Feb 13
Thank God, I've lost 4 lbs. again after hitting my peak weight a few days ago (seriously, it was the most I've weighed since coming down post-pregnancy 14 years ago, and also just crossed over the line into clinically "overweight" for my age and size). I guess there was a larger than usual premenstrual "bump," but I'm also trying really hard to back off on the eating. Anyone reading this food diary over the past couple of months would see that there are very good reasons for my gradual weight gain: holiday food chaos, a change of schedule that makes me more sedentary, and a series of binges that have occurred as I sat here at home, not knowing quite what to do with myself. Oh, and there was all the baking. It's not just "water weight." It's been a while since I did a cleanse or tried a special diet, and those do work, but the honest truth is that I just don't feel like restricting my food choices right now. I like eating and cooking too much.
Breakfast (eaten late, at 10:15 am-- I slept until 8 today!): the end of the soda bread with butter and jam, half a grapefruit with sugar, half an avocado, little packet of mustard peas.
Lunch: mandarin orange, little packet of mustard peas, crystallized ginger, two fried eggs.
Appetizers (at my sister-in-law's house-- they always put out some kind of extremely filling appetizer(s) before dinner. Pork is typically involved): Triscuits and club crackers with cheddar cheese and salami. Not sure how many. We actually got off easy with these appetizers, since we are often additionally treated to German sausages with honey mustard, and spinach-artichoke dip served in a bread bowl, and/or ham-and-herb-cream-cheese rolls. While I enjoy these offerings, they do not generally serve the purpose of promoting my appetite.
Dinner: the biggest, fattest pork chop you have ever seen, butterflied and stuffed with a large amount of bread stuffing, topped with (I think) sausage gravy. Mashed potatoes. Green beans with lots of delicious garlic. Two little slices of good baguette with the Amish butter my brother-in-law is so proud of. Served with hours of tech-and-internet-media talk between my husband, whose birthday was being celebrated, and his nephew. I did not finish my pork chop, but took the rest home in a Ziploc baggie. I however declined taking other people's half-eaten pork chops home in Ziploc baggies, which was an option offered to me.
For dessert: my sister-in-law's epic, three-layer German chocolate cake that she bakes every year for her baby brother's birthday, because it is his favorite. I can't remember how many sticks of butter it has in it, but it is a lot.
In the kitchen, my sister-in-law and I discuss the fact that she barely eats breakfast or lunch, so that her body can accommodate the vast caloric intake demanded by her household's typical dinners.
Snacks: 4 cups of coffee, 3 regular, 1 decaf, with half and half. One cup of black tea with milk and sugar. One glass of red wine, Kirkland brand, which my sister-in-law said was perfectly good, and was.
Feb. 14
My darling Valentine, who can never wait past early morning to present any gifts he has for anyone, gave me a frying pan, a lemongrass-colored Fiestaware place setting, and a big box of Godiva chocolates before breakfast this morning.
Breakfast: the same breakfast quesadilla and home fries I had last week at the Woodside Deli, except this time I managed to only eat half of it and take the rest home in a box! Victory! Decaf coffee.
Dinner: I went with a classic Valentine's menu of giant porterhouse steaks (16 oz. each!) with sauteed mushrooms on top, baked potato, and oven-roasted broccoli, with a mini chocolate-sea-salt chess pie shared for dessert. The porterhouse steaks were cut thinner than is usual, and unfortunately I overcooked them: well done when I was aiming more for medium. Still very edible, though. For the third meal in a row (!) I had more on my plate than I could eat, so I saved about 1/3 of the steak and 1/2 the potato for another time. While I had anticipated that this was a meal I'd be having alone with my husband, my daughter ended up being up being present as well. She has decided to eat vegetarian for Lent, so she had a grilled cheese sandwich instead of a steak.
