eG Foodblog: CaliPoutine, MarketStEl & mizducky - The Shrinking

[Simon_S]

So, this is a really really unhealthy view I have, but does anyone else share my feelings?

I find that if I don't eat breakfast, I'm not as hungry throughout the day  I wonder why that is?

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Oh life would be so much easier if that were true for me!!

I've taken to eating porridge for breakfast as a new year resolution, having heard so much about the health and diet benefits. As it turns out, I'm finding thusfar that it really is helping keep me full until lunch, and I'm staying away from that downward spiral into naughtiness that used to mark out the day.

I've got high BP that my doc is adamant would improve if I dropped the 50 excess pounds I'm carrying. I don't like being this weight, and I'd love to lose it, but historically my problem is that I view food as the highlight of my day, and want every meal to be an "event" for the taste buds. I'm slowly but surely starting to realise that I must view food as fuel as well as a sensual delight, and accept the fact that blow-out treats should remain treats, rather than several-times-weekly occurrences.

2008 is the year I drop that weight. Fact!

[C. sapidus]

Firstly, I wish to commend Ellen, Sandy, and Randi for your candor in discussing diet and self-image. Many share this struggle, but few discuss it so openly. It is fascinating to see how each of you develop personalized methods for reaching a similar goal.

My stepdaughter always complains we have nothing 'nice' to eat in the house... no cookies, chips, snacks etc. It's because having those around makes me nervous. having something good to eat in my deskdrawer, makes me nervous. I can't stop thinking about it until I eat it. I could NEVER eat just a handful of chips for lunch.. so I only buy a large bag every two weeks and then we eat it all in 10 minutes. I've always wondered about this, and now I guess I know what it means - it's my old brain that's making me nervous:

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Klary, I know exactly what you mean. I am normally on a see-food diet (if I see food I like, I eat it). If I don’t see the food, I don’t miss it. Consequently, the most important decisions are made at the grocery store, not in the kitchen.

So, this is a really really unhealthy view I have, but does anyone else share my feelings?

I find that if I don't eat breakfast, I'm not as hungry throughout the day  I wonder why that is?

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Shelby, I notice the same thing. Breakfasting on simple carbohydrates causes a sugar spike, triggering an insulin spike and subsequent sugar crash. After the sugar crash, you to feel hungry again. The problem (for me, anyway) is that skipping breakfast often leads to ravenous hunger at lunchtime, negating any caloric-avoidance benefits and then some. This article popped up when I googled “breakfast” and “sugar crash.”

The solution is to breakfast on protein, fat (in suitable moderation, of course), fiber, and/or low-glycemic index carbohydrates. Leftover protein or veggies from dinner, eggs, nuts, and even guacamole sate my hunger until lunchtime quite effectively. The other day, cream of leftover smoked ratatouille soup made a very satisfying breakfast.

Oatmeal is high in fiber (good), but for me oatmeal isn’t oatmeal without brown sugar (not so good).

Edit: spelling, basic writing skills . . .

Edited January 9, 2008 by C. sapidus (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Breakfast today was 2 packets of Kashi Go Lean Hot cereal. I really like Kashi products, can you tell?

The cereal has 2 points per package. I also had half a banana( 1 point) and half a cup of non-fat milk(1 point). I should mention that I dont really care for hot drinks. Additionally, I dont care for coffee or tea. If I need some morning caffeine, I'll have a diet coke or I'll add a package of morning spark to my water.

Edited January 9, 2008 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Sony]

I am keenly enjoying this blog! It's nice to get a glimpse of not just the actions you're taking to realize your goals, but the thought process behind them AND the context in which they takes place. It's lovely to see how beautiful, delicious food can be reconciled with the aim to improve health and a busy lifestyle.

Your dedication has inspired me to be more conscious of staying hydrated, which has always been a pitfall of mine. I'm loving the ideas shared here. I always have to remind myself that by the time I'm thirsty, I'm already dehydrated. And that often when I have the urge to munch on something, that "hunger" is satisfied by drinking something (that can be legally consumed by an under-21 American, of course).

