Determined To Succeed

Day one-hundred-eight.

I hate feeling sick, and not just the kind of sick where you act like a baby but the kind of sick that genuinely knocks you out, zaps all your strength, makes your brain almost overheat and you spend all day (and most of the night) in one room of the hosue (and that ain’t the living room). I had a day like that yesterday and I swear to you I felt like complete and utter crap.

Needless to say my eating was thrown off severly. I think what caused it in the first place was what I ate. You see, lately I’ve been really good at shopping and eating at home and I got these frozen ribs. The old Bill would have eaten a whole slab of ribs, cole slaw, french fries and two pieces of white breat which also had a generous portion of bar-b-que sauce smeared on them. This new and improved Bill merely ate six ribs and a helping of green beans. No potato, no bread, just the meat and veggie. Wow. All I have to say is it started that night (Monday) and took me all through yesterday. What a shitty way to lead into Thanksgiving, though. A day completely devoted to food and enjoying food, football and more food and I now have to be careful and make sure I don’t overdue it especially since I am trying to finish feeling better.

I do feel much better today thanks to actually getting some food into me last night and taking it easy this morning (my apologies for being so late with today’s blog). I just didn’t want to push it by getting up early and not getting enough rest.

But me being sick isn’t what you want to hear. I know, it’s all about Thanksgiving and enjoying a day with family, friends and loved ones…oh, and a little bit of turkey and all the trimings thrown in. So, for both me and you, here are some wonderful and healthy eating tips to remember for tomorrow so you don’t end up feeling like a turkey on Thanksgiving:

Get Active

Create a calorie deficit by exercising to burn off extra calories before you ever indulge in your favorite foods. As much as we don’t want to hear it, eating less and exercising more is the winning formula to prevent weight gain during the holidays so increase your steps or lengthen your fitness routine the weeks ahead and especially the day of the feast.

Eat Breakfast

While you might think it makes sense to save up calories for the big meal, eating a small meal in the morning can give you more control over your appetite. Start your day with a small but satisfying breakfast — such as an egg with a slice of whole-wheat toast, or a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk — so you won’t be starving when you arrive at the gathering.

Lighten Up

Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner or bringing a few dishes to share, make your recipes healthier with less fat, sugar, and calories.

Police Your Portions

Thanksgiving tables are bountiful and beautiful displays of traditional family favorites. Before you fill your plate, survey the buffet table and decide what you’re going to choose. Then select reasonable-sized portions of foods you cannot live without. Also, don’t waste calories on foods that you can have all year long. Fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year so you can enjoy desirable, traditional foods. Also…

• Try to resist the temptation to go back for second helpings.
• Leftovers are much better the next day, and if you limit yourself to one plate, you are less likely to overeat and have more room for a delectable dessert.

Keep to Best Bets

While each of us has our own favorites, keep in mind that some holiday foods are better choices than others. White turkey meat, plain vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, defatted gravy, and pumpkin pie tend to be the best bets because they are lower in fat and calories. But if you keep your portions small, you can enjoy whatever you like.Slowly Savor

Eating slowly, putting your fork down between bites, and tasting each mouthful is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your meal and feel satisfied with one plate full of food. Choosing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, salads, and other foods with lots of water and fiber add to the feeling of fullness.

Go Easy on Alcohol

Don’t forget those alcohol calories that can add up quickly. Have a glass of wine or a wine spritzer and between alcoholic drinks, (or) enjoy sparkling water. This way you stay hydrated, limit alcohol calories, and stay sober.

Be Realistic

The holiday season is a time for celebration. With busy schedules and so many extra temptations, this is a good time to strive for weight maintenance instead of weight loss. Shift from a mindset of weight loss to weight maintenance. You will be ahead of the game if you can avoid gaining any weight over the holidays.

Focus on Family and Friends

Thanksgiving is not just about the delicious bounty of food. It’s a time to celebrate relationships with family and friends. The main event should be family and friends socializing, spending quality time together, not just what is on the buffet.

And ain’t that the truth, my friends. So, to each and every one of you, have a happy, joyous and delicious Thanksgiving. I will check back in with you on Friday to see how you did (and let you know how I did). Hopefully I can maintain. And to all of us who are missing a loved one this Thanksgiving (I love you, Mama, so much and miss you) take time to be thankful for the ability to be happy and healthy. That is the best way to remember those not with us in body but always with us in spirit.

