When I started WW in October 2009, I went with a supportive friend. We called it fat camp, and we compared notes all the time on our progress. Going to meetings was fun because of her. But then, after awhile, going to meetings became fun because of both my friend and my leader, Dottie. Dottie was always supportive, even when I gained a little. Meetings were filled with positive energy, uncompromising support and hope, and a generosity of spirit. Dottie didn't run the meetings as a sales pitch for WW products, unlike some others. She ran them as a group of friends pushing one another to be better. As a result, I went into meetings excited and left energetic and hopeful.
This is why I succeeded at losing 65 pounds. Yeah, sure, I had to make the changes in my own head and commit myself to the task. Dottie always said I was only accountable to myself, not to her. She was right. Over the long term, only I can make myself stay fit and thin. Only I can really know how well I stick to the plan. But I can safely say that her leadership is what made that change in thinking possible for me. That steady support and guidance turned me from an unhealthy eater and person into what I am today.
And then, last fall, she got sick. She had pneumonia and was gone for a few weeks. She finally came back, only to leave again because she didn't have the strength back. And then she didn't come back and didn't come back. Early in December, we learned her cancer had returned (she'd been in remission for quite awhile). I meant to send a thinking-of-you card, but I never did. I often thought of her, though, and thought of the time when she would come back.
But this morning, I found out that won't happen. Dottie passed away.
My heart broke.
Dottie wasn't a close, personal friend. I only knew her for about a year. But she saw me succeed and hit my goal, she was a weekly presence, and that presence--for the short time it lasted--meant so much to me that I can't bear the thought of her not coming back. When I hit goal, all I could think about was, "Wait till Dottie sees!" I'm not sure what I am going to do. I kept going to meetings on the hope that someday she'd be back. The new people are fine, but they aren't Dottie. I want Dottie back.
Since that's not possible, I am writing this to remind myself that I have to keep going, to keep thin, to keep healthy. I have to stay the Newly Thin Dena until I'm the Long-Time Thin Dena. I have to do this not just for me, but for Dottie. She got me this way, and her memory will keep me this way. I am also writing this to remind myself and anyone reading this that our social support is a fundamental aspect of getting and staying thin. Be an encourager to someone. Let me be an encourager to you. Stick together, and help each other.
Let's all be Dottie's for one another. There are too few of her in the world.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Jamais plus!
It turns out I had an epiphany just now. As a result, a major overhaul is required.
Not really. At least not on the overhaul part. But I did have an epiphany!
I made pasta for dinner, using Bertolli tomato and garlic sauce, which is delicious. I added some mushrooms, onion, and green pepper to ramp up the volume of food as well as the flavor and nutritional content. Yay me! As I stirred it all together, I thought it seemed kind of dry. I hadn't used enough sauce. My first thought, of course, was to add more sauce...and then I remembered I had a bottle of red wine open that needed to be used. So I got that out and added a splash to the sauce. It did two things.
1) It made the sauce go a little further. It got just the right consistency.
2) More importantly, it made the flavor go beserker with awesomeness. I added just a splash, but it completely revolutionized the taste. It was so much richer and more intense. I was floored how such a small addition could change so much.
As a result, I have now decided that I will never again (jamais plus!!) eat pasta sauce without a splash or red wine. I will now always have one of those little tiny 6-oz. bottles you can get, just ready and waiting for pasta sauce. It's just. That. Good. You have to have to try it!
Also, I've now officially decided that Brown Cow yogurt beats Kalona SuperOrganics. It's creamier and cheaper. It's two points instead of one, but it's worth it. I'm floored by this news. I feel like I'm betraying Kalona, my dear, sweet Iowa Amish company. But it had to be done.
Not really. At least not on the overhaul part. But I did have an epiphany!
