From Aunt Sue: We're back

Well, I definitely didn't do what I said I'd do and I remain steadfastly portly. So between now and Christmas, my niece and I have agreed to a smaller goal: To lose five pounds between now and then. We're both weighing in tomorrow.

I decided yesterday to take another stab at this because something has been happening that is a sure sign of out-of-control eating for me - I've been eating in my car again. On the way home from work, on the way home from visiting my family, on the way home from the grocery store. I like to listen to books on tape and eat when I'm driving. Things like chips, mainly. Beyond the concerns this may raise as to my safe driving, it's obviously a very bad habit. And it's a real sign for me that I'm out of control on this front, once again.

So a small goal for now.

Aunt Sue: About Genevieve

I lost 2.6 pounds at my first Weight Watchers weigh-in on Friday. And that was good. I was happy to have gotten off to a good start. And then I got on the road to visit Genevieve for her 16th birthday party. Her father is a great cook and the birthday dinner was pretty healthy - lobster, mussels, clams, spinach salad. Then there was the cake, of course. But you have to have cake on a birthday and we didn't eat big pieces.

I just wanted to say something about my niece, about how proud I am of the interesting person she has become. She's a colorful character who loves bright colors and animals. She's a good writer and an excellent cook. She's smart and pretty. Even if she didn't lose an ounce towards our goal of 100 pounds, she's pretty terrific just the way she is now.

And as for me, I'm on the road to becoming an old babe. A middle-aged babe if I stop wasting time.

Aunt Sue: Happy Easter!

Well, I bit the bullet and signed up for Weight Watchers on Friday. I didn't actually start the program until today because of my perverse need to bid farewell to my favorite foods. Even though I'm not actually bidding them farewell. Even though I've bid them farewell a thousand times before.

There are two WW leaders at this particular center - Fran on Fridays and Melvin on Saturdays - who I've met before and really like. They're eccentric and not in the least perky. I'll look forward to seeing them, so that's good.

I love Easter and this time of year in general. It's such a time of rebirth that it's encouraging. I told my nephew this weekend that I'm starting yet another weight-loss plan. I asked him if he's tired of hearing me talk about this. And he said that he's happy to hear that I'm not giving up.

I also bought a fancy new pair of sneakers that will enable me to walk on my sore Achilles tendon. And I planted some flowers in my front yard. So this has been a good Easter.

Aunt Sue: This would be extreme, even for me

I thought I'd been on every diet plan in the world, but check out this story in USA TODAY. Women in Asia are eating parasites to keep their weight down. And these are skinny women already!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-03-30-skinnyasianwomen30_CV_N.htm

Spring Break: Genevieve

I've been working out with a personal trainer for about a month now and things are going very well. I see her about twice a week and then on other days that I can, I go alone or with another friend who belongs to the same gym. A funny story actually, one time during training, my trainer said that we were going to go over to some other pull up/ dip contraption to work my upper body. I have never been able to do a pull up. Also, I'm not afraid of heights like roller coasters or anything, but I guess when I'm easily able to fall or be dropped, I get very scared. So I was about to stand on the bar and then I started crying! I wasn't upset or anything, but I was scared and the thought of falling made me cry... It was so strange.
Other than that, everything has been going great with her and she's made me work really hard every time.
And now my school is on spring break for two weeks, which is wonderful.

Aunt Sue: Sorry for the long silence

I can't believe we're almost into the fourth month of the year and I'm still pondering how to lose this weight. I've really had a lot of ups and downs on this front this year, and I'm not certain how to proceed. I belong to Weight Watchers online so maybe I should go back to doing that. I'm a big fan on that BBC American Show "You Are What You Eat" but I can't see myself adhering to such strict vegetarian fare. I don't want to do Jenny Craig again because I don't think it's practical eating all prepared foods. My niece is enjoying the personal trainer. Maybe I'll try that when my tax return comes in.

But obviously what I lack is commitment and I'm not sure what it's going to take to really draw me into this fight. Just like I believe that it's important to give some thought to faith before you're on your deathbed, I also would like to make this change without being propelled by illness. Truthfully, I'm sort of at a loss right now.

It's really not rocket science - eat less, exercise more. But it might as well be rocket science. When I started work today, I got a call from someone and when I asked how he's doing, his reply was, "I'm living the dream!" That made me laugh (although I'm not sure he was kidding). But that's what I've got to find a way to do - live the dream. Not just dream.

