Strategy for Success: Keep a Record

After yesterday's disappointing weigh-in, I decided to look back at last week for insight into where I went wrong. I had some general ideas about what I'd done, but I thought I should re-examine the week for a deeper understanding.

Luckily, at the beginning of the year I purchased a weekly planner/calendar that I set aside just to record my meals, since I already had an inkling that my poor lunches were partially to blame for my weight predicament.

The one I got is from Martha Stewart's Home Office line at Staples and what I love about it is that each day is broken up into three general time "zones": morning, afternoon, and evening. Plus, there are two additional rows that you can title yourself, for whatever seems most useful to you. In my case, the two bottom rows are for "Exercise" and "Social/Misc." For instance, if I know I'll be eating out because of a party or dinner invitation, I add it to the "Social/Misc." Or, sometimes I will record if something out of the ordinary is going on that may affect my eating (i.e. feeling down, having a cold, traveling, etc.)

In the morning, afternoon, and evening rows, I jot down what I ate each day. Sometimes, if things are particularly hectic or I'm more forgetful than usual, I will have to go back and add things in, and as a result sometimes I don't have quite perfect record-keeping. But I try to log as much as I can. 

Anyway, when I went back and looked at last week, I realized that I ate out much more than I originally thought. I had lunch at quasi-fast* food places 4 times last week! And the meals that I did have at home were only moderately French (in spirit, if not in cuisine style). 

Knowing what went wrong will hopefully help me make adjustments this week. Another benefit of my food journal is that I can go back to more successful weeks and get inspiration for this week's menu.

What about you? Do you have any experience (good or bad) with food journals that you can share with me? If so, please do. I'm always looking for new strategies for success!


*I think of McDonald's, Taco Bell, and similar restaurants as true "fast food". For me "quasi-fast" food places include like Chipotle or P.F. Chang's or In-N-Out Burger, which I deem not quite as bad/processed as true "fast food", but they aren't really bastions of health either.

Lundi: R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Another Monday, another check in. I have to be honest, I'm not looking forward to today's post.

Let's start by grading against each of the French Plan's key goals:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: C+ 
• Portion control: B-
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: C  
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: C- 
• Treat yourself: D-

This past week saw the end of Passover, a few evenings out, and some personal stress impact my French experiment quite a bit. First, the end of Passover meant that grains were welcomed back, perhaps with arms a bit too wide open. I also ate out (or take-out) almost half the time this week, and while I tried to make healthy choices, sometimes it's hard to know how healthy something really is since you aren't there when it's being prepared. (Other times, you know how healthy--or unhealthy--something is, but it's what's available.) And, finally, as I already discussed on Friday, there were some emotional challenges.

On the positive side, I did try to listen to my body and not overeat. And, I was a bit more active (walking, and some gardening, mostly) and it was incorporated into my day to day life more naturally.

On the negative side, I ate out too much and I snacked when I felt depressed. Sigh.

In terms of treating myself, I gave myself a low grade because I overdid it. The French allow a bit of dessert (typically, fruit) but I ate something sweet most evenings even if I had had a filling meal. It was more about the fact that I could have a baked treat and not about whether or not I really wanted one.

Monday morning weigh-in: 166.0 (+1 lb versus last week and -1.0 to-date)

Final Grade: 

I'm definitely disappointed in how this week turned out. And, the worst thing is probably that I knew I wasn't really following my plan but I sort of gave up over the weekend and tacitly decided to wait until today to get back on the wagon. Now, though, I'm curious to see how much of my previous drop was due to the French diet versus the "Passover diet" of aggressively reduced grains. So this week I'm going to see what happens if I focus just on the French Diet's key elements but still eat some bread, etc. If I can get back on track with just that, next Monday's weigh in and report should be interesting.

Emotional eating, you're back

I didn't get a chance to write my planned post yesterday. I didn't get a chance to write anything at all, actually. Instead, I fought the emotional eating battle again, but I sort of lost. :(

I had another rough day on the pseudo-caretaking job and when I got home in the evening, the urge to seek comfort in food was overwhelming. In retrospect, if you look at it in a detached way, it's sort of fascinating, if a bit sad.

