Archive for the ‘Weight loss’ Category

Son, be a dentist! People will pay you to be inhumane!

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Cleaning, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Supportive Partner Woman, The Management, Weight loss
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So, Supportive Partner Woman (she who is flossing-challenged!) and I went to the dentist today. It was my second first visit with this particular dentist. You might be wondering how that can be, well, it’s like this.

A few years ago, I had a toothache. As it turns out, I had a plastic container fall out of the cabinet and hit me in the lip. It must have hit the sweet spot, because it pretty much killed a tooth. So, seeing as I didn’t have a regular dentist in Cow Country at the time, I let my fingers do the walking. I came upon the dental offices of one Frank Carano, DDS. I called and they were able to fit me in. Dr. Carano, a gnomish little man, told me I would need a root canal. We scheduled it, but Carano wouldn’t be doing it. He did, however, take the time to plug the custom color match service they offered, for an additional $125.

Doogie Howser DMD?

Carano’s associate, Dr. Kingston, actually did the procedure. He seemed awfully young but very competent. He even managed to pull off the second part of the root canal without any anesthesia. At the time, we didn’t have dental coverage, so I just let the cleanings and exam go by, even though I know that dental health is very important because of The Beetus. It just wasn’t a priority.

So fast forward and we noticed that Doogie the Dentist* had opened his own office, away from the gnomish Dr. Carano. We hemmed and hawed and eventually made appointments for exams and cleanings. We set them up for today and, of course, we almost forgot about them. The appointments were at 10:30… I woke SPW (sleeper of great soundness!) up at 10:14 and we managed to make it there by 10:44.

We get checked in and I get called first. The hygienist, Shannon, comes and takes me back to the exam room, which is dominated by a big-ass monitor. She does a load of X-Rays (surprised I’m not glowing), takes pictures of fillings and the like, and does some sort of laser test on my teeth to check hardness. I was sure that the laser would slice part of my jaw off… I’ve seen the movie, but I’m just fine.

The final score is that I have my second cavity of my 41 years. I also need to have an old amalgam filling replaced. It’s served me well, seeing as I got it when I was 13 or 14, so it doesn’t owe me anything. Finally, I have six (now four) teeth that need to be sealed. I also should have a crown done, but we can wait a little on that. The important thing to take away is that being attentive to dental care is as important as taking care of everything else when you have diabetes. It can really help your long-term health. So, pick up the floss, or as Shannon suggested, the dental picks. I know I have a long way to go with flossing, but like every other change I am making, I’ll get there.

Oh, and not once did Dr. Kingston attempt to sell me anything like my former dentist, Dr. Beefyhead. Dr. Beefyhead (not his real name) was convinced that all health problems were caused by my jaw being out of alignment and for only $13,000 (financing available), he could break may jaw and fix the alignment, curing me of all maladies.

Riiiiight.

* Please note that this is not meant to sound derogatory in any sense. Dr. Kingston strikes me as a fine clinician and his staff is first-rate. I am quite pleased with his work and would gladly recommend him to anyone. If you are in the Lancaster, PA area and are seeking a dental professional, check out  his website.

I’m feeling very psychic today…

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Exercise, friends, Physical activity, The Management, Walking, Weight loss
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I’m going to predict that between 1:00 and 5:00, the air conditioning will not be running.

OK, OK… there was a call last night from PP&L saying that they would be cycling the AC off due to expected load concerns. See, in an effort to save $8.00 a month, we let them install a switch on the AC that would allow them to cycle the AC. Maybe we should go shopping or go to work early in an effort to stay cool.

The primary focus of today’s post is the recovery from yesterday’s visit to the gym. I ached in quite a few places, and while my ankles are a little tender (you try carrying 368 pounds), the only other part I’m having issues with is my quadriceps. And only when I try to sit down. I blame the squats. I felt so good yesterday that I even took a 15 minute walk last night during my second break.

