I use black and red to indicate ALDI (black) and Festival (red). I circle what I need, and then when I put it in the cart, I cross it off. If I were really anal about this, I would create a spreadsheet listing a par level (the amount needed on hand at all time) and a current inventory count, which would populate a shopping list automatically. I learned inventory control and ordering at several of my earlier jobs. But I think a clipboard is OCD enough, don’t you?

If you want to make one for yourself, they are easy. I broke mine into basic categories of food, and then got specific within each category. Everyone’s list will be different, and mine has been refined over the past several years.

So. Sit down and plan a menu. Be specific. Indicate exactly what you are making, as well as the sides that will accompany each meal. If the recipes are in a cookbook, indicate the page and book on your list so you can easily find it when you are ready to cook. And use a shopping list, buying ONLY what you need that week. Use coupons if possible (ALDI doesn’t accept them) but only clip the coupons AFTER you have created your list. Buying something just because it is on sale is not a good way of being financially responsible. And then shop, but only after you have eaten. Never shop when you are hungry.

And speaking of hungry, see the next post for last night’s meal.

A few housekeeping items:

I am working on developing a RECIPES tab and hope to have that up and running yet today. In that tab, you will find the recipes to anything that I have pictured, and eventually many, many other recipes as well. This will take some time, because I have a lot of recipes, but I also have other obligations on my time, as we all do. So that is a site that will certainly grow over time. I will include recipes for all sorts of main dishes (meats, poultry, fish), sides, desserts, breakfasts and beverages. Not all will be strictly “diet-friendly,” but all will be delicious in my opinion. (Of course, I once made a recipe that the Frugal Gourmet made on TV. He LOVED it. I never made it again! Pan-fried cabbage with Granny Smith apples, bacon and fennel seed. Not sure why I decided to make it in the first place …)

Also, I am just learning about this site and how to blog. Consequently, you can expect changes to the layout and design as I try to find how to best present my “voice” on this blog. I welcome suggestions (although, I can’t promise I will use all of them) because I know that there are many of you that follow other blogs or write your own. One of the most important lessons I have learned is that I need to listen to others more, because there are many people that have good information and insight.

I was shown how to link items in the blog to external sites. Cool! (I am so easily amused and impressed.) So, you will see links to things that are important (important in my mind, at least) or can better illustrate a point. I’ll try not to over-use it … but no guarantees. 

Lastly, I realize that these blog posts are long. And when I look at myself with a hard, objective eye, I come to the conclusion that they will always be long. I like to talk (pity my students!). And I like to write. 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog post.

Do you like to cook? Do you know WHY you should cook? Maybe a more basic question is: Do you know HOW to cook?

Cooking for yourself is the key to successful weight loss. Yes, it is more work than getting Chinese delivered or stopping at the drive-through at Taco Bell. But when you make your own food, you are in complete control over what you are eating. If you want to control your sodium intake, like I do, you are able to make your food with less added salt. You can use healthy fats in your food, rather than cheap fats that restaurants use. You can buy ingredients in season, or buy organic, or locally grown food, or grass-fed beef and free-range chickens. Those are variables that YOU control, and when you eat out, you surrender that control to the chef of the restaurant – or more commonly, to the manager of the restaurant who only is concerned with the bottom line.

When you decide to make changes in your life, you need to realize what is under your control and then take advantage of it. Or, make modifications when you can’t control everything. If gas prices go up, I really have no choice. I must pay the price. But, I can choose to not drive as much, or I can create a plan where I make the most efficient use of my driving miles, or I can carpool. I still have some control.

But what if you don’t know how to cook? Are you destined to eat microwaved frozen meals? No. You just need to start. Cooking is an art. And like any art, you can only develop it by doing it. I am learning how to take better still-life pictures. I know they are not professional quality, but the pictures of my food are my learning tool. Everyday, I think I am getting incrementally better, taking more things into account and getting better results. However, I am REALLY in awe of the professional artists that take the pictures in my cookbooks. I never really realized how difficult it is to get a beautiful shot of plated food.

So, you need to practice. I’ll going to provide recipes for you. Very few will be difficult. I don’t like to work hard when I cook, and it’s not necessary. When you are starting, you will burn some food. You will end up with bad meals – I did, with that cabbage-apple-bacon nightmare. But you will learn, and you will take pride in your meals. And most importantly, you will gain more control over your body.

For the best success in the kitchen, you need a good knife and some cookware. And of course measuring cups, spoons and a scale, but you already have been using those, right? For knives, there are many options, sizes, shapes and brands. I don’t like stainless steel because they don’t sharpen well.  And I don’t use a lot of different knives, so I’ve learned that those blocks of knives look nice on the counter but are wasted. I prefer a really nice 8-inch chef’s knife for everything. It just works! And my current knife is from IKEA. Oh, this is a beautiful knife.  It’s moderately expensive ($49) but in my opinion, it is worth it. (There are many knives that are far more expensive. When I have more free cash, these are my dream knives.  But he makes each knife individually, by hand, and charges an average of $400.00 per inch of blade.  And I want 8 inches … so those knives are on my bucket list.)