Aunt Sue: A new week, a new page

I think that personal trainer idea is great. I also think that we're both in the place where we're really tired of being heavy. For the past week, I haven't been eating when I get home from work after 9 p.m. and I feel better. I also went to the gym twice this weekend.

Not surprisingly, I am not a vegetarian. I'm surprised anyone ever listens to me when I talk about diet. I really don't eat much meat and prefer veggie burgers to beef burgers. But I don't think I'm ready to entirely swear off meat. Looking at the recipes in the vegetarian magazines made me tired. But I did see a few that looked a little less daunting - ones that don't involve a food processor or vegetables I've never heard of.

I'm continuing to throw out my fat clothes, even though they still fit me. Even being overweight, I don't want to look that matronly anymore. So here's to a good week for us both!

The Gym: Genevieve

So last Thursday night, my mom and I went out to dinner at a small Italian restaurant and then walked over to a gym about 7 blocks away from my house to sign up for a membership and a personal trainer.
I saw her for the first time on Sunday, and she kind of assessed my body and where my starting point is. I then went on Monday with my friend, and then because Wednesday's are "free guest Wednesday's", my other friend and I went over today because I had a session with my trainer at 4:30.
This session was probably the most intense work out I had since I went to Camp Shane, two summers ago. She also emailed me a food log, an example of a food log and guidelines for eating and food shopping.
I'm seeing my trainer again on Friday and I think this is all going to work out well!

Genevieve

Aunt Sue: A vegetarian?

Ok, it's March and I'm still not losing weight and lapsing into periods of overeating. I'm thinking of trying a vegetarian diet, mainly because I think it would be healthy and I don't eat that much meat anyway. Plus, it would be interesting to explore. I'm going to start researching that today. I'll keep you posted.

Aunt Sue: My rumpled and torn new leaf

I vowed when I got up this morning to make March a perfect month in terms of eating and exercise. I don't know why I continue to make vows like that because I didn't exercise and I just had some M&Ms. I keep looking at specific dates and saying "this is the day I'll change." Looking back on it, whenever I have made a big change - like when I stopped drinking - the date only became significant when I looked back afterwards and recalled that it was when I started. One day at a time is a mantra I've never forgotten in almost 17 years as a recovering alcoholic. I have to extend that to the rest of my life. Tomorrow, in addition to not having a drink, I won't have M&Ms for dinner. That's a promise I can keep.

Chinese New Year: Genevieve

Last night, we had a huge Chinese New Year dinner at my house. While it was extremely delicious and amazing, I did a pretty bad job with moderating what I ate. We had a lot of family members over from my dad's side of the family and I think everyone had a lot of fun. Really, when we first started the blog, one of the first things I thought of was Chinese New Year. I knew it wasn't going to be helpful for me at all, but it's only once a year that we get to have all this rich food. We had peking duck, sticky rice stuffed in a chicken, ox tail stew, shrimp, chicken skewers and a lot more. I'd say everything was a success, except for a few glitches and mishaps... but it wasn't too significant.
My brother had friends from school over and after my friend and everyone else left, we played a game of apples to apples, which I've never played before. If you haven't played it before, I suggest you grab some friends and go out and get it, because it's probably the most fun game I've played in a while.


Genevieve

Aunt Sue: SlimFast

Does anyone have any feelings about meal-replacement shakes? I've started drinking SlimFast sometimes for breakfast and at other times when I get home from work. This is certainly not something I'd have a second helping of - so that's good. And it works OK in the evening. But when I have one for breakfast, I'm hungry soon afterwards. Breakfast is always a challenge for me. I never leave myself enough time in the morning to actually prepare a meal. I'm not even sure that SlimFast is the best of its kind because there are a number of different brands. Any thoughts on this?

Aunt Sue: Dressed in black

I'm dressed like a Greek widow today - all in black. Not for any reason other than a vague notion that it's slimming. I have had mixed success today - mostly good but I've had a number of small cookies that one of my coworkers brought in. I'm going to the gym tonight for at least half an hour. So that would make it a largely good day.

Speaking of largely, I've been piling up my fat clothes to give away. Not sure that's a good idea when I'm still fat but I don't want to wear them anymore. I'd rather go Greek widow than mother of the bride. I don't actually look like this photo, by the way. I think it's from Zorba the Greek.