[MarketStEl]

Before continuing my saga, I'd like to ask any Greater Philadelphians reading this foodblog if they have run across the reduced-sodium Old Bay anywhere. I've not seen it at any of the markets I regularly patronize. Given that it's made in Maryland -- some say it's synonymous with the state -- I'd be surprised to find it unavailable so close to its home base.

Hurrah indeed, Your Fab Duckiness! One tiny food revelation a week for Mr. E. I'm inspired that you, Randi and Sandy are taking the New Year's weight loss topic for the team, each in your different ways.

I'm also cheered and inspired that this is an out, Queer three-way discussion, because most of my weight-loss chat in the last year has involved a gay friend and my adored lesbian cousin. GF has been on one diet or another since I met him, and hasn't dropped a pound. (He has had a facelift and Lasix. His partner is a professional ballroom dancer who weighs, like, 83 pounds.) He was the first person who told me that anorexia wasn't the province of teenage girls -- that gay men bought into it too.

My gorgeous, talented cousin (who lives about fifty miles from Randi) was a plus-size model before she broke down and came out. 5'11" 180 best distributed pounds I've ever seen. Her partner was (and is) very large -- 5'8" 300. In the first year of their beautiful love affair, my cousin gained 100 pounds, and threw off all those society-based taboos about women and weight.

Two years later she lost a hundred pounds in a year and showed up at my daughter's wedding looking like the lipstick lesbian guys pant over. Then she had a baby and is a Big Girl post partum. She's back to Big is Fab and who cares about what men and society think? But she's told me, in private, that she hates it.

Down the rabbit hole -- it really does seem that the straight/gay world is topsy turvey about weight issues. Not that it matters, but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

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Thank you for opening this subject up a little wider. That was one of the things we thought would be worth exploring in a way that could best be explored with an all-gay tag team blog.

There does seem to be a sort of inverted, Alice-in-Wonderland quality to the subject of body image among gay men and lesbians. Much as straight women might obsess over impossibly pencil-thin supermodels, gay men have people like this (straight, AFAIK) model held up as the epitome of desirability. We go to the gym not just because we want to stay healthy or build up our stamina, but also because we seek to be sex symbols too.

And just as the feminists' critique of the whole equation between thinness and beauty (hello, Ellen? I'm paging you again) helped open up a space for women to accept themselves as they are, a similar, though not as intellectually rigorous, critique has arisen among gay men in the form of the Bear culture. (My guess as to why the intellectual content of Beardom seems to be downplayed is because we're talking about men here, and as you all know, we men think with our ***** first. )

The one thing both the feminist critique and the gay male subculture have in common is an assertive rejection of the conventional standards of beauty and attractiveness. The male subculture also contains an element of class criticism about it, as the Wikipedia article I've linked in this post indicates.

(Black Bears, FWIW, remain an endangered species; in my years here in Philly, I've met exactly one.)

But your story about your cousin does lead me to conclude this: Most people probably know inside themselves that there is an optimal weight and body shape for them, and they know when the body they have is not that body. The model industry errs mainly (but not exclusively) in insisting that the skinny female or the buff, young, muscular male is the only acceptable or desirable body type; the pro-fat crowd, in arguing that extreme obesity is nothing to worry about and any problems anyone has with it are due to their own cultural hangups.

As far as where I fit on the gay male identity spectrum, I consider myself something of a gay ordinary Joe, neither too fat nor too thin, not all that muscular nor wanting to be, and neither hypermasculine nor terribly effeminate. (There's a tale I tell about myself that some might find amusing and others mildly insulting, but if anyone wants to hear it, I'd be glad to share.) I've gotten used to the "When's the baby due?" ribbing, largely because it comes from people who've known me for years and like me. And yet I've got just enough Tyson Beckford envy in me for it to nag at me at a deep level. Not enough to obsess, but just enough to say, Maybe I ought to do something about it. And so we come to this pass, and this foodblog.

[ludja]

While I'm at it, is it just me, or does anyone else find Hellman's canola oil mayonnaise sweeter and/or a little more liquid than their regular variety?

No, it's not just you, I've noticed it as well......the sweetness has actually become more pronounced recently I think and I'm finding it off-putting lately. I think I'll go back to regular.....(of course, West of the Mississippi, it's Best Foods.......)

