Hot 100 Update #2

Is it bizarre that I really look forward to the Hot 100 Update? It is, I truly swear, the highlight of my week. Sad, perhaps, but true!

First things first. If you haven't gone over to Beej's site recently, check out his new recipe for a cheese & onion frittata.

Also, let's say hello to some Hot 100 Hotties! These are folks who've come a visitin' to my blog since the challenge started:

The Ninja
Karen
Shannon
Half of 360
Tammy
Dr. Fat to Fit
Thanks for coming over folks, especially Dr. Fat to Fit, who had surgery last week! And of course, thanks to all my beloved regular visitors who are much appreciated.

So, on to my week. How did I do? At the risk of sounding smug, I think I did passably well.

1) Running 5k: I didn't have a chance to work on my running, thanks to my cold. But I got in several long walks, and allowed my knees to heal a bit. Now they only hurt when I go upstairs, and just a wee bit. I will be back on the treadmill soon, and I think the running will progress well.

2) Weight-loss portions every meal: miracle of miracles, this is still on track. I think the closest I've come to going off was two extra bites of yam and beans the other night at dinner. It doesn't sound like much, but it broke several rules, so I have to note it down. If you read my blog earlier this week, you'll know I had a day of eating nothing but fast-food, but still kept the portions and calories in hand. That's just unheard of for me. I'm writing down what I eat every night, and planning for the next day, and "no hunger, no food" is my mantra.

I also changed up my lunch routine. Now I bring an organic bean burrito to work, 370 calories, and then I supplement with a little salad. This way I can know for sure what calorie ballpark I'm in. Small lunch, small snack, small dinner.

3) Lose 25 lbs: I'm still not on the scale. However, this morning I walked into the bathroom at work, which has a full length mirror (unlike my house) and realized my clothes were swimming on me. Now, this isn't as dramatic as I'd like it to sound; both the shirt and pants I had on were voluminous on me to begin with. But they were definitely MORE voluminous this week than they were two weeks ago. I am not getting on the scale yet, but I have a plan: I will weigh myself on the day I try on my skinny jeans and find them sagging off my skeleton. I hope in another two weeks.

Hope everyone is doing well on their Hot 100 goals. I'll be checking your blogs this weekend!

Could I Be Normal?

I'm always asking myself what life might be like on the "other" side of weight loss.

Not the skinny side, per se, but the magical Shangri-la where food is no longer an issue. Where food doesn't have to be measured, trimmed and chopped so that it can then be corralled into a smaller size on your plate. Shangri-la is where you can just glance at a serving of food and say, that's too much thanks, let me get rid of half of that. Or look and say, that's just right, thanks, and eat only that portion, despite what other temptations might float by. It's magical because there's no struggle with yourself, no urge to eat more, no battling those "fill-me-to-the-rim" urges.

I never quite know which Ish will rise up when I'm confronted by a food challenge - will it be binge eater Ish? Controlled Ish (who tends to be something of a despot)? Stuff-yer-face-then-feel guilty Ish? Vigilant Ish (my favorite one, obviously)?

It's a scary feeling.

With any luck, that scary feeling will dissipate the more I focus on my portions. It must, right?

I am pleased to report that in the midst of an awful terrible day on Friday (I was sick and on a long, boring assignment in NJ in a torrential downpour), I did something I never thought I'd be able to do.

I spent the entire day with no eating options other than fast-food, and still got my calorie count in under 1,800.

I fought off lots of over-eating and binge impulses, and kept telling myself it was ok to eat at Wendy's (and Burger King later), but I just had to control how much I consumed. Start small, eat slow was my mantra.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner was fast-food, and by simply keeping everything small-sized, I got through the day.

Late that night, driving back through the Holland Tunnel, I felt sick as a dog from all the crap food. But that's another story. I was quite pleased that for one day, I'd slayed the mythical food dragon and made it to Shangri-la.