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.