Category: Memoir

Posted on

Chicken Thigh Week – Monday

Monday 3/20

A faithful reader of my blogs mentioned a 7 day meal plan would be nice to have. Initially I thought that was a good idea. But when I sat down to create a 7 day meal plan I realized I never know what I’m making to eat until I see what looks good at the store. I probably go grocery shopping 3-4 times a week. I’ve been working from home since 2006. Food shopping gives me an excuse to get out of the house.

I love leftovers. Last night I roasted four chicken thighs with the idea there would be leftovers to toss into a quesadilla or chicken salad, or any of a number of dishes you can make with leftover cooked chicken.

I ate them all (they were small).

Back to the 7 day meal plan. Since I’ve never planned for shopping and making meals for 7 days straight I thought I’d simply document my meals for the week. Hopefully this will help with my Writer’s Block so I can write another chapter of The Future Best Seller. This also provides a glimpse into my current dietary habits (which are far different than the 370 pound me).

Breakfast – Strawberries, banana and full fat Greek yogurt.

Lunch – I made Semi-Organic Vegan Split Pea Soup for lunch but didn’t have it for lunch. Instead I had a baked potato with butter, salt, pepper and a salad topped with marinated artichoke hearts. Yes, I made this one up today with apologies to Martha Rose Shulman. My Garlic Vinaigrette pays homage to Martha’s recipe.

Snack – Peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter.

Dinner – Breaded Chicken Cutlet (thigh, of course), egg fried rice, salad.

I went back to the store that advertised boneless chicken thighs for $2.99/lb. Still no boneless thighs. And no bone-in chicken thighs either. But since I bought some bone-in the other day it’s still Chicken Thigh Week.

Posted on

A Chronic and Multi-Factorial Disease

In Mexico, more than 80 million children, teenagers and adults live with overweight or obesity (55% of children from 0 to 11 years, 44% of teenagers and 74% of adults, from a total of 126 million inhabitants). This means that most Mexican people live with abnormal or excessive body fat that may impair their health.

Verónica Vázquez Velázquez, PhD, Co-founder and President of Obesidades — https://www.drsharma.ca/

Note: the link above takes you to a blog and the quoted article is several spots down, so scroll down.

Our neighbor to the South appears to have the same obesogenic environment we have here in the US.

Just because the odds are stacked against us does not mean we give up the fight. Start with small, everyday decisions that over time stack the odds in your favor. Make better choices about the foods you eat.

My typical breakfast is Greek yogurt and fruit. A snack was a few crackers and walnuts. A few weeks ago temptation arose when I least expected it. For lunch I debated between a double cheeseburger or a slice of gourmet pizza from the new restaurant downtown. But before I succumbed to temptation I chose instead to try the new bakery and bought a loaf of fresh honey wheat bread. Lunch ended up being a PB&J.

Make better choices every day.

Postscript

I had pizza yesterday. I gained two pounds in less than a day.

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

AND I ATE CAKE…

Take Home Lesson:

There are times when the right choice involves more than just making the right food choices. Choose flexibility over rigidity. It’s always good to be a kid again even if for just one day.

Posted on

Ten Random Thoughts – February 2023

  • I’ve had one of those nasty “Non-Covid Illnesses” for half of the month. This explains my paucity of posts.
  • On the bright side, I’ve lost five pounds.
  • There is much truth to Tiny Humans as Potent Disease Vectors.
  • I’ve made and eaten lots of soup this month.
  • The whiskey stock has not been touched.
  • Beer on the other hand has been quite valuable in keeping my throat moist.
  • Reheating leftover brussel sprouts in the microwave will make them explode.
  • The Boss has this Non-Covid Illness too. This is the first time in years we have been sick simultaneously. Togetherness.
  • With little motivation to do much of anything I’ve read and/or finished six books so far this month. I may have not started a book in the same month I finished the book but this is better explained in a post on ADD.
  • My Chicken Meatloaf was Tiny Taste Tester Approved. It’s a nine year old post.

OK, back to my throat medicine.

Posted on

How to Thrive in Retirement

1. Do not smoke or, if you do, quit.
2. Maintain a healthy body weight to avoid diabetes, hypertension,and elevated lipids.
3. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables, minimize red meat,and drink lots of water.
4. Participate in aerobic exercise for an hour several times a week.
5. Use body weight and functional exercises to maintain muscle mass.
6. Stretch and do functional movement exercises or yoga to maintain flexibility.
7. Develop an anti-stress regimen such as meditation or “forest bathing.”
8. Maintain social connections.
9. Optimize cognition through lifelong reading and learning.
10. Get adequate sleep and practice good oral hygiene.

Functional Longevity: What Use Is Retirement If You Can’t Move and Think? — https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/functional-longevity-in-retirement/

When people think about retirement the first thing that typically comes to mind is the financial aspect. This list is a reminder to focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement as essential elements of your plans too. I plan on using this list as a personal report card, a regular and routine check up of how I’m doing and what needs improvement. I’ve given myself passing grades for 9/10.

#4 – improvement needed.