I made pasta for dinner, using Bertolli tomato and garlic sauce, which is delicious. I added some mushrooms, onion, and green pepper to ramp up the volume of food as well as the flavor and nutritional content. Yay me! As I stirred it all together, I thought it seemed kind of dry. I hadn't used enough sauce. My first thought, of course, was to add more sauce...and then I remembered I had a bottle of red wine open that needed to be used. So I got that out and added a splash to the sauce. It did two things.
1) It made the sauce go a little further. It got just the right consistency.
2) More importantly, it made the flavor go beserker with awesomeness. I added just a splash, but it completely revolutionized the taste. It was so much richer and more intense. I was floored how such a small addition could change so much.
As a result, I have now decided that I will never again (jamais plus!!) eat pasta sauce without a splash or red wine. I will now always have one of those little tiny 6-oz. bottles you can get, just ready and waiting for pasta sauce. It's just. That. Good. You have to have to try it!
Also, I've now officially decided that Brown Cow yogurt beats Kalona SuperOrganics. It's creamier and cheaper. It's two points instead of one, but it's worth it. I'm floored by this news. I feel like I'm betraying Kalona, my dear, sweet Iowa Amish company. But it had to be done.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
I'm a girl, and apparently I really am made of those. My two favorite flavors are sweet and spicy. Of course, the old rhyme meant spices like cinnamon and stuff, which is great, but I also love hot spicy, too. I've recently come across a few new additions to my daily diet that incorporate all of these.
1) Some friends recently gave me some Maggi Chili Sauce. It's kind of like ketchup, but with a sweet/spicy combo kick. My two favorites in one! It's thinner than ketchup, too, but you could totally substitute it for french fries. I have used it on stir-fry vegetables and eggs, and I love it on both. It's very low in calories and the label shows that it's all recognizable ingredients. It might be a tad hard to find, but if you have an Asian grocery or an Asian section at your regular grocery, you'll probably find it. It's worth the hunt.
2) Since having had sushi awhile back, I've been thinking very frequently and fondly of wasabi. When I was grocery shopping the other night, I saw coupons on the shelf for almonds. I needed some anyway (I love them), and the coupon was for $1 off two small cans, so I went for a regular and a wasabi & soy flavored can. They could stand to be a little more wasabi-like, but they are really good anyway. I think I'll try putting them in my next salad for a little extra kick. The thing about almonds is that, of course, you can't eat a ton of them because they are high calorie and fat, but they are nutritious for sure..and delicious. So if I can indulge in them with the added bonus of wasabi or some other flavor, I'm going to.
3) Then, for sweet, Hungry Girl has been pimping the new Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. They have more fiber than other kinds of Cheerios and are only three points for a whole cup. There was another coupon at the store the other night, so I got some of those, too. I just ate some and they really are great! Having read Omivore's Dilemma, of course, I noticed right away that the box says, "Flavored with Real Cinnamon," and got grumpy. Shouldn't that just be a duh? We have a very seriously jacked up food system. It did prompt me to look at the ingredients list, and actually it's pretty decent. I recognized all the ingredients and only a couple are suspicious (guar gum=corn; "natural flavor" and "color added"; BHT for preserving "freshness"). Overall, considering some of the crap at the store, this is pretty innocuous.
4) Brown Cow yogurt is not as low in points as Kalona SuperOrganics, but it's still pretty great. Low-ish in sugar (at least for the plain variety) and probably a lot easier to find. Just thought I'd pass that on since it passed my very stringent yogurt taste test.
There you go. More options for your next trip to the store. Now I have to get back to work!
1) Some friends recently gave me some Maggi Chili Sauce. It's kind of like ketchup, but with a sweet/spicy combo kick. My two favorites in one! It's thinner than ketchup, too, but you could totally substitute it for french fries. I have used it on stir-fry vegetables and eggs, and I love it on both. It's very low in calories and the label shows that it's all recognizable ingredients. It might be a tad hard to find, but if you have an Asian grocery or an Asian section at your regular grocery, you'll probably find it. It's worth the hunt.