Aunt Sue: A smoky breakfast

I really do have to get more practice cooking. Just one week after making bean soup that was still crunchy days later, I made a breakfast for my nephew, Genevieve's brother, that was fair to not-that-good. Plus, there was a smoky incident involving the muffins. He was a good sport, but I really do have to become a better cook if I'm going to eat more healthfully. In the past, I've relied on frozen Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine dinner, but that gets old after a while.

My niece said something in her last post that really resonated with me. She said it has hit her recently "how much I should want to lose weight." I feel like that all the time. I should want to do this. I do want to do this. But...... It seems to me sometimes that if I really wanted to be thin, I would be. And yet, I do want to be thinner but I'm obviously not committed to it.

A nutritionist told me once that thought follows action. I was able to stop drinking almost 17 years ago by joining AA and following a plan, in that case the 12 steps. So maybe I should give Weight Watchers another try. I'm already signed up for the online plan and I'll give that a shot again before I try meetings again. Perhaps the online plan and communicating with other bloggers would be a good combination.

Anyway, onward.......

Extra time: Genevieve

I haven't been posting much because of school. School is also why I haven't been able to get to yoga for the past week. This week has been full of tests, papers and projects, that I'm almost positive that my teachers like to watch us suffer. Except for my American Lit teacher, she's an angel. Speaking of Ms. W., she just gave us a cumulative vocab quiz put together by her son, Gabe, and the main character of all the sentences was her huge cat, Woogie. She was also diagnosed with diabetes.
It has only just recently hit me how much I should want to lose weight. And I do, it's just that I guess I don't really know when to stop. Some days I'd decide to cut some things out of my meals for the day, but I don't stick to it. A lot of things that are happening with my friends with the way people compliment them, and I think it's making me realize what I really have to do. This next week, I don't care what my crazy Finnish chemistry teacher assigns, I'm going to make it to yoga. I'm also going to choose something to cut out of what I eat. It's hard to know what to have in the house and what not to have. That's probably the hardest for me. Whenever there's food that my parents buy in the kitchen, I just assume that it's okay for me to eat it even if it's not helping me lose weight.

Aunt Sue: Floyd

I had a pretty good day today in terms of my diet and I think that was because of the day I had yesterday. I have this tuxedo cat named Floyd who used to be over 20 pounds. In December I took him to the vet because he was choosing alternatives to the litter box, which was very unusual. He was diagnosed with diabetes. The vet recommended changing his diet first and asked me to come back in a month. Well, I did start feeding him the high-protein food she recommended but I didn't bring Floyd back for two months. I was sure that he was getting better - not really a diabetic at all. But I did bring him back yesterday and Floyd has lost three more pounds, a lot for a cat and an indication that the diabetes is not under control. So we're most likely going to go from diet to medication before considering insulin.

I love this cat. He's a dog in a cat suit. Vets have told me for most of his 14 years that he needs to lose weight. And I've pretty much ignored them because he was healthy and he's got a big frame. But now he's not healthy. I wish I had taken those warnings more seriously because it would kill me to lose this cat.

And the thought has been occurring to me since that I've been warned for years about the dangers of obesity but I've pretty much ignored them. I've been basically healthy and I too have a big frame. But I wouldn't describe myself as healthy now. I've got a number of weight-related health issues. And I need to take those warnings more seriously.

Anyway, I had a NutriGrain bar for breakfast, sushi for lunch and a cheese sandwhich for dinner. Not too impressive, I know. But I did go to the gym after work. Progress, not perfection, right?

Aunt Sue: My confinement

   I'm sorry that I haven't posted at all this week. It has been a strange week - I feel like I've been trapped in my house by a mountain of snow. I wasn't fabulous as far as my eating went this week but no bingeing, which is an improvement for me.

   I made some fairly terrible Navy bean soup. The beans were still crunchy after cooking for 12 hours! And it was pretty flavorless. That didn't stop me, of course, from bringing a container over to my friends Bucky and Billy. Billy is a great cook and he's always sending over wonderful food. I wanted to reciprocate, losing sight of the fact that I'm not a very good cook.

   I actually really like to bake but I'm terrible at it. I always make one tragic mistake. For example, one Christmas I was going to make a rainbow cake - white cake with swirls of red and green. Well, I didn't red and green food coloring but I had blue and yellow and thought that would be pretty. The cake actually tasted pretty good but it was Herman Munster green.

