The New Adminisetration

Yes, I'm absolutely happy there's a new president in the White House. But there's also a new administration in charge of managing my life. Basically, I'm commander in chief of my weight loss. And today in this war, a guerrilla war, I'm doing pretty well. Yesterday, I was glued to the television, so food did not tempt me away. For breakfast, I had a low-fat sloppy joe that was leftover from the lunch Tim made the kids. I didn't know they were low-fat until he told me. Then I had two glasses of champagne for lunch as well as some tangerines. Weird, but I was at a friend's house for most of the afternoon and the only other option was pretzels. Finally, I went to a party and I brought some focaccia, sausage and olives for others to enjoy. I basically had one bit of some hummus and pita and one piece of focaccia (they were small -- 2 bites) dipped in some olive oil. There were no veggies and I didn't have time to bring my own. But I did avoid the cheese, the olives, the drinking and the chips that were there. So that was great. I did wake up starving, so I had a piece of fat free cheese at about 2 a.m.

This morning, I'm feeding myself as if I were a guest at a thin person's spa. I had an egg white omelette with broccoli and a pinch of parmesan cheese and green fat free salsa. I'm also having a tangerine as we speak. For lunch, my goal is to have salad. Then I'm going to go for a long snow-shoe outing with Tim. Tonight we are having date night and I expect to be having something healthy like shrimp or salmon and a vegetable.

I did receive my first issue of Cooking Light. It includes a list of 9 Nutritional Essentials for 2009, and since they seem very practical and good sense, I'm sharing them here. 1. Eat a predominantly plant-based diet that includes variety, proteins low in saturated fat and getting in exercise (no duh). 2. Select carbs from whole grains, legumes and vegetables that satisfy such as quinoa, kidney beans and sweet potatoes. 3. Get vitamin bang for your buck by choosing fruits and vegetables high in vitamins (spinach, citrus fruits, cranberries, etc.) 4. Enjoy sweets, but make sure they are nutritionally sound (nuts, unsweetened hot chocolate with fat free milk, blender drinks with yogurt and fruit). 5. Watch the salt - basically no more than 2,300 mg which is equal to one teaspoon. 6. Eat foods that are good for the planet - fruits, grains and veggies cost the earth less to produce. 7. Watch your portions. 8. Choose top quality proteins with best nutrition (black beans, lentils, beef tenderloin, organic chicken breast). 9. Don't worry about percentage of fat in your diet, just make sure it's the right kind (avoid trans fat, keep saturated fat low, unsaturated fats are ok).

There are also some great week night menus from which to choose that replace what might be fast food options -- healthy burger and fries, pizza, cajun, Asian and fried chicken. Fun! Most recipes look easy and fun.