Your reason is telling you, "Okay, I know you're actually a bit hungry, but you know that you're just looking for something to make you feel better, right? Something to distract you from the sadness and frustration you're feeling?"

But another part of you (irrational or emotional part of brain? stomach? heart?) just ignores your reason and dives headlong in the search for something to make you feel better.

A-ha! How about a bowl of frosted mini-wheats? That will do nicely!

So, you have your cereal and you think, "Well, that wasn't so bad...and I can adjust my dinner for it."  But then, some minutes pass and you're back in the kitchen because you just don't feel better, so you're back in there, looking for satisfaction.

Spoonful of peanut butter. That's pretty filling. Mmm, yummy.  Minutes pass. But, I sort of want something salty now...oh, there! Handful of croutons. That's better.

And so there you are. Sitting on the sofa, trying to relax and all the while you're regretting it all. The cereal. The peanut butter. The croutons. But most of all, you're regretting your obvious lack of willpower and your inability to find a better solution to what's really vexing you--your unhappiness and frustration.

And finally, here you are, the next day, writing about it. Why? Because you want to be have a place where you can finally be honest about the struggle and admit it all...the good, the bad, and the ugly. And maybe, you figure, if you do that, you'll eventually find the way to deal with your emotions in a healthier way and you won't have to write this sort of post ever again.

Score, this week: Emotional eating 1, Reason 0

Being Social: A Birthday Dinner Invitation

Tonight, Monsieur and I will be eating out. We've been invited to a birthday dinner, at a restaurant that I am completely unfamiliar with, but that, according to Zagat, "...turns out 'creative' New American dishes in a 'warm, cozy setting' manned by a personable staff."

Here are some pics borrowed from the restaurant's website:

My plan is to either split an entree with Monsieur or save whatever I can't finish (restaurant portions are usually quite generous!) for Friday's lunch.

In the meantime, since I'm currently working my way towards a solid "D" on next Monday's report card for the "Exercise" category, I think I'll work in a walk or bike ride today. 

À bientôt!

Dans le menu: Roasted chicken & potatoes

One of the things that I think will make my French experiment more or less successful will be my ability to prepare a well-balanced, but delicious meal with relative ease.  To that end, I thought I would share some of my stand-by menus.  Tonight, for your consideration, we have the following meal planned:

• Roasted chicken
• Roasted Dutch yellow baby potatoes with parsley
• Green beans with butter

To round out the meal, there's fresh baguette with French butter, wine and sparkling mineral water (my favorite, Lemon Perrier).

What makes this particular meal especially easy to prepare is the fact that both the chicken and the potatoes are roasted for roughly the same amount of time, and at the same temperature. So, they can share the oven!

Roasted chicken

The amount of chicken you make will depend on the number of people you are feeding, but the cooking instructions aren't really quantity-dependent. (Unless, of course, you are feeding an army and need multiple baking sheets and turns at the oven!)  In my case, I am cooking for two and expecting to have a little left over for my lunch tomorrow. 

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on (12-13 oz--it was the smallest the butcher had!)

1 chicken leg/thigh (7-8 oz)

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

Kosher salt

Pepper

Lawry's Garlic Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 °F. If you have convection, I recommend using it. If not, you might need to cook everything a little bit longer.

Brush the chicken with a light coating of olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, and (optional) garlic salt. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (if you want slightly easier clean up). Roast in oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the skin is a medium golden brown.

Roasted baby potatoes with parsley

Again, the quantities will depend on the number of people you're feeding and your oven capacity. In my case, I prepared 4 baby potatoes per person. I'm not planning on any leftovers and keeping French portions in mind.

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's Rosemary Roasted Potatoes recipe. I modified it by replacing the rosemary with fresh chopped parsley, which I prefer.

Ingredients

4 Dutch yellow baby potatoes per person

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 °F as you would for the roasted chicken. Slice off a bit of the bottom of each potato so that it will not roll around when you place it on the baking sheet. Then, carefully slice the tops about 3/4 of the way down at about 1/4" intervals. Place all the sliced potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and then toss to coat the potatoes evenly. Place them on a baking sheet, sliced side down, and place in the oven. 

Roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are a delicious golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. 