And Sandy, WHERE is your snow??? It's almost Mid-January in Philly, and it looks like Spring !!! Yikes..........

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One trick to cut calories in a tuna or chicken salad meal that I use is to use half regular mayo and half plain yogurt. (I also add lemon juice and black pepper, maybe capers.) I don't find any substantial change in flavor or texture with addition of the yogurt, especially in a sandwich. I also usually add a fair amount of chopped veggies (carrot or celery) or add a can of garbanzo beans. I like the crunch and texture they add and they also serve to reduce the calorie count for the serving. Adding lettuce to the sandwich also adds some substance with essentially no additional calories.

Thanks for blogging, you three! I hope this week helps you all and the rest of us get off to a good healthy start in the new year!

[ludja]

...

I measured out her museli too for the morning.  After she does the treadmill, I told her to add 1/2c of the yogurt and half a banana.

...

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I'm a big fan of Bob's Red Mill muesli! Only 110 calories per serving for the cereal...when you measure out the quarter cup serving, which I do.

Another fruit option I like to add to it is grated/diced apples or pears along with the yogurt. Sometimes it's nice to mix it together and let it soften with the yogurt for half an hour or so. You get a different texture that way with the softened grains. I usually add a small drizzle of honey or a sprinkle of raw sugar for a little sweetness.

Another good healthy breakfast cereal option I like is steel cut or Irish oats. They have a chewier texture from 'regular' oatmeal that I like better and a nice nutty flavor. I'm also less hungary at lunchtime which I have these for breakfast.

[ludja]

Good morning! I've got a computer lesson with Mr. E. in less that 15 minutes (I tutor him in basic computer skills twice a week), but let me see if I can catch up on a few comments ...

In fact, as I get older, it's becoming clear that, for me, there is one critical (and difficult) element without which there will be very little lasting weight loss, and it is...building muscle. There, I said it. Now I'm going to go try and live it...my first gym visit of 2008 is hopefully in my very near future, if I can just leave my cozy apartment and get outside. Oh, and keeping yourself hydrated. Do that too.

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Oh yeah ... there is a lot of recent, and better, weight loss punditry that points out that the more muscle mass you have, the more revved your baseline metabolism gets, because muscle tissue burns up a good bunch of energy just in maintaining itself (it's also constantly active--even when you're just sitting there, after all, muscle is holding your body upright and in balance). So in addition to aerobic exercise, many instructors are now making sure their weight loss clients are pumping at least a little iron. It doesn't take much--those little hand weights or elastic bands are certainly enough for many of us ... so why is the danged elastic band my Kaiser Permanente instructor gave me mouldering in a basket four feet from where I am now sitting? Because I need to get on with that part of the program too!

Oops! Just turned 11am here--back later!

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Such a good suggestion! I tend to be pretty slim but adding in a modest weight training program (20-30 min routine with hand weights at home, every other day) helped me successfully jump start some weight loss when I wanted to lose 15-20 lbs. Since then I just kept it a part of my regular routine. It's easy to do while watching TV.

Edited January 9, 2008 by ludja (log)

[MarketStEl]

Okay, time for some exercise.

This morning, as we were chatting, my boss informed me that when Prophet 21 moved into this building, many of the employees advocated that a gym be installed on the then-vacant second floor of my wing. That didn't happen, but people kept pushing until the growth of the company moved its accounting department into the space.

So as a result, there's no convenient place for Activant Wholesale Distribution Group employees to get in exercise on their lunch hour.

Delaware Canal and towpath at Milepost 14, just north of East Afton Avenue, Yardley, Pa.

On the contrary: There is an excellent place to get a good aerobic workout just steps from our door.

It's the Delaware Canal, which runs 60 miles from Bristol, 14 miles south of Yardley, to Easton, where the Lehigh and Delaware rivers meet. The canal's 100 years of service as an artery of commerce ended in 1931 with the passage of the last mule boat of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. through the canal on October 17; on that same day, the company deeded 40 miles of the canal to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Commonwealth acquired the remaining 20 miles in 1940.