   Anyway, I'm going to keep trying to cook some decent, fairly healthful things and hope I don't poison myself in the process - or my friends.

Aunt Sue: A minor correction

Hi Genevieve......You're right. I think it was your mother and other aunt who made fun of the very idea of my parfaits. I stand corrected! I'm going to make some bean soup tonight so I'll let you know how that goes.

I think we should push for a pound off each this week. But mainly to eat more healthfully and exercise a bit more. And to keep in touch through the week, because that contact with you is what I like best.

Weigh-in #4

Today, Aunt Sue and I weighed in again and Aunt Sue is down another pound, weighing in as 220 pounds. I stayed the same this week, since I irresponsibly denied the offer to go to yoga with my dad this week. He's been going to yoga every Wednesday and Monday since September and I have to say, he looks pretty toned. My sister, mom and I noticed it in the past month whenever we were all together. Usually I go on Sundays with my mom, but a lot of the time, things come up and we're not able to go. So this upcoming week, I'll go to yoga on Monday and Wednesday with my dad and then on Sunday with my mom, sticking to the exercise regime that I haven't been keeping up with.
Aunt Sue and I talked this morning and we're shooting to lose a pound each.

Also, Aunt Sue, I don't remember ever scoffing at your yogurt! I've never had one of your parfaits....


Genevieve

Aunt Sue: A snowy day

It's a snowy Friday afternoon and I've had kind of a sloppy day. I had to mail my mother's birthday present today but by the time I left the house. the post office and FedEx were closing early because of the weather. I finally found a UPS office, paid $25 to get the present to Florida in time and also put the wrong address on the package. So it's been that kind of day.

But I'm determined to get a handle on my eating and not be sloppy about that today. This week, there was a birthday party at work and I'd been pretty careful for a few days, so I thought I'd have some of the desserts. They all looked good and before I knew it, I had a plate full of cake, pie and cobbler. I set it on my desk and looked at it for a while - a heap of sweets. And I did eat it but the image of that plate has stayed with me. What am I doing? I'm more careful about what I feed my pets than I am about what I feed myself. That plate has come to seem pretty gross to me.

I'm a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for almost 17 years. I have always understood that my sobriety comes one day at a time. I need to apply that same mantra to my diet. So for today, I'm going to eat like I'm feeding someone I care for.

Weigh-in #3

This morning I weighed in and lost .4 from the last weigh in. It's not much, but I wasn't really keeping up the the apple, salad, and exercise, because of the concert I was in for school. But now, I don't have to be at rehearsals until dark and I can catch up with some things.
Aunt Sue, on the other hand, is down 1.4 pounds since the beginning of our project, which now brings us down to 97.6 pounds to go!

I think this week, I can do much better and Aunt Sue will do even better than she already has.
Also, my workload for school shouldn't be as much as the past two weeks, since it's the beginning of a new quarter.

Genevieve

Aunt Sue: A new week

Genevieve and I are going to weigh in tomorrow because of a schedule conflict. I had lunch with her brother, my 19-year-old nephew, and I made him something that my friends like but my family scoffs at, calling it gross. It's the noble yogurt parfait.

The first time I made this was on July 4 for my friends Lori and Tom. That version was called the red, white and blue parfait, because it had vanilla yogurt, strawberries and blueberries. But you can really put any kind of berries or fruit in there.

You take a glass bowl, or big wine glass, or sundae glass and layer fat-free vanilla yogurt, some kind of berries and granola. You can top it off with a fat-free whip of some kind. It's really tasty and I feel completely vindicated because my nephew really liked it.

I'm including a photo that doesn't quite look like it but you get the idea. When my nephew comes over, I usually get foods I think he'll like - like chips and cookies and lunch meats. But he is not a big eater and I wind up eating all the leftovers. So I thought I'd start serving him foods that I can healthfully eat but he'd like too. This was the first time I did that. I made a frittata with low-fat cheese, eggs and vegetables. And the parfait.

So I'm feeling fairly virtuous. I'm heading home from work now. If I can make it through the rest of the day without polishing off the frittata, I'm home free.