Sauteed Green Beans with Butter

Ingredients

French haricots verts or other thin green beans (small handful per person to be served)

Kosher salt

Pepper

Butter

Instructions

Boil some salted water in a small sauce pan. When the water is boiling, add the green beans (washed and trimmed) and boil for three minutes. Immediately remove the beans from the hot water and place them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and ensure a vibrant green color is preserved. At this point, you can either throw them back into the sauce pan or put them into a saute pan back over low heat. Add a small pat of butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the beans so that they are covered in the melting butter and, once all the butter has melted and covered the beans, serve immediately.

For some variety, try swapping these roasted potatoes with some couscous, oven fries, mashed potatoes, or rice. Other vegetable options include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccolini, green salad, or tomato salad.  

Enjoy! Or, as they might say in France, Bon Appetit!

Resisting temptation

Every once in a while, I am tempted to revert back to my bad (eating) habits. When that happens, I have a sure strategy to emerge victorious. Let me share how I came up with it.

Not too long ago, I had planned on preparing a very healthy, very French sort of dinner. I was going to grill some tilapia and serve it with a small side salad and a baked potato. But then, in the afternoon, my husband called to ask if he could meet a friend who was going to be in the area for dinner. Suddenly, the idea of preparing the menu I'd planned, just for myself, seemed wholly unappealing. As I drove home that evening, temptation struck.

The guy in red said, "It's late and by the time you get home, do you really want to start cooking? Cooking fish? Tilapia is so...boring. Why not have something that you wouldn't eat with Monsieur? What about Chipotle? Mmm...a burrito with some chips and some guacamole would taste soooo good!"

The one in white said, "But you already thawed the tilapia! It has to be cooked today or it will go to waste. And the meal you planned is so balanced...so French!! Besides, it will take just as long to stop and pick up food at Chipotle as it would to just prepare what you have at home. And a Chipotle burrito is huge!"

There I was, in the middle, much as poor Homer is in the cartoon above. What should I do? 

Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. I shouldn't be asking myself what should I do, but WWFD--What Would a French (person) Do?? 

That single question was the answer to all my dilemmas. Once I asked it, the answer was obvious. A French person would definitely not stop for a burrito at Chipotle when there was a perfectly good meal waiting to be had at home. So, I went home, I made my dinner, and I have to say, it was so tasty and I felt so proud of myself afterwards. 

So now, whenever that naughty guy in red shows up I'm prepared. I ask myself what a French person would do in that particular situation and I'm able to choose the right thing.

Lundi: R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Ah, Monday morning. Time to check back in and see what progress (if any) was made.

Let's check in against each of the French Plan's key goals:

• Real, natural foods: A-
• Enjoy the dining experience: B+ 
• Portion control: A-
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: A-  
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: D 
• Treat yourself: B

This past week was an interesting one. It was Holy Week, so on Good Friday I did my best to fast, and when I did eat, there was no meat. And, it was also Passover, and since my husband keeps Kosher there were no grains (wheat, corn, rice) allowed. For the first time this year, I abstained almost entirely from grains, too, to provide moral support. As a result, this week we had fish 3 times for dinner, and most nights we had a vegetable or salad and some potato dish (oven fries, mashed potatoes, etc.) Pretty healthy.

Almost all meals were home cooked, and I avoided snacking for most of the week. (I can recall one snack and a few handfuls of hazelnuts eaten between meals.) And I continued trying to listen to my body and not overeat or eat mindlessly. I found that I often stopped feeling hungry when there was still food on my plate, so I would simply stop eating. I'm learning that I can feel satisfied with less.

My weakest point was exercise--again. There was no good reason or excuse for it, either. I just did other things instead.

In terms of treating myself, I did have a couple of small desserts this last week and I also treated myself to a couple of cotton dresses for summer. So, I had a mix of food and non-food pleasures to enjoy.

Monday morning weigh-in: 165.0 (-1.5 lbs versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: 

This was definitely a great week and I'm very excited by the results. I'm a little bit curious about how much of the week's loss is due to the French diet versus the Kosher diet versus the Good Friday fast/diet. In any case, I think that adding a moderate amount of discipline with regards to pasta, bread and baked items and incorporating more fish into your diet are never a bad idea, so I may have to keep that up, even if not as strictly as I did this past week. Overall, I'm definitely happy and feeling optimistic and encouraged to continue on this path!