10 Things I Wouldn't Put In My Mouth

Today’s agenda at Stasha’s place is LIST 10 FOODS. Topic courtesy of Bridget at Twinisms.

I could assemble a list of my 10 favorite foods but I talk about food a lot anyway, so that bores even me.

I could put together a list of things I’ll eat. As indicated by the reaction of my scale this morning after a weekend out of town celebrating the holidays, that list is way too long and would be arduous to narrow down to just 10.

I could challenge myself (why would I do that on a Monday during the holidays?) and think of 10 foods I do not like, generally boycott, or would refuse to choke down. There’s so few of those that this should prove burdensome.

10 FOODS I HATE 

OR WOULDN’T PUT IN MY MOUTH

OR ONLY IF I WAS FORCED 

OR PAID

1.    Peas- It’s a known fact I hate them. Would I eat them on a dare or if someone forced me? Yes, but I wouldn’t be happy about or like it.

2.    Raw mushrooms- I wouldn’t just pick one up and eat it. I have a difficult enough time with cooked ones (other than portabellas) because of their slimy consistency but like peas, I’d eat them if I would get some benefit like money out of it.

3.    Raisons- Never liked them as a kid and hated when people gave them out as treats for Halloween. Still don’t care for them and not even in cookies. Put in chocolate or butterscotch chips instead.

4.    Goat cheese in sweets- I tried a goat cheese brownie yesterday. If I weren’t at a restaurant, I would have spit it in my napkin. Actually, I should have. It gave me the willies and I almost refused to swallow it. Don’t do that to brownies, please.

5.    Frog legs- I don’t even think I need to explain this. Who thought eating them was a good idea? I have a brother in law who, every time he orders them, picks them up and performs a little dance with them before he sinks his teeth in. Wrong!

6.    Lamb- Anything and I’ve given a good effort here. I really have. Sometimes, I’ll take a bite of someone’s lamb chop and think, “That’s not so bad.” But then, why would I eat a whole plate of it if it were not so bad? AND if you cook it in your house, which I mistakenly have for one of my kids, your house smell like funk for days.

7.    Wild game- I’ll group Buffalo, Venison, wild birds, and any other four legged mammal, bird or amphibian that’s not a cow, pig or chicken.

8.    I Don’t Do Organs

9.    Blue Cheese- If you want to see me vomit which I guarantee no one does, don’t make me eat a hunk of Blue Cheese. And don’t try to pass it off in a salad or dish. I can taste it from the moment it touches my tongue. You know that’s its mold, right?

10.                  Sardines (any way they come), Anchovies (unless you chop them up so small and don’t tell me (but I’ll know and not make a huge deal about it)), Herring- When I was in college, gold fish eating contests were big. Nothing alive and squirmy and slippery will ever end up swimming around in my stomach.

I thought this was going to be harder than it was. As I said, there’s not much I won’t eat.

I’m not getting on the scale for a few days until I can get this S$%T (me) under control around here!

Let The Weight Gain Begin...NO WAY!

The New England Journal of Medicine and just about every other resource I have looked through debunks the well known myth that the average person gains 7-10 lbs. over the 8 weeks beginning in early November through the first week of January. They say you only gain approximately 1 pound.

Huh? I don’t know which 195 people they weighed and measured for this one but come on! They don’t know me.

Raise your hand if you, personally, have experienced this holiday phenomena!

My hand is held high at the moment. I usually gain a solid 5-6 lbs. And believe me, it’s hard earned because I exercise a TON! If I don’t burn at least 500 calories a day (5-6 days a week), I’m grouchy.

Here’s the problem, though, for me!

Those damn holiday pounds gained while still exercising my ass off are really, really hard to remove come January. My body is used to its extra girth by then. It’s winter and I need an extra fat layer for warmth, right? As for my favorite sweatpants...Why can’t I wear them EVERY SINGLE DAY (I wash them!)? I don’t really but I’d like to at that point.