Aunt Sue: A long walk

I had a pretty nice day today. I went for two long walks and had lunch with a friend. Of course, we both had burgers and shared fries. So I probably offset the benefits of walking. But it felt really good to be walking, even though it was freezing, and I really enjoyed the food and the company. It didn't feel like emotional eating or anything more complicated than a fun lunch.

I don't know if I've lost any weight - I guess we'll see on Sunday! But I do feel a lot better since we started this blog. I just feel pretty optimistic and I think that's because I enjoy being in touch with my niece and also I appreciate the feedback from other bloggers. Life is complicated and people are just trying to find ways to get through it without eating so much that they have to start wearing mumus everywhere. Or housecoats.

I'm going to eat light for dinner - maybe some soup. And look for a good recipe to make tomorrow. And I'm just grateful for a good day.

It all paid off: Genevieve

Today, I got back my Algebra 2 midterm and got a 96... I guess all that stress paid off! This weekend I'm going to be in a concert for our student editorial, so I've been coming home late and haven't had time to post a lot. Today, I had a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese for breakfast/lunch, and I just finished a some quick Ramen noodles so I can get to my work for the night. Nothing too interesting, but I'm feeling better since I'm able to sort of resist things a lot better, now.

There are still recipes I need to try out from my L.A. Weight Loss  and Camp Shane cookbooks, so hopefully those turn out well.

Aunt Sue: Special occasions

Hi Genevieve,

Good for you for getting back to the food and exercise plan right after a big dinner. I know that you, your mom and sister don't eat out together often, so that was a special occasion.

It started me thinking that the challenge for me is always to get back on the horse like that after a special occasion. For example, if I know I have dinner plans on the weekend, I would probably rule out watching what I eat until after that date. If I know I have a few social engagements over the course of a few weeks, I might adopt a "what the hell" approach to eating for the month.

It should work that you enjoy the special occasions and take good care of yourself in other ways the rest of the time by eating healthfully and exercising. But that's never been the way I live. I'd like to change that.

Genevieve: Home.

I just got home with my mom about two hours ago from dropping my sister off back at school in Rhode Island. We started driving around 11, so the car ride was pretty long. Aunt Sue and I weren't able to call each other today to weigh in and all so we decided to wait until next week to create a joined post. This gives us another week to really work at it. Especially me, because last night in Rhode Island, my mom, my sister and I went out to Ruth Chris Steakhouse and I don't think I did too well about being conscience of what I was eating. But no matter! Since my semester finally ended, I'll have time to get to yoga during the week. But, in spite of that, my friend got me a job for Saturday mornings and I won't be able to attend those yoga classes.
Maybe I'll just end up doing some extra wii-fit during the week.

Aunt Sue: Finally, a workout

I went to the gym today for the first time in a long time. I'm off on Fridays, so I had no excuse not to go. I've always been bad about getting exercise. In the mornings I don't get up early enough to go to the gym before work, telling myself I'll go in the evening. But then I get home from work too late to go.

The funny thing is that I'm always glad that I've exercised on the rare occasions that I do. I must look like hell while I'm doing it because attendants keep handing me towels. I blame that florid Irish complexion of mine.

So I have to find the motivation to get up early enough in the mornings to exercise. Wouldn't it be nice if there were cash prizes available for doing the things you're supposed to do? $25 for flossing your teeth? $35 for moisturizing? $50 for exercising in the mornings?

Aunt Sue: I'm impressed!

Wow, Genevieve, I'm impressed on several counts. First, that you made that delicious dinner for the family, second that you figured out how to link to the brushetta recipe and third that we've now got a photo on our blog! I'm feeling very high-tech, despite the fact that I had nothing to do with these developments.

I went to the kidney doctor today for my annual checkup and my weight is up from last year. So my blood pressure and blood sugar are a little up too. I'm grateful that we started this blog together because I think sharing this journey will make reaching the destination possible. It's really great that we're starting to get feedback and comments too.

I have an embarrasssing confession to make. I don't know how to use the broiler. I'll consult with my friend Lori because she's a good cook and I'd like to try that beef flank recipe.

Sorry you're so stressed. Hang in there!

Beef Dijon and Bruschetta

I just got home and I should be writing a paper for U.S. History.
But on Sunday night I made dinner for everybody. If anyone has seen Julie and Julia, you had to have noticed the extremely delicious bruschetta that Julie makes before she decides to create a blog.

from Sony Pictures

and the recipe can be found here.
I don't think the bruschetta would be too fattening or bad for a part of dinner...
After that I made a Beef Dijon from the LA Weight Loss cook book. This recipe serves one, but I multiplied everything by four for me, my mom, my dad and my sister.