I was really pleased to see that the efforts of Supportive Partner Woman (user of the elliptical!) and I have inspired one of our friends to start a major weight loss effort. She’s even started writing about her process on her blog, which you can check out here. We are so proud of you, April… keep up the good work!

I never really compiled a list of what my process is for losing the weight. So, I’ll take a stab at it.

1) Exercise. Even just a regular walking program. We’re not talking Olympic speed walking, but a nice 3 mph pace… something to get the heart pumping and blood flowing.

2) Physical Activity. Take extra steps. Make two trips instead of one with the laundry. DO SOMETHING!

3) Nutrition. Be mindful of what you put in your mouth. As a diabetic, this can be quite challenging for me. Keep the carbs to a minimum and lots of fiber. Fiber kind of counteracts carbs, so if you eat a Mission Carb Balance wheat burrito wrap, it may say there’s 32g of carbs. There’s also 26g of fiber, making a total of 6 net carbs. It’s tough for somebody like me who could (and often did) eat a dozen potato dinner rolls at one sitting. Does this mean you can’t have any carbs? No! Just exercise some restraint. Also, when you’re jonesing for a snack, consider an alternative. Instead of reaching for the chips, grab a half cup of pistachios and get the protein instead of empty carbs.

4) Fluids. Fluids are important. Water is your friend. I was guilty of swilling Diet Pepsi the same way that a wino swills Boone’s Farm. It was nothing for me to drain six 20 oz. bottles of DP in a day. I’ve gotten that down to two. I’ve reduced my consumption by two-thirds and I’m still managing. That means I’ve also reduced my daily caffeine intake by a corresponding amount. Instead, I located a 64 oz. water bottle in an insulated case and I’ve been trying to drink that much every day.

5) Support and Goals. This has been the biggest struggle. I’ve found that having SPW on board has helped a lot, as has the support I’ve received from you, the readers. Many of our friends in the Disney community have expressed support, even volunteering to do a 5K alongside us when we reach such a point. That might be many months into the future, but it’s one of my goals. My immediate goal would be to keep losing and keep learning how to keep it off.

The author in 1998, right around 400 pounds.

So, there you have it. It’s not scientific… it’s mostly common sense. This is stuff that I always knew and just chose to ignore. You can only ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room for so long (or the 400-pound fat guy in my case). My advice is to face the gorilla early and avoid the struggle later. Your body and your self-esteem will thank you.

Enjoy the weekend!

Two posts in one day? Sheesh!

Posted: June 27, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Stress, Weight loss
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Yup… you read the title correctly. I’m opting to use part of my break to write rather than attempt a distance record. See, the dogs were barking after last night’s walk. I thought it best to take an abbreviated walk rather than risk blister city and be knocked out of action for weeks until it fully healed.

So, tomorrow morning I have my first session with Ryan. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also pretty intimidated. Here’s a guy who’s exceedingly fit, next to me, Captain Schlub. My biggest exercise is usually raising a fork full of food to my face. I’m looking forward to it because here’s a guy who can teach me how to get the most out of a workout. I’ve done the gym many times, and it never seemed to help. It was like I wasn’t getting anything out of it. Plus, I was always intimidated by the gym because of my bulk. Some of the looks you could get from other members were downright brutal. I got the impression that they were offended by the mere presence of a fatty among them.

This general feeling of not being welcome has become a constant. I’m not saying everybody is like that, but you can see the disgust that my weight causes in some. I said in an earlier post that it seems that fatties are the only group it’s still ok to discriminate against. Seems that the beautiful people are disgusted by what they perceive as unattractiveness. Found a good article at Jezebel.com about the anti-fat hate crimes that are taking place. Here’s a small excerpt:

People tend to have unconscious but powerful negative reactions to those they find unattractive. Weight specialist Dr. Ian Campbell: “It’s innate in people to dislike what they see as a lack of attractiveness. It makes them think such people are worthy of derision. Very young kids have been shown to have a bias against their overweight peers.”

