Am…musings

I’ve struggled with my weight from the age of five. In one Weight Watchers class or another (maybe when I was a kid because this is kind of silly), I remember asking about eating pickles for a snack and how to count them. “Don’t worry about it,” said the instructor. “Eating too many pickles never made anyone fat.” This is likely a true statement, but I learned this week too much of any good things can hamper weight loss.

I’ve been trying to eat healthier … lots of fruits, vegetables, low-fat protein and whole grains. Generally, with the exception of cocktails with the neighbors, a half-cupcake for Valentine’s Day or a few too many pieces of thin-crust pizza at a work lunch, I have been doing well. And I felt justified having those indulgences because of how well I was eating otherwise.

The only problem … the scale has been relatively motionless other than several pounds initially. Then, when I gained a half-pound this week, I was extremely frustrated … near tears is more accurate. I had pretty much made up my mind to forget about dieting … why deprive myself if I wasn’t going to lose weight. Luckily, I’m not doing this on my own and after a pep talk from my doctor, I decided to stick with it.

I’d basically been counting the foods I’d been eating from each food groups, but it occurred to me that maybe I should count calories. This has always seemed like a major pain in the a** to me, but I figured it would be the best way to really know. My daily calorie goal is 1,400. Turns out it’s not hard to rack up that many, even with healthy foods. Here’s an example:

protein shake 160
coffee w/little cream 30
2T natural peanut butter 210
medium apple 72
protein bar 180
salad w/veggies, 1 1/2 T. goat cheese, 2 T. lite dressing 160
strawberries 45
low-fat cheese stick 70
light frozen dinner 270
green beans 40
single-serve light popcorn 130
Total: 1367

And prior to this week, I’d made dinners that, I’m pretty sure had far more calories than the 270 in the Lean Cuisine, even though they were healthy. Add to that, several glass of wine throughout the week at roughly 100 calories a pop, plus halves of cupcakes and pizza, and I’m sure I was way over the edge of the calorie cliff.

Of course, a girl has to have her fun so I did have a sliver of birthday cake and a few cocktails yesterday, but now that I’m counting calories, I made adjustments to make up for it … instead of jumping off the cliff.

Chewy very much enjoys the company of other pooches and the occasional kitty. He also needs lots of attention and is typically not happy with the amount of time I spend on the computer. When he becomes super needy and filled with energy (despite daily walks), it’s time a call to the neighbors for a puppy play date.

Their mutt weighs about 10 pounds, is not quite a year old and is filled with even more energy than Chewy. The play dates are mutually beneficial for all involved, especially because the dogs love each other. In fact, the neighbors live about five houses away and any time their dog gets out, it’s a beeline bolt straight to my front door to see Chewy.

Play dates include lots of running in the backyard, stealing toys, wrestling and … truth be told, a lot of humping. The only issue … they are both boys. We like to call them gay lovers.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I have always believed the first kiss (or maybe the second … if it hasn’t gone well, but I’m feeling optimistic) has the power to make or break a budding relationship.

This article proves me right in a biochemical sort of way. Plus, I can’t tell you how much I love that the following phrase was uttered in National Geographic … Men in general seem to like wet kisses with more “tongue action.” Makes me giggle everytime I read it!

I just read this touching, inspiring love story by Lynn Harris in my March Glamour. About a couple who found love despite their autism, it’s the stuff sappy Valentine’s posts are made of, but that’s not what this is.

Blissful love stories (and Hallmark commercials) have the power to make me weep, but this story induced tears of sadness and a bit of rage. It was this section exploring the difficulty one of them faced growing up:

Even as Lindsey’s speech caught up and her talent for playing piano emerged, she developed habits typical of autistics: staring for hours at the fibers of a carpet, for example, or performing soothing rituals like stepping on cracks in the sidewalk. Classmates teased her mercilessly, and she’d come home with kick me signs on her back. Real friendship seemed painfully out of reach for the eccentric, awkward girl who came across as blunt. In high school, when another student asked Lindsey what she thought of her new makeup, Lindsey recalls, “I told her it looked fake. She became silent, and I knew I had blown it.” Depressed, Lindsey burned herself with a curling iron and cut her arms with safety pins, hiding her injuries with sweatshirts.

I don’t have kids, but I imagine there’s a tendency to think my child would never treat another child badly. But kids can be mean – likely because they don’t know better or because they themselves want to fit in and going along with the crowd seems the easiest route.

Please parents, teach your children kindness, humility and most importantly – empathy. Different isn’t wrong, and everyone needs love and support, particularly people – like Lindsey – for whom life is challenging enough. And it has occurred to me that maybe this is a fitting Valentine’s post … use this day that celebrates love as an excuse to have a conversation with your kids about compassion.