Today, the Delaware Canal State Park -- a Registered National Historic Landmark and a National Recreation Trail combined -- is used by walkers, hikers, runners, bicyclists, nature lovers, history buffs and picnickers. You can put me in the first and next-to-last categories right off the bat, but the canal's environment might also make a nature lover out of me. I can also get some railfanning in along it where the SEPTA R3 line crosses it just below Lock No. 5; the route through Yardley is also used by CSX freights:

On the first day I walked the towpath at lunch hour, I limited myself to the stretch within Yardley Borough proper (the R3 crosses its southern tip). Like the rest of Yardley, the canalside oozes charm:

Even though the temperature on Monday was near 60, there was still some ice on the canal's surface.

The birds pictured here are Canada geese. I noticed a few flocks of them making the same reverse commute I did -- northbound in the morning, southbound in the evening -- last week. The Lenape called these birds "wawa," presumably in imitation of the sound they make. Little did the Lenape know that some 400 years later, millions of people from New Jersey to Virginia would make the same sound when they wanted to say "convenience store." The Wawa chain dominates the convenience-store market in its (and my) home region. Perhaps another, better, indication of how much Wawa has worked its way into the Philadelphian psyche is the title of a recent Philly Fringe Festival hit, a comedic sketch revue of life in the city: "Wawapalooza!"

Yesterday, I took the towpath for a fitness-walking test drive, seeing how far I could get in 30 minutes. As I stopped to snap photos fairly often, I didn't really put the towpath through its paces properly, but I did conclude that this will make a great exercise facility. I made it south to where Black Rock Road crosses the canal* in Lower Makefield Township, about 1.5 miles from my office, then turned back to return to work.

About one-third of the way to Black Rock Road, the utility line that parallels the canal through Yardley crosses and leaves it. From here south, you might for a monent forget you are in suburbia:

...but a quick glance through the woods that line the canal disabuses you of that notion.

The houses are even closer on the canal's west side, where they are perched atop the steep rise that ends the Delaware River floodplain. The houses in the picture are in trouble when the next 100-year flood hits.

I was more surprised, though, to see this stand of bamboo right on the canal's west bank:

I guess bamboo can tolerate the changing seasons of Southeastern Pennsylvania. (Though it seems they're not changing as dramatically as they used to. We've had only one serious cold snap since December 1, and almost no snow to speak of. The current balmy weather is to end on Friday, when the high temp is forecast to return to a more January-like 40 F.)

At Black Rock Road is a small picnic area and a set of panels describing the canal's history and aspects of life along the canal.

On the way back, I ran into the director of our inside sales department coming the other way; he was heading to his home via the towpath.

So I've managed to find a place where I can work exercise back into my routine, at least when the weather's good. Maybe I should purchase some free weights I can keep under my desk. I definitely should get a bike and bring it to work with me.

*Edited to add: I've marked where my office is on the map linked here as well. Just move the map around to see it.

Edited January 9, 2008 by MarketStEl (log)

[JanMcBaker]

I'm very much enjoying this blog by the brave 'Three Blogateers!' Thank you very much for your views and insights.

I've also been dealing with weight issues the last couple years, and seem to have hit on what works for me, having lost about 60 pounds in the last couple years. And I seem to be keeping it off, too, which is a major surprise and accomplishment for me. A couple things have come to mind during this time that I'd like to toss out and see what people think-- One is that, there is certainly no 'one size fits all' for weight loss. I've mainly been doing Weight Watchers, but trying to do it in a way which fits my life. I think my WW leader would be horrified to see what I eat sometimes. But we're supposed to be able to eat whatever we want.....

The other thing, and one which I've only recently considered and basically come to terms with, is that perhaps not everyone is meant to be thin! It makes sense to me. After all, why would there be such variations in physical characteristics-- except for weight? It's like saying everyone should be six feet tall or have brown eyes.

Thanks again to Sandy, Mizducky and Cali for your writings!

[Toliver]

Seriously--prunes are a vital part of my personal regimen, partly because my food plan calls for four servings of fruit a day, forcing me to admit to myself that I just don't like raw fruit quite that much to get in four a day, and most fruit juice is too sweet for my tastes. Yeah, I know I'm weird that way. So dried fruit works just as well for me. Plus prunes, well, have that classic effect on one's, erm, flow ... which I need ... um, 'nuff said, right?