Posted on

Understanding Your Body’s Defended Fat Mass

Jastreboff’s research focuses on novel anti-obesity medications, specifically nutrient stimulated hormone therapeutics. She believes that a critical need in the field is to better understand obesity pathophysiology, especially how the body signals to the brain how much fat an individual should carry to store sufficient energy to function optimally; this is called the defended fat mass… Jastreboff cites the environment as a cause of obesity, specifically what she and other scientists call the obesogenic environment. “It’s not just the food, it’s not just the fact that we lead fairly sedentary lives,” Jastreboff explained. “It’s the stress, it’s the lack of sleep, it’s the circadian rhythm disruption, it’s things in our obesogenic environment that have led to this elevated defended fat mass on a population level.”

Yale Endocrinology Obesity Medicine: Approaching Obesity as a Complex, Chronic Disease — https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/yale-endocrinology-obesity-medicine-approaching-obesity-as-a-complex-chronic-disease/

You can now add your body’s defended fat mass to your personal list of reasons why you just can’t lose weight.

I must to go now. Super Bowl pig out starts soon and I have to adjust my defended fat mass set point.

Posted on

Don’t Eat More of Anything (Until You Decide What to Eat Less Of) — A Country Doctor Writes

A year ago this week, I made a stir with my post about five common weight loss myths. Today I had a patient conversation I have had so many times before: Someone was trying to eat healthier and lose weight at the same time. They are not necessarily the same thing.

Don’t Eat More of Anything (Until You Decide What to Eat Less Of) — A Country Doctor Writes:

Saturday morning. Coffee, clean the shower, catch up on news. Later I’ll work for a few hours on my Future Best Seller rewriting and editing my essay on changing habits, food choices and emphasizing what you don’t eat is just as important as what you do eat. Well, The Country Doctor wrote a nice post on this topic.

Thanks Doc.

Posted on

Invasion of The Sipes – 12.31.22

New Year’s Day 2023 (observed). I know I’m not the only one who thinks having two New Year’s Days is strange, but I’m not complaining. Our last to leave house guests from Paraguay departed around 9:00 am, I’ve run and unloaded the dishwasher, and have done 3 or 4 loads of laundry. It’s good to have a full day to recover.

The Invasion began Saturday afternoon. In total we had 9 Bigs and 5 Tiny Humans in the house. “We” were anxious to know if the house was clean enough and if there would be enough food to feed the small army. The division of labor was as it always was. The Boss baked many things. I handled the apps and mains. Anyone who knows anything about me knows I love to cook.

The first night was lasagna. I put out some gourmet cheddar and Manchego cheeses, Guacamole – Asian Inspired and Updated and Hummus – The Updated version. For sides I made broccoli with olive oil and garlic and garlic bread. Dessert was Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with whipped cream.

During the afternoon I made Sunday’s breakfast which was the Xmas Breakfast Casserole recipe. Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (updated) made an appearance along with Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes (for the Tiny Ones). If that wasn’t enough, there was bacon and pan fried potatoes.

The Tiny Ones played well together. Note the lengthy Brio train track.

Strategy Interlude

If you feed 9 Bigs and 5 Tiny Humans what I’ve described on Day One then a simple lunch is all you’ll need for Day Two. A couple of pounds of cold cuts, cheeses, rolls and breads for make your own sandwiches worked well. But since it was New Year’s Day Badass Black Eyed Peas – 2021 were also served.

Sunday night we served breaded chicken cutlets, pasta with butter, olive oil and garlic, and green beans. Brownies and ice cream to top off the meal was offered and not refused. The high point of the weekend was the Tiny One pictured above who discovered fried chicken is better than life itself.

When New Year’s Day arrived all that was needed for breakfast was leftovers.

Dinner was leftovers too.

On New Year’s Day we were still eating leftovers.

On New Year’s Day (observed) the turkey and cheeses were finished into some grilled sandwiches while the ham ended up in a Mayocabo Bean and Ham pot of beans for dinner the day after.

I am afraid to step on the scale.

Posted on

2022 Year in Review

I ate more plant based meals and started a canned bean collection.

Through extensive research I learned whisky is plant-based.

And believe it or not bread is plant-based too!

I can’t seem to get my entire head into a selfie.

This happened.

Hey Hon, there’s a bear in the backyard.

I reconnected with my inner child.

My brother commented on my height. Thank you Captain Obvious.

Discovered two more reasons why I love living in Oklahoma.

I have no further comment on this.

“It’s really good to be here and as I always say, it’s really good to be anywhere!”

Keith Richards
Posted on

More Trouble in Paradise – 12.22.22

Life puts hurdles in front of you: ice cream, home baked cookies, gift packages of divine seasonal sugary treats from well-meaning friends. Even if you work from home the seasonal threats are abundant.

Remember this chart attributed to the New England Journal of Medicine from my first Holiday post Trouble in Paradise (it’s Weight Gain Season)?

Today I introduce you to another Seasonal Threat for weight gain.

Stay the Course

Being housebound is no reason to eat all of the ice cream and home baked cookies in the house.

The fancy gourmet pecans though are OK because they are nuts.

It’s a good thing there’s no beer in the house.

Pizza and other food delivery services will tempt you. Stay strong.

PS. The estimated wind chill is minus 20 degrees F.

Blog at WordPress.com.