Cookware? If you are starting out, get inexpensive non-stick pans. They won’t last more than a year or two, but by then you will want better tools anyway. 

And start buying cookbooks. Lots of them. Follow the directions exactly, or just use them for ideas. I mentioned three new cookbooks yesterday. I will try the bread book this weekend (Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day), as well as trying recipes from Eating Well 500 Calories Dinners. Yesterday’s Huevos Rancheros came from Eating Well on a Budget.

So: Today’s theme is to take control when possible, and cook for yourself for greater health and happiness (and a bit of fun!).

Two recent menu items. Last night, I tried a Mediterranean-Spiced Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper. It’s not a hard recipe and I will include it as soon as I have the RECIPE page ready. (300 calories and very filling.) 

This morning, I whisked two eggs (plus an extra egg white), poured them into a skillet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and when they were almost set, I added 1/2-ounce crumbled blue cheese, and about 1/4 cup of the leek-wine topping from the baked cod a couple days ago. I folded it, and topped it with the remaining 3/4 cup of topping. That’s an example of making extra recipe components for later use. I frequently make “Leftover Omelets.” The blue cheese paired well with the leek, tomato and wine. (290 calories)

Oh, and what did I do with that extra yolk? Ozzy had an extra breakfast today.

Have a great day. Take charge of your life, in all aspects. And keep stopping back here often to see what is developing. (And don’t be afraid to mention this blog to others.)

This blog started because of my activity on LoseIt.com. I think everyone here knows me through that site. And I started using LoseIt because, obviously, I wanted to lose weight. My goal was to be healthier and my process to gain health was going to be weight loss.

Simple. 

And I lost weight. I made a decision. I was not a “fat” person anymore. I was a healthy person with bad eating habits. You can change a habit. You have a harder time at long-term success if you only focus on the fat. So, in a case where I used my powers of stubbornness for good instead of evil, I stubbornly held to the idea that I was not fat anymore. I took a journalist’s view of myself. I looked at HOW I ate, WHAT I ate, WHERE I ate, WHEN I ate, and most importantly WHY I ate. 

You can’t change a habit if you don’t understand why you are doing it. I ate fast (I’m still working on that … a bad habit learned from 16+ years as an RN in a hospital). I ate anything and everything (and lots of it!). I ate standing over the sink, sitting in front of the TV, and in my car driving to work. I ate when I woke up, right before bed, and sometimes in the middle of the night I would wake up and have a PBJ sandwich. I ate because I was bored. Tired. Angry. Nervous. Happy. Scared. We celebrated happiness with food. We mourned losses with food. Food was a reward.

But food is … just food. It’s fuel for our bodies. Sure, we want it to look good and taste good and smell good. But at the bottom line, it is just something that our bodies need to live, grow and heal.

When I realized all that, the weight loss challenge was reduced. (Not eliminated, but reduced. I still struggle with wanting to eat more, but everyday that struggle eases a bit.) My new choices made sense. They didn’t seem to be restrictions, as much as they seemed to be rational. It took a while of getting used to lower calorie intakes, but that’s the way it is with any change. And now, seven months later, I am nearing my goal. I am less than 4 pounds from my goal weight. I am almost done, right?

However, I find that I am modifying my plan. Yes, I still want to reach my goal weight, but now I want more than that. I have learned new things about myself, my body and my spirit. I am nearly at my goal, but I am still carrying a high percentage of body fat. I want more muscle and less fat. That’s a new goal. And I want to be able to run. That’s why I registered for the 10K next June. By registering and paying my fee (I am a tightwad sometimes, so paying is a way of forcing my commitment) I am making a statement that I am going to run that 10K. I will win (in this case, “win” = “finishing without walking”).

Make goals. Make a plan. Follow it. But just as when you build a home, sometimes you need to tell the contractor to make changes to the original plan. Be prepared for that because as you continue toward success, your view of the world will change, opening up options that you never even considered in your prior life.

Speaking of changes, I bought three new cookbooks and they arrived last night. I love cookbooks.  Two were from Eating Well (a very good magazine!): 500 Calorie Dinners, and Eating Well on a Budget. The third is Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I’m going to learn how to make bread! (You know I will post pics as I go. I’ll even take pictures of breads that were less than successful, because those are learning lessons, too.)

In paging through the Budget book, I found a recipe that triggered my taste buds. Huevos Rancheros. I took their recipe, tweaked it a little and made this for breakfast:

Me, May 2011, at 262.5 pounds. Wearing my “fat suit” again. I was smiling in the picture, but depressed, frustrated and ashamed inside. (Can everyone relate?)

On May 25, 2011, I found LoseIt.com (and most or all of my followers are from there). I relearned the idea of portion control, but more importantly of planning my meals, my day, my life. Every Saturday morning, my wife and I sit down over some good coffee and plan the next week’s meals. We schedule them so we don’t have to make another decision at the end of the day. Planning ahead also makes grocery shopping easier and cheaper, because I am less likely to buy random stuff. And when we cook, we try to cook efficiently. If I am making chicken breasts (as for my meal posted yesterday morning), I make extra breasts for tonight’s chicken enchilada verde. Tonight’s dinner will be easy to assemble, which make me more likely to follow the plan.