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I'm with you, sister! My mom eats fruit all of the time and I'm just the opposite. Maybe it was the way we were raised and so now I'm rebelling (and won't eat Jello for the same reason ).

By the way, they're not called prunes anymore. The plum farmers sued the government so they could call them dried plums to get away from the free-flowing stigma of the old name.

[MarketStEl]

I hope that means you'll still be available to join me on pizza runs, Jan.

In the meantime, it's time for me to move on to last night's dinner, which had an unplanned-in-advance theme: Pank-O-Rama!

I had taken down some pork chops to defrost on Tuesday morning. When I got back into town, I decided to marinate them in this:

while I ran out to get a prescription filled and buy some longer-lasting batteries for the camera.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across some panko at the Acme and decided to buy a can. I liked the results I got when I prepared chicken with the Japanese bread crumbs. So last night, free associating off teriyaki sauce, I decided I should try making the marinated pork chops with them too.

I dipped the chops in beaten egg, then bread crumbs, then repeated the two steps.

I then did the same (after dredging in flour) with half an eggplant that I had not cooked the previous Saturday, sliced fairly thin.

The pork chops came out perfectly, as did the second batch of eggplant slices. I discovered to my chagrin that the used oil I had cooked the first batch in had broken down too much, and as a result, the crust on those slices burnt. This is the doomed batch about halfway through cooking:

After changing the oil, the second batch turned out better.

After this, I also reached the conclusion that eggplant was meant to be fried, not baked -- or at least not baked without sauce. I tried that on Saturday, and the slices came out chewy rather than tender the way these did.

I know what Satchel Paige said about fried foods, and they do add fat and calories. But I figure that if I don't eat them too often, they should be OK to incorporate in a weight management regimen.

Edited to add: Despite the name, the bread crumbs are manufactured by a company in Jeanette, Pa., next door to Greensburg, some 30 miles SE of Pittsburgh in neighboring Westmoreland County. Judging from the brand name mentioned repeatedly in a veal Parmesan recipe on the can, the company primarily makes Italian food specialties. Guess they decided to branch out -- another example of Americans' wider culinary horizons?

Edited January 9, 2008 by MarketStEl (log)

[Smithy]

OK, what did Satchel Paige say about fried foods?

Sandy, thanks for your excellent photos of your area. I've spent a little time in the East, but I'm still surprised when I see woods so near major metropolitan areas. The railroad and canal shots have an especially evocative feel.

...and yes, I'll bite: what's the tale you tell about yourself that might be either amusing or mildly insulting?

This is an interesting blog for me to read on, and I'm learning a lot. Thanks to all three of you for the open discussions about body image and cultural influences.

[mizducky]

Good morning, folks! I see lots of posts I want and need to respond to, which I will do as soon as I take care of a little business. In the meantime, I leave you with a photo of my breakfast today.

I was feeling a little hungrier than usual this morning, so I did my lunch-for-breakfast thing and had some turkey roll in half a whole wheat pita, plus a banana (more on why my head doesn't seem to count bananas as part of my semi-aversion-to-fresh-fruit thing when I return).

[suzilightning]

wow, what a wonderful blog by all...

love the food and the stories. good go, miz by introducing your housemate to a smidgeon of spice. randi i have to try some of those ideas you have provided since i pack breakfast/lunch and many times dinner for john. where did you get those multi patitioned containers? sandy, john, too is extremely lactose intolerant and we have been eating hard cheeses for the last two years or so. keep your eyes on the tow path in the spring for an influx of prothonotory warblers as it looks like ideal habitat... and check out the squirrel nest up in the trees in your one photo showing "civiliztion" in the background.

interesting thoughts about body image and sexual orientation. as an undergraduate in a theater program if you were straight/gay/bi it was all about body image if you were in performance. i knew many who were not in the program but it seemed - at that time, 1972-1976 - to split along gender lines. most of the men were really into looking good and telling you how good they looked while most women had an attitude of "who cares".

as a grad student in librarianship in the late 1970s most of the fellow students i knew who were gay or bi were not so much into the looks as how you were able to connect with others mentally.

i have also met others in the 80's and 90's not in either of my degree areas when it seemed that body image was THE most important thing - for both sexes. currently it seems to be among the gay/bi/transgendered people i know do you feel healthy then how do you look.