2) Since having had sushi awhile back, I've been thinking very frequently and fondly of wasabi. When I was grocery shopping the other night, I saw coupons on the shelf for almonds. I needed some anyway (I love them), and the coupon was for $1 off two small cans, so I went for a regular and a wasabi & soy flavored can. They could stand to be a little more wasabi-like, but they are really good anyway. I think I'll try putting them in my next salad for a little extra kick. The thing about almonds is that, of course, you can't eat a ton of them because they are high calorie and fat, but they are nutritious for sure..and delicious. So if I can indulge in them with the added bonus of wasabi or some other flavor, I'm going to.
3) Then, for sweet, Hungry Girl has been pimping the new Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. They have more fiber than other kinds of Cheerios and are only three points for a whole cup. There was another coupon at the store the other night, so I got some of those, too. I just ate some and they really are great! Having read Omivore's Dilemma, of course, I noticed right away that the box says, "Flavored with Real Cinnamon," and got grumpy. Shouldn't that just be a duh? We have a very seriously jacked up food system. It did prompt me to look at the ingredients list, and actually it's pretty decent. I recognized all the ingredients and only a couple are suspicious (guar gum=corn; "natural flavor" and "color added"; BHT for preserving "freshness"). Overall, considering some of the crap at the store, this is pretty innocuous.
4) Brown Cow yogurt is not as low in points as Kalona SuperOrganics, but it's still pretty great. Low-ish in sugar (at least for the plain variety) and probably a lot easier to find. Just thought I'd pass that on since it passed my very stringent yogurt taste test.
There you go. More options for your next trip to the store. Now I have to get back to work!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
New Blog Alert
A FB friend posted a recipe for Sweet potato quinoa cakes, and word on the street is that they are delicious. I was going to try them tonight, but I got home and got lazy. And then on top of that, I realized my eggs are about to expire, so I decided to go the easy egg sandwich route (egg, Arnold's sandwich thin, Brummel and Brown, done). Problem solved.
Anyway, these sweet potato quinoa cakes. Yeah. I'm definitely going to try. It combines two of my favorite things and squishes them together in a patty. What's not to like?
So then, I was looking around the blog more generally, and it's filled with great recipes and thoughts on health food, so I'm adding it to my favorite blogs link on the right. I plan to be a regular visitor.
Honestly, I've felt so supremely lazy of late in terms of food. I have no energy to do anything, let alone innovate on food. Ugh. But this recipe has me super stoked. I just bought some sweet potatoes at the store last night, so it's almost like it was meant to be.
Hey, though. While I'm rambling with no real purpose or organization, I should also mention that the Trader Joe's equivalent of Fiber One is pretty dang awesome. And cheaper than real Fiber One. The pieces are a lot thinner, but the taste is the same. I had some for breakfast with my beloved unsweetened vanilla almond milk and some blueberries. Win.
My brain is off tonight, so this nonsense is all you get. Be grateful, dang it.
Anyway, these sweet potato quinoa cakes. Yeah. I'm definitely going to try. It combines two of my favorite things and squishes them together in a patty. What's not to like?
So then, I was looking around the blog more generally, and it's filled with great recipes and thoughts on health food, so I'm adding it to my favorite blogs link on the right. I plan to be a regular visitor.
Honestly, I've felt so supremely lazy of late in terms of food. I have no energy to do anything, let alone innovate on food. Ugh. But this recipe has me super stoked. I just bought some sweet potatoes at the store last night, so it's almost like it was meant to be.
Hey, though. While I'm rambling with no real purpose or organization, I should also mention that the Trader Joe's equivalent of Fiber One is pretty dang awesome. And cheaper than real Fiber One. The pieces are a lot thinner, but the taste is the same. I had some for breakfast with my beloved unsweetened vanilla almond milk and some blueberries. Win.
My brain is off tonight, so this nonsense is all you get. Be grateful, dang it.
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