Sunday, January 24, 2016

I Fell Into A Vat Of Caramel-Colored Carbonated Water

Carbonated Water:  Fizzy water, created by dissolving carbon dioxide gas under pressure into regular 'ol water.

Caramel Color:  Water-soluble food coloring found in everything from bread to soft drinks, beer to barbecue sauce, potato chips to cough syrup. It's in a lot of stuff.

Aspartame: An artificial sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar.  Some people believe aspartame causes cancer.  I'm not one of them.

Phosphoric Acid: A clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a syrupy consistency that gives colas their tangy flavor.  It's also commonly used for rust removal. But, a consumer watchdog group found that "only a small fraction of the phosphate in the American diet comes from additives in soft drinks.  Most come from meat and dairy products."

Potassium Benzoate: A food preservative found in fruit juice, sparkling drinks, pickles, salad dressings, syrups, jams, olives, etc.  It's also what gives many fireworks their "whistle".

Natural Flavors: Nobody knows what the hell this really means anymore.

Citric Acid: A weak organic acid naturally found in citrus fruits - oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes - that's a natural preservative and also used to add a sour taste to foods and soft drinks.

Those seven ingredients, combined, make pure evil.

OK, really, it's just what they put in Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

The very same Diet Coke I've been drinking, even though I swore off of it a little over two weeks ago.

I have to confess - I've failed miserably in the Diet Coke department.  I fell off the wagon a bit in other areas too - some sugar and my favorite General Foods International drink - but I did make some improvements.

I walked.  Only three times, but about a mile each time.  And I'm doing more this week.

I didn't have any Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, cheese danishes, or white rice. I said no to dessert more times than not, and ordered a few salads when dining out.  Shit, dining out is a killer because I like SO MANY things!

I did very well eating breakfast - which isn't hard because it's the easiest meal for me to tackle- did pretty decent with portion sizes, and I didn't post one kale recipe.

My friends came to visit and I made some really delicious meals.  Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Black Olives, Brown Rice, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts (which were amaaaazing!).  Another night I made Flounder stuff with Crabmeat and Shrimp, a Quinoa and Five Grain blend, and Roasted Green Beans.  And the last night, spaghetti (for Marlaina), but also what I thought was a kick-ass Spinach Lasagna. Although I did go a little overboard on the Artisan breads from Sprouts.

On the upside, since September 30, I have lost 16 pounds.  You'd never know it by looking, but that's what the scale told me. And I had my friend Marlaina calibrate it while she was here.  She knows her weight to the ounce and confirmed its accuracy.  On her, a 16-pound loss would turn her into a waif, on me, the difference is as visible as a waif-er. But it's still gone.

So, that's really it.  Just wanted to check in, tell you I'm still working on it, thank you for the support and encouragement via emails and comments, and to let you know I'm still continuing on.

I'm not completely convinced it's going to get easier, but I suspect it will.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Three Squares And A Midnight Snack

2014: They Were Five
2013: Wake Of Imagination
2012: Woman With Cat
2011: From Blue Grass To Wine Country
2010: Plump With Fat Quarters
2009: Eddie Out With The Old, In With The New Friday
2008: You Can Get Them At Home Depot??
2007: There Are Never Enough Hours In The Day To Do Anything When You Have A Baby
2006: Tequila Sunrise
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005! 

4 comments:

dlg said...



OMG! I am so proud for you. I have to do the same thing!
16 pounds is amazing. Hang in there.
Love,

Marlaina said...

Spinach Lasagne is excellent Just had a piece while rolling down i-80 -- in the sleep of course.

Belledog said...

Keep it up. You'll do great.

squidgybo said...

That's great Salena, you may not feel the difference yet, but if that's what the scales say then that's fabulous. I just started on the 5:2 diet last week-hard work, but fun.

Mick