Enjoy, and have a slice of pumpkin pie for me, too.

Day ninety-five.

Why the hell are mashed potatoes so damned good? I mean, they are only boiled potatoes, some milk (or creamy salad dressing like garlic or ranch), butter and salt. That’s all. Not very complicated at all, but then again many masterpieces are simple especially with food. And damned if that particular comination, while awesome, is also deadly. Deadly in terms of not being able to exercise portion control, deadly in terms of calories and deadly in terms of putting you in a straight-up food coma like it did for me last night.

There I was last night, minding my own business, having a fist-sized portion of meat loaf (just the right size) and delicious peas and there they were, staring at me from their Corning Ware fortress planning their attack. There they sat just waiting for me to come to them because they knew I would. Their allies, butter and salt were waiting on either flank to close in on the attack. I fell for it and they sprang into action. I added a big heaping deliciously warm lot to my plate and added butter (well, I added “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”) and salt. Oooooooooh, damn, were they delicious. But I shouldn’t have had that second helping…no matter how fun it is to eat mashed potatoes with peas. Ugh.

I am so damn lucky today because I only went up in my weight three ounces. I am at 239.7 and I must – MUST – get my ass to the gym today to workout before a couple of appointments this afternoon. For breakfast I had two small cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury (slightly stale) and I’m raring to go. But lurking in the refrigerator, gathering its forces for the inevitable attack is the dish of mashed potatoes, cold and dormant but waiting for the chance to be reheated.

Was all of that just a stupid, overly-dramatic way to say I shouldn’t have had two helpings of mashed potatoes last night because I ate too much and I fell asleep on my couch? Yes. But is it how I feel about some foods I am doing my best to control? Yes.

There are times in every food addict’s life when we all know and recognize what foods are danger foods. I have been doing great at ignoring and passing up the Chinese food lately. Not since that binge last month have I even looked at Chinese food, and I have been shopping and cooking at home consistently. It’s just that anything potato-ey is yummy goodness and I have to do my best to watch that, too. I may be eating at home but I can still set myself up for failure if I make things that are bad for me AND have them in unhealthy portions.

Today I am set in my ways and will be better. In fact the next time I write you I will have exercised AND eaten light, and that is the only deadly combination I want to face today, because it is on the good side of things. My side.

Day eighty-five.

I do not know about many of you out there but I love Halloween. It’s cool to see kids dress up in way cooler costumes than I had growing up (although there was nothing wrong with my plastic Spider-Man, Batman or Darth Vader out-of-the-box costumes my mom bought). As an adult there are two things I love best about the holiday – the horror movies and the candy. Every movie from “Halloween” (still my favorite of all time) to “Wrong Turn” is fun to watch, especially this time of year. Scary movies are just awesome. They take you on such a wild ride for a couple of hours and its thrilling. Then, you get to buy candy. Lots of bags of candy to hand out to kids (although I have a motto – no costume, no candy). Yeah, Halloween candy, those sweet little innocent, bite-sized morsels (the ones we’re convinced have no calories because they’re so small) are like horror movies. They take you on a wonderful and delicious wild ride…that is until you come back down and reality hits you like a punch in the face.

Dudes, I got on the scale today and freaked out. I am up two-and-a-half pounds! I am at 241.3! Suck!!!!! I absolutely know it has to do with two things – eating waaaaaaaaay too much spaghetti and sauce yesterday for dinner and that damned Halloween candy, stupid little delicious bite-sized morsels of evil.

As I sit and watch the birds outside my window I am thankful for two things – stretchy elastic-waist pants and second chances. After dinner last night I put on a pair of sweatpants and it felt good. But that was simultaneously bad, especially since I tried on a pair of pants yesterday that should have fit but didn’t. Ugh! Whoever invented elastic waist pants ought to be rewarded and shot all at the same time. Curse them (she/he)! However, after a good hearty dinner I was comfy all curled up watching the afore-mentioned “Halloween” (the original 1978 version starring Jamie Lee Curtis and not the Rob Zombie remake – excuse me, re-imagining). It also was cool having a few of the leftover candy treats – as horrible as they are for you – because I am human and I will still eat what I want. I just didn’t think it would be that bad.

Again, curse them!