Edited January 9, 2008 by suzilightning (log)

[Daniel]

I have read many places that frying eggplant is horrible for you because the eggplant acts as a sponge and sucks up all the oil.. Has anyone else heard this?

[christine007]

Good luck to all!

I love the humor, you guys are too much!

I confess ignorance to diabetic issues, but Cali and your spouse, God bless.

Miz Ducky and Sandy, I hear you about not liking plain water, but you need it.

Ironically, a lot of the points brought up in my "Not eating enough" thread apply to you two also.

You need water. Buy limes or lemons, Ice it down. I completely cut caffeine from my diet (not that you have to go to that extreme) But ever since I did, I've found I can get my twelve, even more, glasses of water every day.

miz Ducky you need calcium, milk, yogurt, etc.

Sandy, make sure you have water when you walk. I know it doesn't taste good, but hell, you KNOW the drill, if it's good for you, it usually sucks.

How about a reward system, say, for every three glasses of water you down, you get the diet beverage of your choice? And, personal info, but, monitor how often you urinate. I wasn't at all, that's when I knew I had to shift. Same applies to dieters. You should have to go, "a lot'.

Now, of course you do this during the earlier part of the day so you can sleep.

Sandy, you ride the train, better start up at work..

Also, as I keep high fat snacks around my person at all times, you do the same with low fat snacks, veggie sticks, fruit, etc, for when you feel the slump, or are tempted.

Again, best of luck to all. Despite my current circumstance, I've been dieting most of my adult life, I can relate.

[kbjesq]

After changing the oil, the second batch turned out better.

After this, I also reached the conclusion that eggplant was meant to be fried, not baked -- or at least not baked without sauce.  I tried that on Saturday, and the slices came out chewy rather than tender the way these did.

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I share the thoughts of others who commend the three of you you for your candor and forthrightness on the important issue of weight control/weight loss!

Regarding the eggplant, may I suggest an alternative to frying that you might enjoy (nearly) as well as the fried version? Slice and salt (or not) as you usually do, then pat dry and "butter" each slice with mayo. (Light mayo will also work). Then dredge the mayo-slathered slices in panko or other crumbs of your choosing. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil and then spray the tops, as well. Roast at very high heat (450 F) and use convection if you have it. After approx. 10-15 min, watch closely and when the outside is golden brown, remove and serve as you normally would. (This also makes the best eggplant parmesan, as the eggplant is not greasy and the flavor of the eggplant shines through!)

I also use the same technique for zucchini, slabs of tofu, and other things that taste good fried.

[kbjesq]

And I forgot to say, Randi, your countertops and backsplash look great. Does the granite have little flecks of blue in it or is it the lighting? To me, it looks like the granite has flecks that are the same color as the backsplash. Anyway, it looks great and it is still hard to believe how quickly you were able to accomplish the remodel.

[Smithy]

My trick for minimizing the amount of oil an eggplant slice soaks up is to brush it on each slice, then bake at high heat (or even broil) prior to assembly in something like eggplant parmesan, or moussaka. I do like the looks of the panko crumbs, though. Sandy, did you find that the egg and crumbs helped prevent the eggplant from soaking up too much oil?

[mizducky]

Okay, catching up on some comments and questions ...

MizDucky, congrats on making a happy meal for Mr E and yourself! 

Perhaps you told us, though I did not catch it.  Are you living in the home with Mr. E?  Whether you are or not, it must be very challenging to provide so many personal needs for somebody you dont really know.  Do you find that you enjoy each other's company, or do you keep the relationship strictly professional?

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Thanks, tamian! I do happen to be living with Mr. E in his condo. He and I were already friends, and by fortunate circumstance, when his health circumstances required that he no longer live alone, I was in need of a new place to live, so--serendipity struck! We've been a household since this past June, and it has been a challenge working out the housemate/friend/helper boundaries--especially since we both have *strong* personalities! But we're doing okay, and I've definitely had a positive impact on his nutrition as well as my own.

