The Six

I loved dinner tonight. I felt like I was cheating, because it was just so good. But, really? I ate almost all vegetables. Compare it to what I used to eat daily and there really is no comparison. I didn't eat any bread or anything fried. The only "non Virgin" thing that I ate was a little fresh Mozzarella. It was actually Burrata and so worth it. We went to dinner with a friend that I have known for over 30 years and her husband. It was the first time that I have been to the restaurant, The Six, in Studio City. I will definitely go back again. We started our meal by sharing small plates of cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. For my "entree" I ordered another small plate of beets.
Day 4 on the Beck diet suggests that you give yourself credit for any positive changes or tasks that you accomplish. Well, I am definitely happy with myself tonight. Sure, I would have loved to have eaten  the delicious looking hamburger that I saw the waitress delivering to another table. Or sharing a piece of one of the many small pizzas that they offered. (or eating my own) But, my mindset is slowly changing and I am still focusing on health. Today was an easy day to give myself "credit"! Good job, Patti!

Artichoke

After a day of careful eating, I have eaten a very light dinner. I ate a cup of homemade chicken soup for breakfast. For lunch, I ate two ounces of grilled chicken and a honey crisp apple. For dinner, I ate a grilled artichoke. Period! I considered eating more, but quite frankly, I couldn't figure out what else to eat. We went to Stanley's for dinner. It was very difficult for me to understand what was gluten free. I guess I have more reading to do. However, I knew that the time it would take for me to eat an entire artichoke, would equal the time it would take Tony to eat a salad and an entree. So...that is all that I ordered. And I feel satisfied. Day 2 of the Virgin diet is over.

 

7 Foods to Avoid

If I lost a pound for every dollar I've spent trying to lose weight, I'd be on the Dr. Phil show looking anorexic. Today I bought another book. "The Virgin Diet" by nutritionist, JJ Virgin. She claims that most people with an obesity problem suffer from food intolerance. It is similar to a food allergy, but not as severe. You slowly suffer from the ill effects of certain foods without really noticing. She advises giving up 7 of the highly intolerant foods for 21 days, and see if you notice a difference. If you do have an intolerance, you will not only feel much better, but lose weight as well. You are probably wondering which 7 foods are the culprits. Here is the list: soy, sugar, (including artificial sweeteners), eggs, corn, dairy, peanuts, and gluten.
I can pretty easily give up most things on this list. The hardest item to avoid is gluten. It is hidden in so many things, and it is not actually listed on the ingredient labels. I know not to eat breads unless it is labeled gluten free. But gluten hides in so many products - even ketchup and white pepper!
We'll see if I can manage this one. As far as today goes, I have succeeded. I made a chicken soup for lunch, and salad with grilled chicken for dinner. It was a bit boring, but I finished day 1.
The new behavior introduced on Day 3 of the Beck Diet says you must eat sitting down. That is an easy one for me. I am a diner not a grazer.  

 

Patti's patty

Tonight I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. I was home alone and could make anything I wanted for dinner. I was looking forward to dinner because I really hadn't eaten much today. I ate a cup of shrimp soup for breakfast, shrimp soup for lunch, and grapes as a snack. I was definitely hungry for dinner, but I didn't want to go to too much trouble since it wasn't really necessary.  I looked in the freezer and decided to defrost a hamburger patty. I added a few vegetables to eat with it and I was finished. It's amazing how easy cooking can be when you only have yourself to please. As I said earlier, I am still following "The Beck Solution" program. I need to pick two diets. I am picking up a new book tomorrow that I think I will use as my primary diet. It is called "The Virgin Diet". (Virgin is the author's last name.) I watched her on an infomercial recently and she requires only 3 weeks to see results. That sounds doable. My back up plan  will be plain old calorie counting. There are so many apps for the Iphone to track calories, that I think it will be a reasonable back-up plan.

Costco Mini Peppers

I made a big tray of roasted mini peppers from Costco tonight with the intention of adding them to my salad. I also made a big pot of Mrs. Renfro chicken for the rest of the family.  Anne invited a friend to join us and by the time we sat at the table, I lost my resolve to diet and just ate a chicken burrito too. I went to bed and read Day 2 of "The Beck Diet Solution". Day 2 says  I need to pick 2 diets. I need one to start with and a back up plan if that one  doesn't work. More on this tomorrow.

Cold Shrimp Soup

Tonight I made a new meal that I am really excited about. I was introduced to it at work on Friday. Dena was in the kitchen patiently dicing little pieces of radishes. She was making a cold shrimp soup that she said was not only delicious, but contains no fats. I'll share the recipe:

1 bunch radish

1 bunch scallions

1 bunch cilantro

 1 hot house cucumber

1 avocado

1 bottle of Clamato

 2 small low sodium V8 juice

Garlic powder

Lime juice

3/4 lb shrimp

Small package of crab meat

 Finely dice vegetables and seafood. (I omitted the crab) Add juice. You can add hot sauce if you wish, which I did. I also added a little bit of salsa. It was surprisingly filling. I had a couple of cups for dinner and I was very content. There is enough to keep in the refrigerator for a quick snack tomorrow.

Only there is one problem. After I ate  the soup and wrote this post, I read the ingredient list on the Clamato. Besides a lot of words that I can't pronounce, high fructose corn syrup was listed as the third ingredient. I should have just finished off the cheesecake. No seriously, it was still only 60 calories per cup. Next time I will use tomato juice and add a little clam juice to it.

Caesar Salad

I did something today that I really don't recommend, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  I was very frugal with my caloric intake all day, and for dinner I splurged on homemade Caesar salad. I even included freshly made garlic croutons. Do I feel like I was cheating? Not at all. It may not have been the healthiest choice I could have made, but it was actually pretty low in calories. I didn't have anything else with it, and lettuce takes a while to chew so I didn't feel deprived  eating only salad.