So I am am also happy for second chances again today. Since I have been healthier and happier these days I have been eating more. However, today is November 1 and I am gonna head to the gym today to sweat off these damned two-and-a-half pounds to get myself back on track. I also am gonna start keeping a food diary of my own to log what I eat until I get back to 225.  I am gonna make the most of the second chances on this bright new day.

Is today the end of the world? No. I know I will work off this weight (again!) and will do better. I just have to stop being as stupid as the people featured in those horror movies I love so very much. Their ability to stop running when they think the killer is dead, to drop the knife/gun/baseball bat/whatever when they think it’s safe, their ability to say “I’ll be right back. I’ll be O.K.” before going into a dark, closed-in space all by themselves where you know the killer is lurking, and more are all reasons there are sequels to horror movies. In other words, being stupid brings about a bad result, and I should keep that in mind especially around this time of year.

Halloween may be over for 2010, but unlike the freaking “Saw” movies I do not want to be in this place with my weight again next year, creating a weight loss sequel for myself that is scarier than this original.

PS: I had two pieces of lightly-buttered raisin toast for breakfast and will have a chicken dish tonight. Hopefully that plus my exercise will keep that stupid boogeyman away.

Day sixty-five.

Damn Tom Selleck! I never thought I’d hear those words come out of my mouth (well, typed on my computer) but there they are. I know you must be asking why I am damning “Magnum P.I.” so I will tell you why. Because he is so damned convincing in his “drink orange juice” spiel that I did…a whole half-gallon of it last night. That’s right. I consumed an entire half-gallon of orange juice. Ugh. I feel so wasted.

My fascination with orange juice probablygoes back to me being a kid. My mom, JoAnn Larson, and I went to our local Walgreens which, back then, had a diner attached. Well, I thought I was the shit when she ordered coffee for herself and an “O.J. on the rocks” for me. Me, her son! She ordered what sounded so grown up and exotic that I was beside myself. Then, when I got it and realized it was orange juice on ice I loved it just the same, and have ever since. And yes, on “the rocks.”

So last night I satisfied my craving for Italian food (being that it was Columbus Day) with a delicious baked ziti and Italian sausage. It was absolutely delicious but when I looked in the fridge for something with which to wash it down I saw the “tower of power,” the unopened carton of orange juice. Knowing that I have something of an orange juice craving I promised myself I’d just have two glasses (two small glasses that is). However that went out of the window so fast I could barely see it. What started out as two quickly became six-and-a-half glasses (all with ice) and before I knew it I finished the container.

“DAMN!” I thought to myself as I angrily shoved the now-empty container into the trash bin. “I shouldn’t have had all that O.J.” I went to sulk on the couch, watch “The Event” and promptly fell asleep afterward. I was in a self-induced food coma and O.J. “drunk.” I woke up this morning a full pound over where I was yesterday and I am soooooooo not pleased. Not one bit.

Damn you, Tom Selleck.

O.K., I can’t really blame Magnum for my “drinking problem.” Despite the fact I’ve been doing really well staying away from regular Coca-Cola, orange juice will always be my downfall. I even looked up how much I drank. I consumed the entire carton of Minute Maid no pulp orange juice, which contains eight 8-ounce servings, each with 110 calories each. Yep, that means I drank 64-ounces of orange juice and 880 calories – JUST BY DRINKING. Grrrrrrr.

I know I know better but it does just go to show (and show me) we need to watch the calories we drink. I am still in shock over the whole thing. Of course there are things in the world that are so much worse that drinking that much O.J., but watching my weight and calories and what I ingest is critical to not only my health but my future. It is at once both health-related and economic (since I didn’t spread out that purchase over several meals as I should have). And can I just mention my weight again…

Well, as I am always fond of saying (and believing) today is another day and a chance to right the wrongs of yesterday. Addictive patterns run deep in me, that much is for sure, especially with food and drink and I am the first to admit I am addicted to food and not in very good ways. But I will pick myself up again and keep moving forward. I will get to the gym today and workout. I will NOT consume as much as I did yesterday. I will be better. I have to be, especially since the guy who originally was chosen to play Indiana Jones is telling me to drink 100% pure orange juice…

…with credentials like that, his smoking of cigars aside for the moment, how could “Magnum P.I.”  be wrong?

Day fifty-eight.

Woohoo! I continue my downward trend in my weight loss! Today I am at 240.2 thanks to just getting back on the horse. It may be raining outside but that’s doing nothing to dampen my spirits about getting back on track, and I am doing it with the help of some laundry that I very much needed to do.