So, this is a really really unhealthy view I have, but does anyone else share my feelings?

I find that if I don't eat breakfast, I'm not as hungry throughout the day  I wonder why that is?

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Y'know, at this point in my history with food and weight, one of my guiding principles is "pay attention to received wisdom, but also pay attention to what works for you, because after all, you're the foremost authority on that."

Having said that, I admit to struggling to remember to eat breakfast. Ultimately, I know I do much better in the long run with the many-small-meals mode--it keeps my metabolism on a much more even keel, without those sudden dips in energy that make one want to eat a house. But sometimes life and schedules make the lots-of-little-meals pattern hard to actualize. So--I do my best. That's all anyone can do. Stressing about not doing my regimen perfectly is totally "out" in my book--that's another recipe-for-disaster pattern from the dieting days that I no longer harrass myself with.

Hurrah indeed, Your Fab Duckiness! One tiny food revelation a week for Mr. E. I'm inspired that you, Randi and Sandy are taking the New Year's weight loss topic for the team, each in your different ways.

I'm also cheered and inspired that this is an out, Queer three-way discussion, because most of my weight-loss chat in the last year has involved a gay friend and my adored lesbian cousin. GF has been on one diet or another since I met him, and hasn't dropped a pound. (He has had a facelift and Lasix. His partner is a professional ballroom dancer who weighs, like, 83 pounds.) He was the first person who told me that anorexia wasn't the province of teenage girls -- that gay men bought into it too.

My gorgeous, talented cousin (who lives about fifty miles from Randi) was a plus-size model before she broke down and came out. 5'11" 180 best distributed pounds I've ever seen. Her partner was (and is) very large -- 5'8" 300. In the first year of their beautiful love affair, my cousin gained 100 pounds, and threw off all those society-based taboos about women and weight.

Two years later she lost a hundred pounds in a year and showed up at my daughter's wedding looking like the lipstick lesbian guys pant over. Then she had a baby and is a Big Girl post partum. She's back to Big is Fab and who cares about what men and society think? But she's told me, in private, that she hates it.

Down the rabbit hole -- it really does seem that the straight/gay world is topsy turvey about weight issues. Not that it matters, but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

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Thank you for opening this subject up a little wider. That was one of the things we thought would be worth exploring in a way that could best be explored with an all-gay tag team blog.

There does seem to be a sort of inverted, Alice-in-Wonderland quality to the subject of body image among gay men and lesbians. Much as straight women might obsess over impossibly pencil-thin supermodels, gay men have people like this (straight, AFAIK) model held up as the epitome of desirability. We go to the gym not just because we want to stay healthy or build up our stamina, but also because we seek to be sex symbols too.

And just as the feminists' critique of the whole equation between thinness and beauty (hello, Ellen? I'm paging you again) helped open up a space for women to accept themselves as they are, a similar, though not as intellectually rigorous, critique has arisen among gay men in the form of the Bear culture.

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Thanks, Sandy and Maggie and others, for reminding me that I wanted to respond to this subject. I'm working on a longer post to collect my thoughts on the matter ... it'll be coming up Real Soon Now ...

The other thing, and one which I've only recently considered and basically come to terms with, is that perhaps not everyone is meant to be thin!  It makes sense to me.  After all, why would there be such variations in physical characteristics-- except for weight?  It's like saying everyone should be six feet tall or have brown eyes.

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DingDingDingDingDing!!!! You hit what I consider the billion-dollar question about this whole "war on obesity" / "tyrrany of slenderness" / weight-loss obsession thing our culture is seemingly hell-bent on. There is a huge question in my head--as well as in the minds of a growing number of dieting dissidents--about what the hell "ideal" weight is as regards health (as opposed to slimming exclusively to reach IMO unrealistic ideals of physical beauty).

