08-30-14-SALADS

Once upon a time, we ate dinner-sized salads all the time. Lots of fresh greens and veggies, a bit of something grilled, and a simple dressing. Basic, colorful, fun, and filling. And reasonably nutritious.

When we moved Nonna in with us, our eating habits changed quite a bit. Because of her medications and such, we became much more meal-time-regimented and started catering more to her limited likes. The once over-the-top-whatever-is-in-the-fridge meals became more structured to meet her growing list of foods she no longer cares for.

As opinionated and pigheaded as I am, I can also take the path of least resistance – and that’s pretty much what I’ve done with cooking.  Nonna doesn’t really care for salads all that much anymore and it’s easier to cook one meal for three than to make us something and something different for her. The downside is that I just got back from my annual physical and – surprise, surprise – my weight is no longer just creeping up – it’s on an upward spiral.

I maintained a pretty constant and healthy weight for many years – and then quit smoking. I gained a lot of weight, lost half of what I gained, started smoking, again, quit, gained a lot of weight, again, and lost about half, again.  I never made it back to that pre-1989 weight, but I felt okay and bought some larger clothes.

But the last couple of years have seen even more pounds go on. The good news is all of my blood work is okay, but a couple of things could be a tad better.  So… I need to lose some weight.

It’s easy to blame the change in diet and weight gain to Nonna moving in, but… that’s not really being fair to her. Yes, our eating habits have changed, but we’re still eating well. I’m just eating too much.

Losing weight when one loves to cook and eat, when one can walk into the kitchen and bake a pie or cake without opening a cook book or looking at a recipe, is no easy task. And it really doesn’t even matter how healthy the food is if the portion-size could fed the neighborhood. A person can eat 3000 calories of lettuce and if they only burn 2000 calories, that extra 1000 calories of lettuce will turn to fat.

So…

It’s time to start rethinking mealtimes and nourishment. I need to start paying attention to what I eat. Two things I need to address right away is the amount of picking I do at work, and the bowl of M&M Peanuts on the coffee table. And I need to start weighing myself regularly and track what I’m doing.

Bringing my meals to work will be a good start because I really do think regulating that 8-hour period is going to be crucial. And just getting rid of the M&M’s will be a positive step, as well.

We’re starting off at 228. Onward and downward, we go!

Next weigh-in will be Monday, September 8th.