Omnivore

Once in a while we feel like eating meat. This happens maybe once every month or two. So we bought a steak. We also got some baking potatoes and green beans.

John seasons our steak early in the day and lets it dry out uncovered in the refrigerator. He lights the gas grill and lets it heat up for 10 minutes. Since our steak is thick he cooks it for 4 minutes on each side and then lets it rest for 5 minutes.

I microwave one potato and cut it in half longitudinally. John also takes this out to put on the grill for some extra flavor and crispness. I also make the green beans. I take a big risk and do not french them. They seem pretty tender and flavorful as is and I know that John is not a great fan of my frenching beans. I put them in a high-sided pan with a little water, some mushroom, sage and green onions. As the water evaporates and the beans become tender, I add a teaspoon of butter. Uncovered, I let the water boil away. The little bit of fat browns the beans and mushrooms. It turns out really tasty.

Here’s my splurge dinner –

Steak, baked/grilled potato and green beans with mushrooms and sage

We have a pickup from our wine club at Chateau St. Jean. So of course this means a day’s worth of tasting wine and eating breadsticks.

Temptations

Of course we drink some wine. We skip lunch due to our overindulgence of breadsticks and freebies of chocolate and cheese. Plus I had eaten a very small breakfast. Luckily I am a wine drinking pro and can get through a day of sipping quite nicely!

By the time we get over to the Napa side of the world, it is dinner time. We stop by French Laundry to see if there is a cancellation. No such luck. So we decide to go to Bottega where we have been many times and have not been disappointed. We are not disappointed today! John and I share appetizers of shaved Brussels sprouts and grilled octopus. John has short ribs for dinner and I have a galette of potatoes and zucchini with a fresh tasting tomato sauce. When I eat out I always choose either a shellfish, fish or vegetarian entree. Although there is more fat than we use at home at least the protein is either plant or fish. We have a lovely dinner to finish off a lovely day.

My vegetable galette doing a good imitation of lasagna

John’s dinner looks pretty yummy!

It’s been more than six months since I posted. That can only mean one of two things. Either I am so competent in my weight loss efforts that I don’t need to post what I eat anymore. OR, I have fallen off the weight loss wagon and am out of control and gaining weight. Hmmmm, what do you think? I would say number two. After all I am a food junkie and once I get on a roll (or a bagel), I am hard to stop.

So the truth is I have been traveling and holidaying for the last six months. I have also injured my hip and my knee which means I can’t exercise like I used to. I have gained 20 lbs. back. It makes me sad. I tried so long and so hard to lose weight and I was so successful. But put a couple of stumbling blocks in my path and I fall easily into old habits. The truth of the matter is, though, that I still have lost 40 lbs. and I could get back to where I was and beyond. The question is how to do it.

Tonight we had a vegetable curry with brown rice. In the vegetable portion were chickpeas, cauliflower, carrots, onions, shredded Brussels sprouts, and chiles. I ate a reasonable portion. In fact it would have been a perfect dinner if it had not been accompanied by some cheese and wine. So I actually have eaten totally on plan today except for the cheese and wine. Maybe tomorrow I can do a little better.

I think I look like a fat person again. It is very discouraging. My clothes don’t fit very well and my self-esteem is shot. I got blood work back today and my numbers are edging up toward unacceptable. It is the perfect storm for a binge of eating.

What I am going to try to do is to post my pictures of what I eat again and be honest in my commentary. Then I will read it again and again and try to regain the zeal for eating correctly. I know I can do it. I have empirical proof. Good luck to me.