It’s sad, really, and while this is one of the things that the bariatric program has taught me. It takes work, but you can lose the weight and be healthier. I know I can get there. I made it once from 410 pounds to 270. Now I’m going to learn how to finally make the life changes I need so as to not rebound. Whether or not I have an operation, there are medical options as well as surgical. Plus, I have support that I didn’t have before.

If I leave you with anything tonight, please don’t ever feel ashamed to ask for assistance. If you feel you have nowhere else to go, search for bariatric physicians or ask your regular doctor. There are so many folks willing to help you be healthy and if you’re willing to listen, they can help. This is something I’m finally learning. I’m not alone. You don’t have to be alone either.

… We have news for the beautiful people. There’s a lot more of us than there are of you. – Lewis Skolnick

Cooking again

Posted: June 26, 2012 in Cooking, Food porn, The Management, Weight loss
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Good afternoon!

Pico de Gallo

I spent a good portion of the morning trying to make pico de gallo again. My last attempt was not bad, maybe a little too citrus. This time I added more tomato and cilantro in an attempt to moderate the sourness of the lime juice. At the very least, it’s very nice and colorful. It should cheer up any plate, even if I usually wind up putting it in a burrito.

It brought back to me that cooking should be fun. For me, one of my biggest beefs with my job is never really seeing the finished product. When you cook, you see that and it’s much easier to take pride in getting a perfectly diced tomato or onion. Getting beautiful diamond-shaped grill marks when you grill a steak or a piece of chicken. I’ve said before that cooking is not just about taste. It’s smell and appearance and texture, heck, even the sound if you’re eating fajitas.

I also cannot stress the importance of having quality cutlery in your kitchen. You can get by with substandard cookware, but poor quality knives make cooking much more of a chore than a joy. I speak from experience… I was always the guy to buy the 54 knives for $20, figuring a knife was a knife. One day, not long after The Management and I sealed the deal, I was attempting to thinly slice dry rubbed pork tenderloin. The cheap knives were shredding it and I finally reached my wits end. I said that we needed to invest in at least a good carving knife. The Management (aka Supportive Partner Woman (Possessor of Good Ideas!)) suggested taking some of the Bed Bath and Beyond gift cards that we received as wedding gifts and going to find a carving knife. We came home with a beautiful Henckels carving set in a presentation box. What a revelation! It went through the meat like, well, a hot knife through butter. Paper thin slices? Not a problem! It was like I had died and gone to paradise.

I started thinking about upgrading other knives, checking eBay regularly, thinking that I should keep in the same family. I studied up on knife manufacturing and what to look for (full tang, balanced, polypropylene riveted handles, etc.) and I also found out that you could test the knives at Williams-Sonoma. One night around the holidays, SPW and I visited our local Williams-Sonoma and were gazing longingly at the cutlery when we noticed a decent sale on a Wüsthof starter block set. Wound up with a 10″ chef’s knife, two paring knives (serrated and non), a boning knife, a 9″ bread knife, a 5″ Santoku and a 6″ slicing knife. To say I’m happy with these would be an understatement. I even bought a knife sharpener to keep them at optimum sharpness. We’ve since added a tomato knife, a panini knife and steak knives to the block.

So, my cooking tip of the day is to spend the extra scratch and invest in good knives. Even if you don’t get a full block, a good chef’s knife will make all the difference. Whether you get Wüsthof, Henckels or even Shun, you won’t be disappointed.

Also, for the good of the order, I find it amazing that 90% of German cutlery is made in Solingen.

On the right track

Posted: June 25, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Food porn, The Management, Wegman's, Weight loss
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Greetings from the land of the slimmer!

I had an appointment this morning with the exercise physiologist and dietitian at the bariatric center. First thing, I got weighed. It was a cool 368 lbs. That’s a vast improvement over my last visit to the clinic for group where the number was 380. So, 12 pounds in about three weeks. Much better. The funny thing is that before you can have surgery, they ask that you lose 10 pounds. Guess I took care of that.

