I did it!

I did it! Ten down! Now I start the next ten and call Savannah today for my facial! What shall I do at 20? (At this rate, I have a while to think about it...)

Excuses, Excuses

Thanks, Bets!

Down a Wee Bit More

OK - We're down 7.8. I'll take it! Ate at IHOP to celebrate - probably not in the manual under "grand ideas." However, I can almost smell my facial just 2.2 pounds away!

Best Dinner Since I Started This Thing!

This morning as I walked gaily (trudged) on the elliptical, I was enjoying (trying to read and not fall off) the current issue of Health (seems only right, don't you think?). I got this idea from them and made it with stuff I have. Here's what I did:

• went outside and pinched the tops off two basil plants - probably 10-12 leaves, then washed and tore up leaves
• sliced a huge garlic clove into very thin slices
• cut about 12 grape tomatoes in half, long-wise
• put all of the above in a bowl where I added basil-infused olive oil, salt and pepper
• dumped the bowlful onto a light, multi-grain flat-out (from deli at Publix - hi fiber, hi protein, low everything else)
• chopped two cheese sticks on top and sprinkled it all with a bit of Parm
• baked it at 400 degrees for 10ish minutes
• FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This healthy eating is a piece of cake - dang - why did I say cake?

12% of Big Goal Down

I hit 6 on the official scale today, so I'm 12 % of the way to the big goal and 60% to the facial. Slow - but I'll take it.

Julie Shared Advice From A Doctor

Q: Doctor, I've heard that Cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart's only good for so many beats, and that's it...  don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.  
Q: Should I cut  down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat?  Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak's nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef's also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable  products.

Q: Should  I reduce my  alcohol intake?  
A: No, not at all.  Wine's made from fruit. Brandy's  distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way.Beer's also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat   ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is 1  to 1. If you have two bodies, your  ratio is 2 to 1, etc.

Q: What  are some of  the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry.  My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q:  Aren't  fried  foods bad for you?  
A: YOU'RE  NOT  LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?  

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.  

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?  
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for one's figure?  
A: If swimming's good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?  
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!  

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And  remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways- Chardonnay in 1 hand - chocolate in  the other- body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO  HOO, What a Ride'  
 
AND.....
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.  

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.  

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you. 

Back on Track - Down 5.8

Boy, I feel like Edison with the light bulb.  I have found lots of things that don't work!  But I have lost today and I'm back on track!  Here's some of the stuff I have learned about my new lifestyle:

• My long term goal is too big.  I need short term ones - so here's the new ticker at the bottom.  I won't look at the other one unless I'm up to it.  I get something wonderful every time I reach a short term goal - the first of which is an Aveda facial with Savannah, the aesthetist.  Only 4.2 pounds away!!!
• Weighing every day is a killer.  I noticed that if I fluctuated up .4, I ate the rest of the day.  Now I'm just weighing on Monday until I am skinny and gorgeous and then I will weigh every day again.
• McIntyre's Bakery is not a good Atlanta destination for me.  It's like putting Miracle Grow on the elephant.
• Maggianno's, on the other hand, is acceptable.  We ate the family style lunch (AKA Italian gorge fest) and I survived.
• It's better to share your omelet and pancakes at IHOP than to eat them all yourself.
• The Tour of Athens (moussaka, spanikopita, Greek salad) at the Broadway Diner is enough for 3 healthy people.  Eating it all yourself, even with all the green stuff, adds tonnage.
• If I go to bed hungry, I lose weight.  If I don't, I don't.
• Don't be fooled by the Cascade Farms Sandwich Cookie (AKA Organic Oreos).  Eating the whole bag is really no better than slamming down the real thing.
• Portion control is a skill I have yet to acquire.

Like---No News

Wii Fit says I have lost 3.5 pounds.  The Phat Pharm says I have lost 2.4 pounds.  The official Tasty E scale says I have lost no more.  This may take a while!

I think I will just staple my lips together!

Tomorrow...

...is weigh and measure day.  Drum roll!

The Long Haul

I have lost and gained the same two pounds so many times I'm getting a bit weary.  

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Seems like I want to be skinny when I'm not hungry and the converse is also true.

Foods No Longer Allowed in the House

Peanut butter - - - don't ask...

Serious Lack of Cooperation From the Scales Today

Gee!  I wanted this to be easier!