Beef Dijon
4 or 6 oz beef flank steak
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
5 green onions, thinly sliced (I don't think that many is necessary)
1/4 cup water
1/4 packet Herb-Ox very low sodium beef bouillon
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 Tbsp flour
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup fresh asparagus spears

1. Rub black pepper on both sides of the steak
2. Broil steak, 3 inches from heat, for 6 minutes. Turn steak over and brown for 6 to 8 minutes more. Keep warm, allowing to rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
3. Coat skillet with nonfat cooking spray. Combine mushrooms, green onions, water, and beef bouillon; cook until mushrooms are tender.
4. Mix together yogurt, flour, and mustard. Stir into mushroom mixture. Cool and stir until thickened.
5. Cook asparagus by microwaving or steaming.
6. Thinly slice steak against the grain. Arrange steak slices and asparagus on dinner plate. Serve with sauce.

It came out pretty well and everyone seemed to like it.
Yesterday I spent all day writing an American Lit paper, so I did nothing but sit in front of my laptop. And for dinner, my dad made tofu and beef in black bean sauce, using the leftover flank steak from Sunday night.

This week is going to be extremely stressful with the end of the first semester... my teachers really like to pile things up at the end of each quarter.

Genevieve

Aunt Sue: My Farewell to Food Feast

I was full of confidence Sunday when I was heading to the neighborhood gym to weigh myself. I felt certain I would be down, at least a little bit. So I was surprised and irritated when I was actually up .2 pounds.

But then I remembered my Farewell to Food, a ritual that I observe before the start of every diet. I spend a few days bidding adieu to the four food groups of my reckless eating life: chips, baked goods, ice cream and candy. I have a somewhat embarrassing memory of eating two huge jelly doughnuts the day before we started our blog.

So I suspect some of that weight landed over the past week. And I had chips and cookies a few times during the week too. So why was I so surprised to have gained a little weight? And why do I continue bidding farewell to my merry band of bad foods, even though we've never been parted for long?

I started this week without that ritual feast in my rearview mirror. So we'll see......

Our second weigh in

Good morning,
Right now we are on the phone, writing this entry together. Every Sunday we plan doing this... weighing in and talking about our week.
This is Genevieve talking and I'm down .8 pounds since last week. Not that big, but it's progress.
Aunt Sue actually gained a little bit of weight, .2 pounds.
I didn't get to eat a salad everyday and Aunt Sue didn't exercise at all. The plan for next week is to stick to the same method, which is four glasses of water, an apple and salad everyday. And also to exercise three times a week.

At the end if week one, we have 99.4 pounds to go.

Aunt Sue: A reclusive day

It's the end of the day and I'm watching a very cool documentary about the very cool Patti Smith on TV. She's my hero. She's had such an amazing life. Right now she's singing a duet with Sam Shepard.

I have a bad cold and have spent the day kind of hunkered down. But it's been a good day even so. I usually feel entitled to eat lots of ice cream when I'm not feeling well and I didn't do that. I made Genevieve's pasta recipe from earlier in the week and it was really good. I made one-fourth of the recipe, which was probably too much for one person but I actually dumped the box of penne out on the table, counted them and divided by four. If I had eyeballed it, I probably would have eaten half the box.

I watched some food shows on TV. One was You Are What You Eat on BBC America. This fairly unpleasant nutritionist orders people about, including demanding a poop specimen, about which she always has some unflattering observations. But there are generally some good suggestions, like today she had the "tubby twosome," as the narrator called the mother and daughter on the show, make sandwhiches in whole wheat pitas that had hummus and lots of other interesting ingredients. Seems like a good lunch option.

Then I watched Jacque Pepin's fast-food show and he made a couscous dish that I think I could make myself. Both of these shows have web sites - the BBC America site and KQED for Pepin.

Made the mistake of taking a nap after watching an episode of Sponge Bob and had dreams of Sponge, Patrick and I being chased around the ocean floor. But that's a small complaint in an otherwise peaceful day. We're starting to get comments and followers, for which I'm very grateful. We weigh ourselves tomorrow and I hope I'm down at least a little. But even if I'm not, it's been a good week.