When I decided to take a break from Match.com at the end of October, the plan was to go back after the holidays. Despite the fact that two of my neighbors still have their Christmas lights up (and illuminated nightly, mind you), the holidays are long gone and until this morning I hadn’t even logged on to Match, much less rejoined.

While I’ve tried to have fun with my Match-capades (my favorite: the guy that referred to himself as scottie-rific and super-scottie-fragilisticexpialidocious – I kid you not!), it’s been disappointing. Probably no more frustrating that regular dating, but my “hopes up at hello” issue doesn’t help. Also, I’ve had a bad attitude about how things have ended with the few guys I have gotten more serious with. Last, but definitely not least, although it probably should have made me want to get back out there, I think my lonely Christmas funk made me pessimistic about romance and dating. All in all, I just couldn’t bring myself to jump in for more.

This week, I decided I needed to get over it. And a trip to Forest Park yesterday proved Match is still the best venue for me – tons of people and less than handful of single guys my age, with which I didn’t have luck trying to make eye contact or conversation. Trader Joe’s afterward was the same way … almost all couples.

Profiles always stay on Match, even if you aren’t paying, but they show how long you’ve been inactive, which keeps people away. Logging on today will get me back in the mix. Also, here’s a tip I found long ago: changes to your profile put you back at the top of the list of profiles e-mailed to potential dates, increasing your chance of being seen. If I get a good wink (received for free), or if these approaches don’t work in the next few weeks, I’ll rejoin. Keep your fingers crossed!

Although I have curly-Qs, my hair is really fine and I am typically skeptical of hair product that may weigh it down. My amazing stylist (curly-haired girls in St. Louis, I’d be happy to give you her number; just comment or send me an e-mail) used Moroccan Oil on my hair once and I purchased it on my next appointment.

Yes, I inwardly gasped at the price (she charges $40), but honestly, it’s worth it. It smells luscious and makes my hair look shiny and style incredibly well (and a little goes a long way).

I use it alone (with Mark’s Mega Volume Root Lifting Spray) for a blow out, and with the spray and Aveda’s Be Curly for a twisted ‘do.

Veggies are typically freebies on any diet so here’s a free snack … cucumbers and salsa. I’ll admit I smirked when I learned about it, but I swear it’s surprisingly tasty!

Ok … the inspiration for this series … the purchase I’m so jazzed about … nail polish (now you understand why I chose the eco-friendly, socially conscious post first!).

I remember seeing a presentation by Daniel Pink about consumerism and the role design has played … why pay $2.99 for a plain old toilet bowl brush when you can pay three times that for a Michael Graves-designed brush (hello, my former roommate who had such brush, among other MG items !). But what I love about this polish is that the design makes it useful (I’m guessing the MG toilet bowl brush doesn’t clean any better than the cheaper model).

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri has an extra-wide brush that makes application easy. I have teeny-tiny fingers and nails so this may not work for everyone, but it really only takes one stroke per nail – except my thumb. I also bought it because it said it dries almost instantly (which is true). I always sport painted toes, but my fingers seem to chip immediately, which has meant bare nails. However, the ease of this polish makes it ok to repaint often.

One drawback … I’m the girl who tests nail polish in the store (sorry, but you really can’t tell until you put it on) … and a few of the darker colors dried flat (ie. not shiny enough). Although that might be solved by another favorite thing … Sally Hansen Mega Shine, which makes any polish dry quickly and look super shiny (another favorite thing, but a girl can only write so many polish posts).

In an effort to stick with the healthy eating plan, I searched for healthy appetizers in preparation for the big game. I landed here and decided on spinach squares (there are lots of other yummy looking recipes on the site).

They weren’t too difficult to prepare, but when I took them out of the oven they looked a little like Astroturf … at least I was in theme. Honestly, I thought they were pretty tasty. Maybe just make them for yourself or for folks that you know are spinach fans (only two other people at my – albeit small – party partook).

Spinach Squares
1 egg
1/2 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 ½ cup unbleached or all-purpose flour (whole wheat can be substituted for half of the flour)
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. butter or canola margarine, melted
½ cup fat-free or light sour cream
3 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (gently squeeze with hands)
8 ounce reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I think shredded would work. I actually found reduced-fat cheddar/Monterey Jack crumbles)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Beat egg, egg substitute, milk, flour, salt, baking powder, melted butter, and sour cream in mixing bowl on medium-low speed until smooth batter has formed.
Stir in cheese cubes and spinach.
Pour into prepared pan, spread evenly with spatula, and bake about 35 to 40 minutes.
Test center to make sure it’s set/firm enough for the squares to hold their shape.
Let sit about 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Keep refrigerated. Eat hot or cold.