C’mon! Admit it. There are times your laundry pile, well, is piled so high it might as well be called your laundry mountain. Am I right? We get through the week (eve two) not wanting to just get down and dirty with your down and dirties. Whether you hate folding, ironing, hanging or just the chore itself because it’s a pain in the ass to keep going up and downstairs laundry is actually very helpful when it comes to focus, determination and, most of all, achievement.

I love doing laundry. I love separating out the loads, stain-treating shirts and getting the piles to go into “the drink” for a must needed bath. But the part I enjoy most is the folding. When I was much younger (like around 20 or 21) I had the most rewarding job of my life working in a hospital laundry. There was such a simplicity to that gig. Yes, we folded literally hundreds of sheets and pillow cases every single day but it was beautiful in its simplicity AND it helped people. It was my way of contributing to the medical profession and the well-being of others. It was awesome and I will forever miss that job.

Today, when I sit and fold I either turn on a good movie or listen to some music and just lose myself in the chore because I get such a feeling of accomplishment when I am done and I see my piles of laundry, all neatly folded, ready to re-take their places in drawers, in closets or on shelves.  It’s great “me” time that reminds me so much of how just sitting down and tackling the work gets it done, and how it looks and feels afterward is a fruit of my labor.

That is what today is going to be devoted to, I think. My literal and figurative piles of laundry. Being all caught up in one’s own life “stuff” can mean that things get put aside, like taking care of yourself. But you have to keep taking care of yourself no matter what is going on. It may seem silly, even selfish, but if you don’t no one else will. The laundry ain’t gonna fold itself and put itself away. You have gto do that. The weight you (and I) need to lose won’t come off by itself. WE have to get to the gym, workout and eat better to lose it. Not to mention the fact that, while not burning that many calories, it burns calories while you’re doing it.

I know I geek out over strange stuff, usually “Star Wars” or other pop-culture fare, but laundry (and weight loss) is something I definitely get excited about. That’s because I see the commonality between the two. I choose to see how one is just like the other (or as Yoda would say “only different in your mind”). It may have been awhile since you attacked that laundry pile (or your exercise routine, or your better eating habits, etc.) but it’s time to start folding. Before you know it, your stack will be done and it will look great after all your hard work and effort.

Not to mention you’ll have lots more to wear when you go out, even on rainy days like today.

Whenever you visit a new city or country I think it’s absolutely imperative to sample some of the local culinary fare. If any of you have ever been to Chicago, which is a great food town whichever way you slice it (ha, I made a food joke), it behooves you to sample some foods that us Chicagoans can point to and say “yep, that is uniquely Chicago.”

There’s a “stuffed” pizza, a pizza so thick with gooey cheese and other ingredients you HAVE to use a fork and knife. There’s also the Italian Beef sandwich, made up of slices of rump roast beef marinated in a gravy of its own juices and spices, placed on an Italian roll, covered with sweet or hot peppers (maybe even cheese) and dipped whole back into its gravy of savory juices. Yum. But the most delicious (and portable) Chicago food is your good old-fashioned, classic Chicago-style hot dog.

I know what you’re saying, “there are hot dogs everywhere. Why not make or get one where you live?” My friends, the answer is simple. You can’t have a Chicago-style hot dog just anywhere because only in Chicago can all the proper ingredients be found, not to mention you’d then be enjoying it in the town that made it famous. Everyone has their favorite place to get their dogs (mine is Portillos or Superdawg), but throw a rock anywhere and you’d most likely hit a place that serves Chicago-style hot dogs especially if you get out to explore Chicago’s wonderful, eclectic and amazing neighborhoods.

The “Chicago Style” hot dog got its start from street cart hot dog vendors during the hard times of the Great Depression. Money was scarce, but business was booming for these entrepreneurs who offered a delicious hot meal on a bun for only a nickel. Thus, the famous Chicago-style hot dog was born! They’d start with a Vienna Beef hot dog, nestle it in a steamed poppyseed bun and cover it with a wonderful combination of toppings: yellow mustard, bright green relish, fresh chopped onions, juicy red tomato wedges, a kosher-style pickle spear, a couple of spicy sport peppers, cucumber and finally, a dash of celery salt. This unique hot dog creation with a “salad on top” and its memorable interplay of hot and cold, crisp and soft, sharp and smooth, became America’s original fast food and a true Chicago institution.

