Emotionally

I’m enjoying this goodbye tour but I know it will soon come to an end.  I’m worried about how will deal with my emotions once I go on my weight loss journey.  The first lesson I learned about weight loss is that the battle starts in the mind.  Everyone who is combating with weight has an emotional reason for it.

Some people have abandonment issues; some have had traumatic experiences such as rape or incest.  My issue was not feeling good enough to receive the good things of life.  It’s because I was able to let go of those thoughts that I found weight loss too be a breeze.  A breeze, at least, at first.

But since I had developed emotional eating even after losing a bunch weight, who is to say something else won’t develop?

Right now I feel fine.  I feel no sadness.  I am excited to get back to a healthy routine and connect with others who are on the journey as well.  I just need to tell myself that I’ve got this and I can do this and I have support that I didn’t have before.

 One of my favorite things to eat is a good burger.  I’m not usually too crazy about popular fast food burgers.  I find the best burgers come from steakhouses.  But there’s a fast food restaurant that sells chili burgers.  I love them.  I’m accompanying it with a slice of chocolate cake.

Why I love burgers:  The meat, the tomatoes, the sauce all make for a delicious mélange.

Why I love chocolate cake:  Do I really need to address that?

Biggest Loser

Last night I caught the last hour of The Biggest Loser.  I used to watch that show all the time.  I even imagined myself as a contestant.  I would love to get a kickass experience like that.  Let me tell you something though, I’d be one of those whiny people.  I’d cry all the time.  I’m a big baby.  I know.

It’s a great show to watch.  It encourages me to keep going.  I already love exercise.  I don’t need any motivation.  But when I think about how hard they have to work out, it pushes me to work out harder.

Even though it was my first time watching this season, I was rooting for the twins.  I was sad to see James go.  Ever notice how, on Biggest Loser, those big guys have hot wives?  How does that happen?  Do big women get hot men, too?

Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be going to the Biggest Loser Ranch any time soon.  But if I was, I’d want Bob as my trainer.  He’s absolutely delicious!

Today I’m saying goodbye to eggs and whole milk.  You might wonder what’s wrong with eggs.  That’s because you don’t know my favorite way to eat them.  For me, eggs are best when fried in butter with bacon-flavored luncheon meat, cheese and chopped onions, and flavored with basil and a little bit of curry powder.  There was a time when I never ate eggs without the addition of cheese and some kind of meat whether bacon, sausage, hot dog and now my favorite, bacon-flavored luncheon meat.

Why I love eggs that way:  I love color in my food.  My eggs are white (from the albumen, the white part of the eggs) yellow (from the yolk and cheese) red (from the meat) caramel (from the onions) and green (from the basil.

Why I love whole milk:  It’s creamy.  It’s delicious.  And goes with just about any meal.

Day 3 and stuff

Today I’m saying goodbye to fried chicken and French fries.

Why I love fried chicken:  crunchy skin, tender meat, lots and lots of flavor.

Why I love French fries:  I am a potatoes girl.  I love potatoes.  I love them in just about every fashion: French-fried, hash browned, pan caked, scalloped, boiled.  The only way I don’t like them is in the form of potato chips.

Yesterday after realizing I was out of honey flavored cheerios, I resigned to just plain cheerios.  After pouring my cereal and some milk in a bowl, I set the bowl on the table then left the room to talk to my sister.

In the middle of our conversation it occurred to me that I’d better get my bowl before a roach get in it.  (Yes, a roach.  I live in an apartment in Brooklyn.)  Well, I didn’t find a roach.  Instead I found my cat, Madison A.K.A. Feline Food Foretaster with her head in my bowl.  The plain cheerios and skim milk were obviously so delicious, she didn’t hear my shocked outburst or my uncontrollable laughter.

The ironic thing is, when I put milk in their bowls, neither she nor her sister, Lexi, will drink it.  Apparently milk is more delectable in my bowl.

Oh well, that’ll teach me to leave my food unattended.

Goodbye Tour–Day 2

Ever read magazines the studies that come out about new and revolutionary ways to lose weight?  I was reading a magazine recently about how vinegar is supposed to supercharge weight loss.  The magazine suggested that someone drinking two tablespoons of vinegar a day can lose up to seven pounds in seven days. 

Among the many things I’ve done to lose weight, the “vinegar diet” was one of them.  Did I lose seven pounds in seven days?  No.  I gained heartburn.  I probably gained some weight from all the peanut butter I ate.  (I’ve convinced myself that peanut butter helps to soothe heartburn.) 

While I can’t tell anyone not to try the “vinegar diet,” I will not be doing that again.  It might have worked for the smiling people in the magazine, but it did not work for me. 

If it worked for you, however, let me know about it.

The second food on my goodbye tour is Mac and cheese with Haitian meatballs.  I’m not too crazy about my own meatballs but every meatball I’ve eaten that was cooked by a Haitian person, other than myself, has been oh so good.  There’s a restaurant not far from me which sells the best Haitian food I’ve ever had that was not homemade.

Why I love these meatballs:  They’re big.  They’re crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.  And they’re absolutely delicious.

The Mac and cheese is good too.  But Mac n’ cheese does not have to be made any special way for me to like it.  It could be from a box and I’d love it, provided I fix it up a bit.