fat Kitty knows all my buttons to push.
Make sure, if this is you, that you have good choices around when that voice comes calling for you. Mississippi is number one in obesity, but it doesn’t have to be that way forever. I’m sorry we even have that as a statistic but every year that goes by, as the country gets fatter, we have more fat statistics. I was reading the other day about when portions started getting larger and it was 1970, when they first started to increase. No secret that was the same year we had an explosion of fast food joints. By 1976 obesity was on the rise. So, it’s not hard to put 2 and 2 together here. I was plump in 1970, but not fat until the late 1970’s so I fit right into this trend. I’m just another test rat the fast food industry is playing with. I got super sized portions and my body super sized along with it.
So, Carol if you’re reading this, I understand your concern, but as we both know you have to be ready to hear information before you can act on it. For years I turned a blind eye (and fork) to my weight and food issues. As I watch Rudy on her TV show try to find the answer to why she overeats I wonder if she’s ever considered this. Maybe she does, just because she does. Maybe there isn’t a dark horrible answer to why each of us stuffs our mouths full of food that is bad for us. Maybe we just do this like someone else who likes to paint with water colors. Maybe we just do because we just do. I have quit trying to find the answer because in all my searching it never helped me lose weight and keep it off. Accepting that maybe this is just a part of me (meaning my desire to overeat) that will never change has helped me more than any other single thing. It allowed me to create my recipes and enjoy them without guilt. NO guilt, that’s what I want. And I wish you the same happy life. If you never lose weight, you are beautiful - remember that. Simply beautiful.
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14th Jan 2010
What a great experience this radio show is turning out to be. I set out to help people change their lives if they have food or weight issues - but this show helps me just as much. This morning right before we started Seth said he forgot to play a request for a lady and could we play it during the show. Of course I was fine with that but I had no idea what the song was - It was “Lord I Hope This Day Is Good” by Don Williams, which is just about one of the greatest all time country songs EVER! As I listened to it play I thought this is what we all struggle for and hope for - a good day. Lord just let this day be good and let me be good and eat well and nourish my body in a non-destructive way. My whole day started at that moment. It was already a good day but that song sent it through the roof.
And I hope if you’re reading this that you’re having a good day too. I wish that for you everyday.
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2nd Sep 2009
I don’t know if I’ve told you or not - but I’m currently writing a book about my weight loss journey and it will include a meal plan and how I did it. It’s pretty exciting and if you wondered where I’ve been for the past weeks - well, writing a book is HARD! But not as hard as losing weight and keeping it off, so I’m not complaining. HA!
I’ve actually had a lot of fun reliving some of my experiences in this weight loss thing. I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching too. There are abusive things I did with food and writing them down has really made them come home to me. It’s a good thing.
So if you’re reading this and you have food or weight issues, I suggest getting yourself a writing pad and writing down everything - what you eat and how you feel about it. Once something is on paper it becomes more real. At least for me it has - so until next time!
…remember - there IS a Lighter Weigh!
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12th Aug 2009
What a whirlwind experience this has been. The response was overwhelming and generous and kind and all the things I could have only hoped for.
But now it’s back to life - and guess what? A miracle occurred this past weekend.
If you’ve been reading my blog and know anything about me you know there are certain things I cannot have in my house like ice cream, potato chips and any kind of chocolate bar. Well, this past weekend after the Bobby Flay Grill It show aired and I was no longer nervous about screwing up, Neil and I decided that we would celebrate with some champagne, lobster tails and asparagus. I thought this was such a special occasion that we should have a dessert - which we hardly ever eat. So I asked him to get me some orange sherbet, but make sure it’s the smallest size they have in case I fall into the carton head first. I have never had ice cream or sherbet in my fridge that I did not eat it all till it’s gone. I know that I will do that so I no longer ever buy more than a pint.
Well, as luck would have it - the only size my husband could find was a half gallon…sigh. I knew what was going to happen but I allowed it in my condo anyway. I wanted it. What can I say - Fat Kitty won that battle. This was Sunday afternoon.
Last night when I came home I realized that I had not eaten any more of the sherbet. Sunday after my lobster dinner I scooped out about 3/4 cup of the stuff and put it back in the freezer - and it’s still there. And I knew it was there and didn’t eat any more of it. Not sure how long this will last but this is a victory for me. A BIG victory. I forgot about something that I ordinarily eat till it’s gone. How did I do that?
I think I’ll just accept the victory and leave it at that.
Maybe it was Bobby Flay? Maybe watching our episode and how accepting he was of me - I can’t explain it but I felt normal. I’ve said many times that I thought once I lost weight that I hoped I’d be like a normal person who never thought about food. That didn’t happen for me - but for a brief moment it did.
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4th Jul 2009
Neil and I went to see the film, “Food Inc.” yesterday and I have to say my head is still spinning from the information in that film. I have been preaching for two years about eating healthy and the one thing I didn’t count on is that the tomato I told you to buy to make my tomato and onion salad may have NO nutritional value. You might as well be eating cardboard.
I knew food had been altered to produce more of it but I didn’t know the cost of that - and by that I mean the nutritional cost - not monetary. Although if what you eat is worthless the medical costs down the line will be enormous.
I’m from Mississippi where there are markets on every corner so you can buy food that’s been grown naturally in a garden - but living in Burbank, CA now it is different. Of course there are farmer’s markets on the weekends but if you miss one what do you do? Well, I googled organic food and to my shock and shame - we have a Whole Foods Grocery right down the street that I didn’t even know existed. We’ve lived in Burbank almost 5 years and I didn’t know this. Whole Foods sells standard grocery food, but they have an enormous selection of natural and organic. Neil just called me from there and said the ribs for our Fourth of July cookout later today are $12.99 per pound. He asked me if we should do that? I told him the only way organic food will come in line with the cheap, mass-produced, genetically engineered, antibiotically charged meat we currently buy is to quit buying it. We’ll just eat less meat, but I can’t wait to taste it. I remember tomatoes from my father’s garden, so juicy and red and the skin was super thin - just to pick one off the vine and eat it was like heaven. The tomatoes from the grocery we usually frequent could be used as tennis balls they are so hard and tasteless.
I’ll let you know how are barbecue goes. Take care and eat well - AND KNOW WHAT YOU EAT AND WHERE IT COMES FROM. And if you get a chance to see Food Inc. GO!
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