Confession is good for the soul...

Betsy and I ate at IHOP today.  The good news is ---- we split the meal.  Yep.  One meal, 2 plates, so I guess I was only half bad --- or was I half good?  Anyway, I simply can't be perfect every day.  It's not in my repertoire of options!

Which begs the point....if I gain weight, do I have to tell the cyber world?  Or do I simply wait til I've lost it again to report?????

I am giving myself til Christmas to lose the 50 so I don't even want to lose it all this week.  Oh, my.  Too much to think about.  The old me would go have some macaroni and cheese to deal with it.  The new me will go for a walk.  I'll get back with you.

Y'all Are Going to Owe Me Big For This One - Marinated Corn Salad!

I have already made it and it is terrific - if I do say so myself!  Here tis - with my embellishments:

1 pkg frozen or 1 can corn kernels - I had canned - drained

3-4 green onions - chopped

1 can black beans - rinsed - I used Bushs seasoned recipe

1 can diced tomatoes - I used  Rotel - Mexican flavored with lime and cilantro - I drained them - probably shouldn't have

1/2 cup Publix Mojo marinade

1 tablespoon honey

Mix, Marinade in fridge or just dig in like I did.....YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm cooking!  I'm cooking!  I'm cooking!

Additional info for your enjoyment:  1/4 of the big bowl of this stuff only has 230 calories, 2 fat grams, 10 grams of protein, and a giant 10 grams of fiber!  Whoa!

Hold On To Your Hats - Here's Cooking Advice From Tasty E. Herownself!

Holey, moley - did I find something terrific today at Publix!  It's called Mojo Marinade by Publix.  If you can believe the label, it has all zeros for calories, fat, cholesterol, carbs, fiber, and protein.  All it has is 270 mg of sodium in 2 tbsp - so I guess it's a 24 oz. bottle of salt water - but OMG is it good!  The ingredients list citrus juices, vinegar, and spices with soybean oil last.  They were serving it in their corn salad with black beans and onions and it was FABULOUS!

It's a Great Day - Down 3.4

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.  Woooooohooooo!

Starting the Day Off Right

What I am hearing from you guys is that you think I should eat healthy stuff, drink water, walk, and exercise.  So here's a lowdown on what I'm doing.  I joined Inches-A-Weigh, a women's weight loss center.  I go every morning, usually six times a week.  I start with the seven toning tables that are making me long and lean and then I hit the bikes or the ellipticals for 20-30 minutes of cardio.  What makes the place really great are the friends I meet there every morning and the ladies who work there who try, Lord they try, to keep us in line.  It's really a great place.

I'm making better choices with my food.  I do drink lots of water.  I'm grocery shopping.  I'm cooking.  I can drive past a drive through.  All of these are new skills for me.

It's working.  I'm weighing in the morning.  If all this doesn't work, I can always staple my lips together!

Thank You For Visiting!

The Microcellular Biophysics of Weightloss

OK.  I'm pretty sure I have this thing figured out.  I'll attempt to simplify:

Moving your rear end around in time and space makes calories jump out of your body (A).  Inserting food and yummy, sometimes alcoholic, beverages into your mouth makes calories jump in to your body(B).  Quite simply, if A is greater than B, you lose weight.  If B is greated than A, you gain.  Any questions?

Down .6 - Woohooo!

Minutia to you - happy dance for me! Am I, like, weighing too soon?  too often?  If it keeps going down, I'll weigh every 30 minutes...

In the Beginning - or Taking That 1st Bite

Being one of the world's greatest procrastinators is trying at best.  So little gets done.  However, today I begin an effort to lose fifty pounds and I will documents all efforts toward that cause right here.  All great procrastinators know the story about tackling any challenge.  To eat an elephant, you have to take that first bite.  I will eat this elephant one bite at a time and I plan to succeed.  I even plan to like it, hence the name Tasty Elephant.  I chose cupcakes as my background because they are probably as close as I will get to cupcakes for the next long while.  You will know I have made great progress when I change to a tofu background.  Just don't expect too much too soon as I am still the same person I was when I gained the fifty I'm planning to lose.  Stay tuned - this should be interesting.  Please feel free to share recipes, ideas, encouragement...And, don't worry; I'm not really going to eat an elephant as that is what got me in this mess in the first place!