My workout partner, Big Dave, and I discussed it this morning because we’ve talked about it for the last several holiday seasons; the fact that we gain too much weight then it’s a bitch to get off.  [As background, Dave is an ex-college football player (lineman are huge) and weighed 350+ lbs at 6’5” when I first met him probably 9-10 years ago). Now he is, obviously the same height, weighing in at about 225 lbs. but he works really hard from a nutrition and exercise standpoint and looks fantastic.]

So here’s the deal…my deal, our deal.

We are weighing ourselves on Monday, November 5^th. The goal is to weigh the same exact weight (good or bad) on January 7^th. That’s 9 weeks.

Knowing my mind far too well and considering the fact that my weight is rather low right now (at least I think it is but I don't weigh myself everyday), I’m going to eat my face off this weekend and come in heavy on Monday for the weigh in.

I don’t know, we’ll see. I find scales scary so the trick will be on me, no doubt.

The point is, wherever we are two days from now, we won’t weigh more than that on Monday, January 7^th.

I can still have fun, eat and drink wine, but I’ll have a little thingy in the back of my head reminding me about moderation. Moderation is a hard concept for me.

Anyone feel like doing it too? Come on! We'll look like this, won't we?

Things That Make Me REALLY Happy

The title of this post was originally going to be "Things That Get Me REALLY Excited" because, as I'm learning from another blogger, a title alone can be cause enough for people to visit and leave a comment.  However, the comment in most likelihood won't be related to the content at all. So.......

Waking up on the right side of the bed is just AWESOME, plain and simple! Top Ten reasons why I'm happy today:

1. My scale smiled at me today! She's usually a really big bitch and I have a habit of avoiding her at all costs. Today, I'm feeling good and, you know what? She REALLY likes me. I'm loving her so much right now that I did a happy dance which guaranteed she won't end up in the trash anytime soon.

(Not my ugly toes. Mine are ALWAYS painted. A mans?)

2. Don't know what's with the dreams I'm having lately right before I wake up...some crazy ass stuff. Today, I'm smelling the most incredible food (I LOVE food) and for whatever reason, my nose is 6 inches from my grill (I grill all winter) and I am starving when I wake up. I descend to the kitchen a few short minutes later and there's a breakfast taco waiting for me. Yeaaa! AND a note about the dry cleaning I forgot to pick up : (.


3. Addison and I get in the car for my mandatory, first things first, coffee from the shop right around the corner. Turn the radio up because my favorite band is playing. A great cup of coffee and music...starting my day out right.

4. My Thursday morning workout was particularly brutal but Dave, my partner in crime, is wearing a Rocky tee-shirt just for me so I hit him really hard for a half an hour. He makes me laugh and I get to hit him. Doesn't get much better.


5. I'm feeling very motivated and, therefore, really productive. Checking off things on the to-do list right and left. Cleaners, check!


6. Only blip so far is a text from my college guy. He hates Finite Math and "my teacher goes too fast and sucks", "I have lots of studying to do before this test". At least he's texting from class so I know he's there. "Hell Week" this week at his fraternity is bringing this pledge way down. As a mom, you're only as happy as your most unhappy child and this one sucks it out of me if I let him. Not today!!!


7. Just received a call to plan the second of two warm weather vacations for the month of February. Looking way, way up! I'm an admitted traveloholic.

(Island of Nevis, West Indies)

8. I texted my next door neighbor to go for a long walk this afternoon in the glorious weather and she said yes. 


9. My 13 1/2 year old Chocolate Lab is not wincing in pain and limping anymore from when I ran over her a week ago Monday. Thank God because...

10. The very best thing of all is my daughter is coming home today for a spur of the moment visit! She called yesterday and asked, "Would it be an inconvenience if I came home this weekend?". Are you kidding me? "I'll cook you anything you want, take you shopping and do your laundry (yuck). We'll have a glass of wine." (She's 21 so we can do that). 

It's only 10:00 a.m. and it's got the makings of a great, great day!