The Chicago-style hot dog is one of my favorite foods and is definitely “worth the splurge.” When I tried to find the calorie count for a typical Chicago-style hot dog I couldn’t find a consensus from one place to another, one website to another. So, erring on the side of caution, I am going to most-agree with the highest calorie count I found simply because this column is called “worth the splurge” and I want you (and your waistline) to be prepared. But even if this calorie count is true, at almost 400 calories you could do far worse in terms of eating, I think, especially given all the non-unique food choices we face every day.

• Calories: 377
• Total Fat: 19.7g
• Cholesterol: 30mg
• Sodium: 2387mg
• Total Carbs: 38g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.3g
• Protein: 12.4g

If you go, the legendary Superdawg is on the corner of Milwaukee and Devon (pronounced de-VAHN by us natives), while Portillos is a chain whose location in the heart of downtown is on the corner of Ontario and Clark. That’s tasty eatin’, indeed, so enjoy!

They say ignorance is bliss and I totally agree.

Take for example celebrities like that ultimate asshole Mel Gibson, whose tirade against his girlfriend – laced with racial epithets – showed the darkest sides of human beings. Who would have ever known he was one of the biggest angry, sexist racists on the planet? Not only has he offended Jews, Blacks, women and Hispanics but he is also a misogynist of the worst degree who will never again receive one thin dime of my money or one fleeting minute of my time watching anything he is a part of.

Sad to say that extends to films so much a part of my movie-going past (”Lethal Weapon,” Mad Max”) but who cares. I ain’t going to patronize someone or something that has, at it’s core, evil. Was I better off not knowing about this side of him? Debatable. On one side I could still have those wonderful movie memories of him saving his black best friend, Danny Glover from racists in “Lethal Weapon 2″ (oh, irony, I feel thy sting), him challenging Tina Turner to the ultimate road rage duel in “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” or him talking about freedom in “Braveheart.” Hell, I would also still be cherishing the moment I actually met him years ago when he was out promoting “The Passion of the Christ.” On the other, I would rather know so that I no longer line his pockets with my money – money he is obviously using to further his own hatred.

That said, I can say the same about the restaurant chain Friendly’s. In all the hype over KFC’s Double Down sandwich (the infamous one that features two fried chicken patties as bread to bacon, cheese and a “special sauce”) I didn’t hear much about Friendly’s new monstrosity that makes the Double Down look like diet food. It’s called the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger Melt and it replaces the traditional bun with two grilled cheese sandwiches and totals – sit down for this one – 1,500 calories!!!!

Holy crap!!!! Are they kidding me? Are they kidding us all? The answer is no. This is a real menu item that, sad to say is three times the caloric intake of a KFC Double Down. In other words I COULD EAT THREE KFC DOUBLE DOWNS TO EQUAL ONE ULTIMATE GRILLED CHEESE BURGER MELT! Who in the hell thought of having grilled cheese sandwiches (delicious by themselves, just one of them, with a cup of tomato soup) serve as bread to a burger?! This during a time when obesity rates have increased in 28 states over the past year. In Pennsylvania and Delaware, 28 percent of adults are obese, in New Jersey the number is 24 percent.

Egads! I know that restaurants are not in the business to make people healthy by policing what we as consumers choose to eat. They are in the business to make money by offering “foods” that appeal to people, younger people especially while not necessarily keeping you guys aware of how bad these things are for you. Like that dirty little secret a certain actor had been hiding all these years, taking our money while we consumed his “talent.” Well, my friends, just check out the “talent” of the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger Melt:

1500 Calories
870 Fat Calories
79g Total Fat
38g Saturated Fat
180g Cholesterol
2090mg Sodium
101g Carbs
9g Dietary Fiber
4g Sugar
54g Protein

That is horrendous! And believe me when I tell you THAT’S NOT THE WORST THING ON THEIR MENU! Don’t believe me? Check out Friendly’s Mushroom Swiss Bacon Burger, Loaded Waffle Fries or their “Create Your Own” Chicken Strips Entree. Their menu can be found by CLICKING HERE. See for yourself how heinous this place is.

I am not saying that every restaurant chain doesn’t have their own dark and dirty menu secrets. They do, I am sure of it. But that’s why I do my best not to have them. One of the coolest things the State of New Jersey did was compel all chains to actively display (both drive-thru and in-restaurant) basic nutritional info so you can make more educated choices about what we consume.

