New Year's Resolution

Okay, so it's not exactly original, but my goal for 2016 is to reclaim my health and lose weight. Yes, this must be the 30th or so time that I've made this resolution. And I have been successful in the past, losing as much as 77 lbs and getting as close as 10 lbs from my ultimate goal before I gradually packed it back on over the next few years. I'm a stress-eater. Food is my most comforting friend. And there's always plenty of stress waiting around the next corner.

But I'm no quitter! I will keep working at it until I achieve my dream of feeling fit and fitting comfortably into my smaller-sized clothing. Again.

I made a good start last October 30th. I was good as gold for 4 weeks. In that time, exactly 28 days, I lost a whopping 15.8 lbs. That really is pretty amazing. Then I decided to cheat on Thanksgiving dinner with just a small helping of mashed potatoes. That turned into a large helping (or two) of mashed potatoes, plus buttery corn and two or three rolls and a few slices of pie. Then there were leftovers to be used up for the rest of the weekend. The following week brought the start of the Christmas season, and there were faculty luncheons and gifts of food from students and carbohydrate-laden parties and friends dropping off plates of candies and cookies. Before I knew it, I had regained every bit of the 16 lbs I had lost.

Thanksgiving was my chink. Christmas crashed right through the breach like a tank hopped up on sugary chocolate.

The lesson is this: I know what to do to get healthy and lose weight. I also know that any cheating will be the death knell of my efforts to eat right. Every time. There may be people out there who can cheat occasionally and then get right back on track, but that's not me. That will never be me. The cravings generated by cheating will always overwhelm me. I need to accept that as fact, say my farewells to unhealthy carbs, and move forward.

And so today, January 1, 2016, I begin anew.

BREAKFAST

I didn't actually eat "breakfast" until 2:00 p.m. I still felt so yucky from overdoing it on carbs for the past five weeks, and especially last night at the family New Year's Eve party, that I just wanted to let all that tasty garbage move on through my system unchallenged for a while. When I finally did eat, I fried up three eggs in real butter, sprinkled with garlic salt, and enjoyed not feeling uncomfortably stuffed afterward.

LUNCH

With such a late breakfast, there was no real need for lunch. However, dinner was late (8:00) and I began to crave something around 5:00, so I nibbled on two squares of dark chocolate (72% cocoa) while I sat and paid my bills for January. It contains some sugar, but there is a great deal of research showing that the flavanoids (plant-based antioxidants) in dark chocolate can do everything from lowering blood pressure to fighting cancer to preventing heart attack and stroke. All you need is 20 grams (less than 1 oz) per day, so I'm giving it a chance.

Green salad and chile relleno casserole. My favorite salad dressing is

olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic salt. No added carbs!

DINNER

Most days, Mark works until 3:00. One of the perks of working at Denny's is that, on the days he works, he can order any meal off their menu that costs less than $10. Thus, when he gets off work, he usually has a big meal to bring home and enjoy as a late lunch (because he's usually too busy on the job to stop and eat during his work day).

Unfortunately for me, that means he's not hungry for dinner when I am, around 6:00, so dinner is often postponed until 7:30 or 8:00 on the days he works. That's a glitch I'm going to have to work through after I return to work on Monday, because I'm always already famished as soon as I get home from school! For today, dinner was at 8:00. I made a chile relleno casserole (see steps below) and Mark made us a green salad.

If you're interested in the recipe for chile relleno casserole:

Slice open in halves and remove the seeds from 12 to 16 roasted, peeled chilies.

Layer half the chilies in the bottom of a dish. (I used a can of Hatch whole green chilies.)

Shred a 16 oz block of Monterey jack cheese and spread half of it on top of the chilies.

Repeat with another layer of chilies and top with a second layer of cheese.

Then preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Beat 6 eggs in a bowl, then add 2 cups of heavy cream and mix well.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. (I use garlic salt, of course.) 

Pour the egg-and-cream mixture evenly over the chilies and cheese layers.

Place in the heated oven and bake for 45 minutes.

That's all there is to it! It comes out just like this, all hot and tasty!

DESSERT

When I'm dieting, my favorite dessert--the one I look forward to at the end of the day--is Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate with a quarter-cup of heavy cream. Foods labeled "diet" usually mean low-fat and low-calorie. It's usually best to steer clear of those. Natural, healthy fats are not the enemy. In fact, they help stabilize blood sugar and make us feel full. But more on that another day.

The diet hot chocolate by Swiss Miss happens to be both low-calorie and low-carb. A win-win. It's my relaxing way to end the day. I'm sipping a cup even as I type this...

And so my first day was a success. I had a menu and a plan, the cravings were minimal, and I got through without a single cheat. Just 364 more days to go!