I always try to look at what I am making and decide how else the ingredients can be used. Over the weekend, the boys wanted Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches. My wife and I made ours with portabella mushrooms instead of beef. However, I sauteed extra onions and green peppers, and saved some. This morning, I made scrambled eggs, and added 1 cup of sauteed peppers/onions. Delicious. (It was supposed to be an omelet, but the darn think stuck to the pan, and didn’t flip, so I made them scrambled. Adapt to the changing conditions! I would have taken a photo if the omelet had worked.  Oh well. I’ll make it again.)

When I ran my restaurant, prep and planning was vital. Decide what you need, and prepare what you can in advance. It is a lifesaver … and for me, that turned out to literally be the truth.

Last night was a simple meal of baked cod in a white wine-leek sauce, quinoa with lemon and kalamata olives, and roasted asparagus with olive oil and garlic. (362 calories) Plus a piece of rye bread and olive oil (another 200 calories).

That’s a one-liter mug. 1 cup pineapple, 1.5 cup water, 2 scoops whey powder, 2 tablespoons milled flaxseed, 1 packet of crystal light. Blend until smooth, then add 3 ounces of baby spinach, a little at a time, until creamy and smooth. (300 calories.) Absolutely delicious! I wish the camera had picked up the real color. It’s the color of a perfectly ripe avocado. I’ll try for a better shot another time.

Finally, let me know if you like photos of my meals. I probably won’t take pictures of everything I eat, but I think it’s good to see what can be eaten in a healthy diet. And I will start including photos of other things important to my plan. Lastly, I’ll try to start making my posts a little shorter, but right now I seem to have a lot of stuff to say (and I don’t have that stupid character count limit that LoseIt sets).  However, I will try to have a new post every day. As I begin training for my 10K, you can assume I will be talking about that, as well as my menus.

Thanks for reading this.

When I attempted college the first time, I took a philosophy course (doesn’t everyone at a liberal arts college take at least one?). We never attempted to answer that question, because of course, there is no answer. 

Who we are changes, day by day. With every choice, we change our potential outcomes. And if we don’t make a choice, that too is a choice that will affect us. We are governed by what we do. Therefore, it is not “we are what we eat,” but, “we are what we choose.” And obviously, choosing what we eat makes a lasting effect on our future options.

For example, when I was a child, instead of watching Sesame Street and learning my numbers and letters, I would come home from school and watch Grahan Kerr (The Galloping Gourmet) and learned that wine, butter and cream make food taste delicious. Instead of running around outside playing football and tag, I stayed indoors and read my encyclopedia. A to Z. Oh yes, I was THAT much of a geek/nerd, even then.

I was four when my mom bought me my first cookbook. When I was 20ish, I got hooked on PBS and the cooking shows, especially the Frugal Gourmet. Yup … Saturday afternoons were not spent playing sports, or even watching them on TV. I watched cooking shows. And then bought the cookbooks and practiced. And a good cook eats what he makes. 

Did I mention that I used to be a big boy? And a portly man? No wonder. I was set up as a child to LOVE cooking and LOVE eating. As an adult, I still feel that way, but have added a LOVE of cooking for others. It’s a challenge. To do what you love, when what you love is slowly killing you, is not a good choice for the long term. 

I made a choice. I changed “me.” I’ve been eating better. And by better, I mean AWESOMELY GREAT food. Not low-cal, low-fat, low-cholesterol foods. But REAL food! I just eat less of it. Last night, I pan-fried a chicken breast and topped it with a tomato-kalamata olive topping, and served it with a lemon-leek whole wheat fettuccine and oven-roasted vegetables. Total calories: 626. Delicious! Full of flavor, protein, good fats, and fiber.

This morning, I toasted a mini whole-wheat bagel in the pan with some olive oil, then fried two eggs in the residual olive oil, and topped everything with a quarter of an mashed avocado. 370 calories.

By the way, I am not a professional photographer. Er … that was obvious, I suppose.

So, back to the beginning of this post. Who am I? I am a guy who was fat and not fit. I am becoming a man who is normal sized and more fit. And I am making my choices, rather than letting my lack of choices make me.

You can all do this. It’s not easy. It requires first that you know what you want, and what it means to you. That will tell you if you are willing to pay the price to achieve your goal. But always remember this one thing:

You are worth it.

Final note: In yesterday’s post, I made an off-hand comment about never having said “someday I will run a marathon.” Well, I decided to move way outside my comfort zone, and I registered for my first race that was not part of a hated physical education class. On June 9, 2012, I will participate in the 2012 Bellin 10K Run. I paid for the registration, and ordered the t-shirt. If you are in Green Bay on that day, stop by at the local hospital to visit me! 

My first race. About a month before I turn 49.

You can do anything! I know you can. Now … you need to know you can, too.