Was it better not knowing how much sodium was in Friendly’s Loaded Waffle Fries? Debatable. I loved ‘em and they were a great snack food. But now that I know that they have over 4,720 mgs of sodium I will not ever let Friendly’s receive one thin dime of my money or one fleeting minute of my time eating or indulging in anything they are a part of.

When restaurant chains create foods that “one-up” another chain’s food by simply making it bigger and nastier, like Hollywood blockbuster movies in the summer movie season, it’s time to say no more. I will not consume what you are throwing out there just because it’s out there.

That goes for you, too, Mel Gibson. You and Friendly’s are dead to me.

P.S.: Unlike the KFC Double Down which I tried to take a bullet for our team, I sure as hell won’t be doing that for this new Friendly’s concoction. Not in a million years. I’d rather see another Mel Gibson movie first.

Hey there and happy Monday. Did you all enjoy your holiday weekend? I hope you guys got a chance to re-juice the batteries a bit, at least. I know I did.

One thing that amazes me about the Fourth of July is how much holidays turn into food expos. Think about it (and we are putting Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas aside for this), we make all our holidays – and “holidays” – about food in one way or another. It’s Memorial Day/Labor Day/Fourth of July? Let’s BBQ! It’s St. Patrick’s Day? Let’s eat corned beef and cabbage! It’s Cinco de Mayo? Let’s fiesta! Mother’s Day/Father’s Day? Let’s take ‘em out to brunch! It seems like eating’s all we do, especially in this country.

The grillin’ and eatin’ I did over this long 4th weekend wasn’t about “filler,” the meals you and I can have at cookouts (like a hot dog or hamburger, potato and macaroni salad) that fit in-between your “real” meals of lunch and dinner. No, it was about three things – eating things that were healthier (steak and chicken grilled not fried). It was about trying to be frugal (saving money by buying food to make instead of going to a restaurant to eat out). Finally, it was about staving off the urges to eat badly when going to do things over the holiday weekend (like attend fireworks and go to the movies).

Boy they know how to get ya’ going to the movies, don’t they? As soon as you open that big glass and steel door the smell of hot buttered popcorn hits you and it’s all over. You are almost helpless against it’s alluring aroma. As you then make your way over to the concession stand like a zombie you then see all the candy, Coke and other food treats that await your hard-earned money. But I always do my best these days to go to the movies on a full stomach so I can thwart their evil plan and just go be (hopefully) entertained for a few hours.

AMC Theaters even offered kick-ass coupons if you went to the movies yesterday (because typically it is one, if not THE, lowest attendance day in the movie biz all summer). You could get a popcorn and soda, any size, for a buck each. Awesome idea, awesome deal. But I did my best and ate a good breakfast before hitting the cinema (I like trying to sound British every now and then).

For the most part I did O.K., and I even had a sandwich from Wawa for dinner with milk (and alright, alright, a small bag of chips) just before fireworks. That helped me resist things like hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes, sodas (pops).  And speaking of hot dogs, going to the movies made me miss the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest (thank God).

Have any of you ever seen that, um, spectacle? People from literally all over the world (including one who just wanted to “crash” the event and compete without following the rules set forth by – get this – Major League Eating) compete to see who can down the most hot dogs (and buns) they can eat in ten minutes.  The winner, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, took the “mustard belt” for the fourth year in a row, gulping down a whopping 54 dogs! 54! That’s approximately 16,038 calories!

In my crazy life I once served as judge to a hot dog eating contest and it is the grossest thing you ever want to see. These guys dip the whole hot dog and bun in water to shove it down their gullets and it’s nasty. The thought of wet bread makes me gag and if you ever want an appetite suppressant watch this thing once. Ick! It truly will kill whatever appetite you might have for hot dogs for quite a while (I think I just threw up a little in my mouth just thinking about it).

And while I know most of us – O.K. safe to say 99.9% of us – won’t shovel in hot dogs at a rate of one every 11 seconds (the rate the winner of the Nathan’s contest winner) I hope you did try to eat better this 4th of July. It is totally possible to still enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of the Fourth without eating too much bad stuff in the process. And that is truly a great way to celebrate freedom…

…freedom from the extra calories and unwanted pounds, that is.