Thank God, I've lost 4 lbs. again after hitting my peak weight a few days ago (seriously, it was the most I've weighed since coming down post-pregnancy 14 years ago, and also just crossed over the line into clinically "overweight" for my age and size). I guess there was a larger than usual premenstrual "bump," but I'm also trying really hard to back off on the eating. Anyone reading this food diary over the past couple of months would see that there are very good reasons for my gradual weight gain: holiday food chaos, a change of schedule that makes me more sedentary, and a series of binges that have occurred as I sat here at home, not knowing quite what to do with myself. Oh, and there was all the baking. It's not just "water weight." It's been a while since I did a cleanse or tried a special diet, and those do work, but the honest truth is that I just don't feel like restricting my food choices right now. I like eating and cooking too much.
Breakfast (eaten late, at 10:15 am-- I slept until 8 today!): the end of the soda bread with butter and jam, half a grapefruit with sugar, half an avocado, little packet of mustard peas.
Lunch: mandarin orange, little packet of mustard peas, crystallized ginger, two fried eggs.
Appetizers (at my sister-in-law's house-- they always put out some kind of extremely filling appetizer(s) before dinner. Pork is typically involved): Triscuits and club crackers with cheddar cheese and salami. Not sure how many. We actually got off easy with these appetizers, since we are often additionally treated to German sausages with honey mustard, and spinach-artichoke dip served in a bread bowl, and/or ham-and-herb-cream-cheese rolls. While I enjoy these offerings, they do not generally serve the purpose of promoting my appetite.
Dinner: the biggest, fattest pork chop you have ever seen, butterflied and stuffed with a large amount of bread stuffing, topped with (I think) sausage gravy. Mashed potatoes. Green beans with lots of delicious garlic. Two little slices of good baguette with the Amish butter my brother-in-law is so proud of. Served with hours of tech-and-internet-media talk between my husband, whose birthday was being celebrated, and his nephew. I did not finish my pork chop, but took the rest home in a Ziploc baggie. I however declined taking other people's half-eaten pork chops home in Ziploc baggies, which was an option offered to me.
For dessert: my sister-in-law's epic, three-layer German chocolate cake that she bakes every year for her baby brother's birthday, because it is his favorite. I can't remember how many sticks of butter it has in it, but it is a lot.
In the kitchen, my sister-in-law and I discuss the fact that she barely eats breakfast or lunch, so that her body can accommodate the vast caloric intake demanded by her household's typical dinners.
Snacks: 4 cups of coffee, 3 regular, 1 decaf, with half and half. One cup of black tea with milk and sugar. One glass of red wine, Kirkland brand, which my sister-in-law said was perfectly good, and was.
Feb. 14
My darling Valentine, who can never wait past early morning to present any gifts he has for anyone, gave me a frying pan, a lemongrass-colored Fiestaware place setting, and a big box of Godiva chocolates before breakfast this morning.
Breakfast: the same breakfast quesadilla and home fries I had last week at the Woodside Deli, except this time I managed to only eat half of it and take the rest home in a box! Victory! Decaf coffee.
Dinner: I went with a classic Valentine's menu of giant porterhouse steaks (16 oz. each!) with sauteed mushrooms on top, baked potato, and oven-roasted broccoli, with a mini chocolate-sea-salt chess pie shared for dessert. The porterhouse steaks were cut thinner than is usual, and unfortunately I overcooked them: well done when I was aiming more for medium. Still very edible, though. For the third meal in a row (!) I had more on my plate than I could eat, so I saved about 1/3 of the steak and 1/2 the potato for another time. While I had anticipated that this was a meal I'd be having alone with my husband, my daughter ended up being up being present as well. She has decided to eat vegetarian for Lent, so she had a grilled cheese sandwich instead of a steak.
 |  |
Snacks: 3 cups of additional coffee, 2 regular, 1 decaf, with half and half. 4 or 5 Godiva chocolates over the course of the day. 1/2 a glass of cabernet (all that remained) with dinner.