I personally have proved to myself that those "ideal" weight chart guidelines are totally off for me, by the simple process of following the chart in my 20s, getting to the goal weight and keeping it off for a full two years ... and screwing up my health for years afterwards in the process. And this was with doctors and dietitians telling me throughout that my diet was just fine ... even though, according to my research years afterwards, I was showing all the classic signs of overtraining and underweight--amenorrhea, fatigue, constant hunger ...

Mind you, a lot more has been learned about healthy weight loss since this weight loss misadventure back in the 1980s. But they still haven't fixed those damfool weight charts. According to them, right now I'm still obese at over 30-something BMI. And I know that when doctors as well as civilians who don't know my history look at me, they probably think "oh, she's fat, so she's not taking care of herself." I've simply decided that I don't care what they think. I know for myself that I'm the healthiest I've been in years, and I don't need my scale to say 120 lb or my clothing label to say size 10 for confirm that for me.

I have read many places that frying eggplant is horrible for you because the eggplant acts as a sponge and sucks up all the oil.. Has anyone else heard this?

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Well ... there's several things we have to unpack here. First off, I personally reject the concept that fat by definition is a "bad" nutrient. We need fat in our diet for health. There are some fats that are healthier than others, to be sure--but at least for me, going totally non-fat is Not A Goal.

Having said that, fat is definitely a dense nutrient--it supplies more than twice as many calories per gram as either protein or carbohydrate (9 cal./gram for fat; 4 cal./gram for carbs or proteins)--so its bigger bite out of one's daily calorie allotment does need to be taken into consideration when planning what one eats.

And yes, eggplant is notorious for acting like a sponge, soaking up anything it cooks in, whether sauce, oil or what have you. That's why that classic middle-eastern eggplant dish is called Imam Baldi, or "the priest fainted"--what he fainted over was the small fortune in oil his cook spent on the delicious eggplant dish he just ate! There's some argument out there about whether it makes a difference to "purge" eggplant before frying in oil (salting, weighting, and draining to get excess moisture out and collapse its cell structure). In my experience, yeah, it does make the eggplant absorb less oil, plus I like its texture better afterwards. Though sometimes I just don't have time, and don't bother ... I don't sweat being incosistent either!

(Edited to correct data on cal/gram for nutrients, among other things)

Edited January 9, 2008 by mizducky (log)

[CaliPoutine]

randi i have to try some of those ideas you have provided since i pack breakfast/lunch and many times dinner for john. where did you get those multi patitioned containers? sandy

I was hoping someone would ask about the container. Its a lock and lock container that I bought on Clement Street in San Francisco. Target has a good selection of Lock and Lock's too and you might be able to find the divided container there. QVC also has a great selection, a lot of different items you wont find in the stores. I have a great set of 3 round bowls that nest that I like to use when I make salad for Robin.

[suzilightning]

randi i have to try some of those ideas you have provided since i pack breakfast/lunch and many times dinner for john. where did you get those multi patitioned containers? sandy

I was hoping someone would ask about the container. Its a lock and lock container that I bought on Clement Street in San Francisco. Target has a good selection of Lock and Lock's too and you might be able to find the divided container there. QVC also has a great selection, a lot of different items you wont find in the stores. I have a great set of 3 round bowls that nest that I like to use when I make salad for Robin.

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as a stock holder of "tar - jay" thank you. will look for them the next time i head toward the mall.

Edited January 9, 2008 by suzilightning (log)

[CaliPoutine]

And I forgot to say, Randi, your countertops and backsplash look great.  Does the granite have little flecks of blue in it or is it the lighting?  To me, it looks like the granite has flecks that are the same color as the backsplash.  Anyway, it looks great and it is still hard to believe how quickly you were able to accomplish the remodel. 

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Thanks!! We love the kitchen, I lived with the old kitchen for 6 years, so the new kitchen was highly anticipated. Having heard horror stories of ppl being without a kitchen for months at a time, I was nervous. We had great contractors.

Yes, the granite does have blue flecks. Its called Labrador Antique. I looked at so many granites before finally seeing this one. The backsplash is blue glass tile by Daltile. I found it at Home Depot of all places.

[racheld]

OK, what did Satchel Paige say about fried foods?

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Wasn't it something about "don't look behind you" or "don't look at your behind," or something on that order?