P.S. – One food fest I miss, though (and is “worth the splurge”) is Taste of Chicago. Held the last week of June – July 4th(ish) it is a downtown Chicago street food festival like no other. Over 70 local Chicago-area restaurants set up shop and you can sample everything from alligator (yep, and I’ve tried that once in my life. ONCE!) to veggie platters. It is amazing! I do miss it, even though you sooooooo need to workout before and after because you will consume a lot of calories. I try to do it every few years, especially now that I’ve dropped weight. That’s all my poor body could handle. And they do have small “Taste” portions you can try so you don’t get a full order of something, which is good.

Remember Saturday morning cartoons? I know, I know. They’re still on the air and Saturday mornings are probably still cool for kids. However I’ve noticed the shows and commercials on the “Big Three” networks are far louder, outrageous and more bombastic than the shows and commercials I grew up with, probably because they now have to compete with the glut of competition from cable.

Anywho, I bring this up because, for me, staples of Saturday morning cartoons were cereal commercials. Oh yes, you’d have Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Honeycomb (my personal favorite), Cheerios, Frosted Flakes and Tony The Tiger saying “they’re greeeeeeeeat!” And no matter which one you liked they all had the following line: “…part of a nutritious breakfast.” You’d see a nice glass of milk, a small glass of juice, a couple slices of toast and select fruit either on or next to the sugary goodness that was the cereal.

While it always struck me as funny that the phrase didn’t necessarily mean that the cereal itself was nutritious the concept of starting the day with breakfast was. Throughout my weight gain years I know I was not good at all about eating breakfast. I skipped thinking it would save calories, but all it did was make me eat the bulk of my calories later, especially at night, and made me snack on unhealthy crap.

These days we barely glance at the kitchen in the morning (guilty). Fixing breakfast takes up precious time that’s in short supply. But there’s tons of evidence (pun intended) that the simple act of eating breakfast is a big part of losing weight.

“People skip breakfast thinking they’re cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved,” says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. “Breakfast skippers replace calories throughoutcream cheese, the day with mindless snacking. They set themselves up for failure.”

Two studies in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association backed up this finding. A group of researchers analyzed data from a study that followed more than 2,000 young girls from ages 9 to 19. They found that regular cereal eaters had fewer weight problems than infrequent cereal eaters. Those who ate cereal occasionally had a 13% higher risk of being overweight compared to the regular cereal eaters.

Another research group analyzed government data on 4,200 adults. They found that regular breakfast eaters were more likely to exercise regularly. And women who ate breakfast regularly tended to eat fewer calories overall during the day. Those men and women who ate breakfast cereal had lower overall fat intake compared to those who ate other breakfast foods.

It makes TOTAL sense (get it? TOTAL?! A cereal reference?! Ah, never mind). Eating early in the day keeps us from “starvation eating” later on. It also jump-starts our metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. “When you don’t eat breakfast, you’re actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you’re not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight.”

But before you go filling up a bowl with Cocoa Puffs or fruity-patooties (or whatever passes for cereal these days with kids and their new-fangled rock and roll) listen up. Breakfast is the best time to make wise food choices. That’s where fruits, vegetables, and whole grains come into the picture. Because these are high-fiber foods, they fill you up – yet they bring less fat to the table, says Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, the Guthrie Chair in Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University in Pittsburgh.

These high-fiber foods allow you to eat more food yet get fewer calories. It’s a concept called “energy density” – the number of calories in a specified amount of food, Rolls explains. “Some foods – especially fats – are very energy dense, which means they have a lot of calories packed into a small size,” Rolls says. “However, foods that contain lots of water have very low energy density. Water itself has an energy density of zero. High-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains have low energy density.”

Translation: If you eat foods with high energy density, such as bagels, you rack up calories quickly. If you eat high-fiber, low-energy-density foods – such as oatmeal, strawberries, walnuts, and low-fat yogurt – you can eat more and get fewer calories.

For example: A breakfast made up of 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/2lf cup of low-fat milk, 1 cup of sliced strawberries, and 1 tablespoon of walnuts has only approximately 307 calories total. Two multi-grain waffles, with 1 cup of blueberries, 3 tablespoons of light syrup, and 1 cup of plain low-fat yogurt have about 450 calories total. That’s almost equal to the standard bagel-and-cream-cheese breakfast – yet it’s much more food, and much lower in fat.