Stress: Aunt Sue

I've been feeling stressed about work lately, so I know what you mean. It has been hard for me to make changes in my diet when I'm feeling pressured. That's why it's going to be important for us to find changes that we can stick with through all the ups and downs of life. Because there's always going to be some kind of stress coming around the bend. My favorite way to deal with that has always been food. But I'd like to change that.

I used to joke that I'd like to be kidnapped by a band of sprout-eating gypsies and returned six months later and 60 pounds lighter. But I don't know many people who eat sprouts and I don't think I've even met a gypsy. So that particular weight-loss plan is as realistic as my desire to become the next Mrs. Paul McCartney, or Lady McCartney to be more accurate.

I'm going to try the recipes you wrote about this weekend and I haven't kept up my end of the bargain as far as exercise goes, but I'll go to the gym tonight and tomorrow. Progress, not perfection - right?

In the meantime, if you should happen across a fit-looking gypsy........

Stress: Genevieve

I've been feeling really stressed out lately, just about school and all. It's almost the end of the quarter and the teachers are piling up all the work. So I'm worried about what kind of grades I'll be getting for the 2nd quarter and my chemistry teacher always complains about how I complain at the end of the quarter about how good my grade will be. Today was not much different from all the others, except I didn't have to rush with my Latin homework the period before class started and I was able to sit in the lounge and relax with my lunch.
For dinner, I went out with three friends after and school concert, where my chorus performed. We were okay, but we've done way better. I had a turkey sandwich with red onions and lettuce... it was the perfect size, and not too big.
I'm really tired and I feel like I've been going non-stop all day.

Goodnight,
Genevieve

1/13/10

You know, surprisingly, that wasn't the first pee story you've told me before. I just finished watching Modern Family with Daddy and Kelly.... and Mommy just got home from a dinner party. I made a pasta dish for dinner, which was a little bland, but with a little salt and pepper, it wasn't too bad. It was better than frozen Lean Cuisines for sure. This is also from the Camp Shane cook book:

Penne with Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups (1 medium) red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups (1 pint) cherry tomatoes cut in halves
16 oz Penne Pasta, uncooked
8 oz fresh mozzarella, died
8 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute over medium hear until soft. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook five minutes or until tomatoes are heated through. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with sauce. Add mozzarella cheese, basil and black pepper. Drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.


Now, this uses a whole thing of pasta, so it's more than one serving... so portion size is important. Today,  I snacked on Chex Mix without portioning it out first. so I don't even know how much I had, but I don't think it was that much. School was the usual, and I also had a corn muffin and the last of the smoothie for breakfast this morning-- my meals during the day are never extremely varied.

And now I have to memorize a script for Spanish class.

Adios,

Genevieve

Feed a cold?

I had a pretty good day today, although it got off to a rough start because I went to a lab for some tests and wound up accidentally showing my urine sample to a group of complete strangers. I thought I was returning the sample cup to a lab room but walked in to some kind of meeting instead. "May I help you?" one of the suited men asked. "I don't suppose I could interest you in a urine sample," I replied. Not surprisingly, they declined and directed me elsewhere.

But I digress. I have a cold and I'm assuming that the old adage "Feed a cold, starve a fever" aren't actually words to live by. Normally, I do indeed live by those words but haven't really today. I'd like to, though. So my goal for the rest of the evening is to get through it without consuming mass quantities of anything. I'm going to make some of that Teavana tea you gave me for Christmas.

Anyway, sorry about the pee story. I've been wanting to tell someone about that all day. --- Your Aunt Sue

Feeling a little less fat

Hi Genevieve,

I put the word 'fat' in the title in hopes that it might attract a search engine and put us in touch with other people trying to lose weight.

Anyway, I have really enjoyed reading your posts and appreciate your honesty. What you wrote about raiding the kitchen while you're babysitting reminded me of how I was when I was about your age. When I was babysitting, I would go to the kitchen after the kids were asleep. And I'd take food in a way designed to make sure the parents didn't notice it was gone. For example, I'd only choose things they had a lot of and I'd reshape the food packages so that they still looked full. It was weirdly sneaky considering I was always told that I was welcome to whatever was there. I just think food and eating have always had an element of secrecy for me.