So what are some healthier breakfast suggestions? I’m so glad you asked that ’cause I just happen to have a few right here:

* Banana with peanut butter
* Banana sliced into yogurt
* Oatmeal with fruit — like apples, blueberries, or peaches (what I just had for breakfast)
* Small tortilla with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and chopped strawberries. Roll it up, slice it. It works for kids and adults.
* Breakfast smoothies — berries, ice, and milk or yogurt.

As for the much-beloved bagel – sadly, it’s the calorie equivalent of five slices of bread so just eat half. Better yet, go for smaller bagels, the little ones that are like hockey pucks. Spread some peanut butter on it instead of cream cheese. If you must have cream cheese, buy low-fat. Honestly there is no difference in taste. Add a little bit of jam, some sliced strawberries and you are good to go.

If on-the-run fast food breakfast sandwiches are your food of choice indulge them in a healthy way: whole-grain English muffins, a cooked egg, low-fat cheese melted on top – ham or Canadian bacon optional. It’s portable. You can drive with that. It’s got a good beat and I can dance to it. I give it an 87.

So, my friends. You can now see how important breakfast is and have some suggestions for what to eat. As for the sugary cereals we were fed as kids, some breakfast is better than no breakfast. The last thing anyone should do is skip breakfast. Otherwise, you’ll be eating something even worse later on – candy bars and potato chips – because you’re starving. But if you have time for that cereal take sweetened cereal and mix it with unsweetened cereal, or take unsweetened cereal and mix it with something a little sugary – like yogurt.

That may not please Count Chocula or the little dude from Lucky Charms but who cares. This is about you not them and losing weight is ultimately what is “magically delicious.”

P.S. – Always remember one simple rule especially at night: IF YOU’RE NOT HUNGRY FOR CEREAL THEN YOU’RE NOT REALLY HUNGRY.

I am so sorry this is so late today. I had an appointment this morning out of the office (O.K. actually away from the nook in my apartment from which I write this daily weight loss bloggy blog) so I was unable to post before I left. I am doubly sorry because it ended up that the meeting I went to was a waste of my time and was the most expensive cup of coffee I’ve ever had.

I paid $16 for one small cup of coffee.

The meeting I had was one of those first-thing-in-the-morning meetings where you know you will have to get ready and leave early because you don’t want to hit rush hour and be late. You also hope and pray at least coffee would be served. Thank God it was. I soooooo needed a cup.I was also getting a bit hungry. And not only was coffee being served but they had a very nice spread of soft drinks, water, bagels and muffins. It was actually fairly nice for something I knew wasn’t going to last all-day.

Well, I do not know about you guys but food at meetings is like a magnet that draws me in. The yummy breads are the flames to which my hungry wings are drawn. I most times wouldn’t even care what kinds of muffins they were, either (they looked like lemon and blueberry). I would just lay waste to them licking my chops afterward.

But something happened today which was awesome. The most and more the meeting pissed me off the less and less hungry I got. I sat silently as I looked at the three people with whom I was meeting (the third coming in with only about ten minutes left so what’s the point) and wondered to myself “what the hell am I doing here?!”

So it didn’t matter that I was hungry and the muffins looked fresh and good. I didn’t want them. I didn’t want to waste my calories on not just a breakfast I would regret later, calorie wise, but one provided from people who seemed more scattered than they should have been, especially since they were leading the meeting.

In the end, I did what was required. I shook hands and wished everyone a good day. However the taste left over in my mouth was not that of a sweet lemon muffin (which at the beginning I really wanted). It was a bitter taste, the taste of a waste of my early morning.  I walked out the door holding my slightly-more caffeinated head high and got to the parking garage.

When I approached the “pay me here” kiosk I handed over  my ticket and the young dude, who was far more interested in texting someone than working, came back and said “$16.” I nearly crapped myself. You have to be S%#@@*&g me! $16 for no more than an hour-and-a-half? Damn! Having no choice I handed over my plastic and drove out as fast as I could.

So there you have it. The tale of my morning and my day so far, and the most expensive cup of coffee I’ve ever had. However, I am so glad I didn’t give in to the food temptations at the meeting. They looked yummy, yes. They looked fresh, yes. They were available, yes. But that didn’t mean I should have them, no. That meeting may have been a waste but I am so glad I didn’t waste calories on top of my time.

I may not get my $16 recouped for the meeting but I made smart food choices this morning. And that, my dear friends, is priceless no matter what time of day it is.

P.S. – the soft drinks were Pepsi and you know I was having none of that.