I've been doing ok on our plan - eating the salad and apple and drinking the four glasses of water a day. I plan to exercise tomorrow, Thursday and Friday to meet our three-times-a-week agreement. I like this modest plan because it makes me feel successful, although I certainly have not been perfect. I had a candy bar yesterday and some pretzels and cookies today. But not mass quantities, which is an improvement.

I've been aware of how much more I eat than my friends do. I had dinner out twice with friends and each time I stopped eating when they did and asked for the rest of my dinner to be packed up. And I just at the rest of the food when I got home.

It's been good to watch how I am about food these past few days. But mostly I like being in touch with you every day. Talk to you tomorrow........Aunt Sue

1/12/10: Genevieve

This morning, I had some of that leftover smoothie and corn muffin for breakfast, since having only the smoothie yesterday didn't keep me full. Once again, I had my sandwich and an apple for lunch, a usual for me at school. I haven't been keeping up with the salad a day goal, which is a little sad seeing as it's the first goal. However I found a salad recipe that's supposed to be healthy but delicious, which I want to try soon. There were a small amount of snacks during the day, but for a very legitimate reason. The first reason: today in nutrition we did a dairy food tasting, so my teacher brought it a bunch of healthy diary foods like low fat chocolate milk, yogurt, cheese, etc. Then for dinner my mom and I split a can of soup, went to yoga, and then had a chinese "pork bun", which is generally probably not too healthy to eat, but I think since it was for dinner, it seems reasonable.

And I still have to finish all of my homework.


Genevieve

1/11/10: Genevieve

Today was pretty good. I woke up and made some kind of fruit-yogurt smoothie sort of thing from a print out booklet that I got from the weight loss camp, Camp Shane, I went to for three weeks during the summer of 2007 and 2008. It was decent, but it didn't keep me very full. Here's the recipe anyway, if you like something not too sweet... it would probably be more of an afternoon snack to hold you over until dinner.


"Fruit-Yogurt Swirl"
(3 1-cup servings)

1/2 cup drained canned, unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/2 cup drained canned, unsweetened sliced peaches
(we couldn't find unsweetened canned fruit... it probably doesn't even exist)
5 ice cubes
4 whole fresh strawberries, caps removed
1 medium-size ripe banana
8 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt


It probably would have been better if I actually had vanilla yogurt, but I didn't and I used plain yogurt. School was a little tough with everyone around me eating bunches of delicious food from all these different restaurants in my town. I had my apple with a sandwich for lunch, and I had two bottles of water, which is four glasses. I was planning to do some Wii-fit after school today, but I still have a paper to write and Algebra homework.
Also, I was babysitting yesterday and when I babysit, I usually take a joyride in the kitchen, so it was hard to break that habit.. but I had Shrek 3 to distract me.


Anyway, I have a paper to write.


Genevieve

Day 2: Aunt Sue

My first day on the Genevieve/Aunt Sue plan went pretty well. I drank the water, ate the apple and had a spinach salad. I usually work Sundays but I was off yesterday and it's freezing outside, so I spent most of the day reading magazine articles on weight loss and watching police procedurals on TV, which for some strange reason seems to be a key component of relaxing for me. I can actually do a fair imitation of Mark Harmon's expressions in NCIS.
Anyway, there were a few bumps. I decided to have some cereal for a snack and ate half the box. I think I've got to stick to keeping oatmeal or Grape Nuts in the house because I'm not tempted to eat those in bulk. Also, I was looking for recipes without my glasses on and saw what I thought looked like a good pasta dish. When I put my glasses on to look for the recipe, I saw that it was actually a big ashtray filled with cigarette butts in a story about smoking. Not sure what that means. But yech.
I'm off today and back to work tomorrow. I'll have salad tonight for dinner, have the apple, drink the water and stay away from cereal!

The First Step

We are Aunt Sue and Genevieve and we are starting our weight loss plan today. Our goal is to lose one hundred pounds in total. We are going to create our own plan by pulling pieces from a variety of other diets and setting specific goals each week. We are looking forward to supporting each other, writing to each other and being in touch with people with similar goals. We live in different cities, but we have always been close. Our specific goals this week are to: drink four glasses of a water a day, eat an apple a day, eat a salad everyday, and exercise for at least 30 minutes or more three times during the week. Other than that we are going to start being mindful of what we eat and blog each day about what worked and what our challenges were.