The first part of my appointment was with the exercise guy. I found Ryan to be very upbeat and encouraging. He was impressed by my walking regimen and wants me to keep it up. He also set up some appointments for me in their fitness center. It’s not big, but they only have six people at a time in there. They have shower facilities and most importantly, Ryan and/or Cory are there to show you how to exercise and lift weights safely and correctly. I start with a one hour session on Thursday and I’m really looking forward to it. Apparently, one of the risks with bariatric surgery is the  loss of muscle mass. As such, they want to build it up so you don’t lose all of what you have.

Cedar plank roasted Copper River salmon with mushroom risotto and steamed broccoli

Following my appointment with Ryan, I met Cory, the other physiologist. Then it was off to meet the dietitian, Shauna. She also seemed to be very supportive and was pleased with some of the dietary progress I’ve made. She was pleased to hear that both The Management and myself like to cook, and she was really pleased with last night’s dinner. We were at Wegman’s on Friday and I managed to pick up some Copper River salmon. I roasted it on a cedar plank with a sheen of olive oil, fresh ground pepper and sea salt on top. To go along with it, I made a mushroom risotto and steamed broccoli. The Management approved.

Today’s route.

So, I also added a new track to my walking playlist. I think my hair band loving friends will like it. Many might remember an 80’s hair band called Warrant. They were in the news in the past couple of years thanks to the death of lead singer Jani Lane. So, this weekend, XM 80s on 8 was playing a countdown from 1989 and Warrant’s little known track, Down Boys came on. It was very catchy and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. It sets a pretty good pace and I’m kind of scared to check my feet, because I might have overdone it a little. I did manage to walk about half of the Red Rose Commons perimeter. This gets me a little closer to my goal.

The one constant today is that everyone assures me I’m on the right track. It’s not easy, but when I saw 36_ instead of 37_, well, that’s a nice motivator. I’d love to have a 35_ next time. We shall see.

When walking feels more like swimming

Posted: June 19, 2012 in Exercise, Walking, Weight loss
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It’s never a good sign for keeping cool when the best way to describe the air outside is to call it “chewy.” Currently, it’s 79 degrees and 84% humidity. I’ve gone for walks in worse, but usually when I have a shower waiting for me afterward, or at least dry clothes.

Days like this present a problem for me as I’ve started to like walking at work during my lunch break. Conventional wisdom says it’s better to eat your bigger meal earlier, so I’ve started eating my dinner during my first break, walking over lunch, then either another walk or a little reading over second break. As I don’t want to go back to work after a walk smelling like a locker room, I was torn between walking and not walking. It was at that time I recalled the words of exercise physiologist Ryan, who said that anything was better than nothing. So I took a shorter walk with an air conditioning break in the middle.

See, we’re fortunate to be located near a shopping center with a lot of big box stores. My goal is to get to the point that I can walk the entire perimeter of the shopping center in a half hour, hopefully without huffing and puffing too hard. Then, maybe get to the point where I can do it in 15 minutes. On the map to the right, the lines in red are today’s walk, the blue lines are the goal, and the pinkish ones are my farthest walks so far. I’ve tried to increase the distance walked each day, going to a different store as an easy way to mark distance, since iPedometer isn’t always accurate.

Today, I just went to Home Depot and wandered around, not really stopping, but doing a lap of the store to keep moving. It cooled me down so I wasn’t drenched by the end of the walk. It was nowhere near as nice as it was last night. The Management and I got a nice walk in, going from the parking lot to the concert and back. If you’ve ever been to the Philadelphia sports complex, it can be a hike, depending on where you are parked. Look at the map to the left… our path is in red. Since the weather was so nice, it wasn’t too bad.

Moral of the story, every bit helps. If you can’t get your full walk in, do some of it. If you don’t feel like it, tell yourself that you’re only going to do a little, then when you get to that point, you’ll probably want to keep on going. I know I usually feel that, mainly because I’m outside and don’t necessarily feel like going back to work after I’ve been out on a lovely evening.

Also remember, if you’re going to walk, be mindful of traffic. Cars don’t always see you, even if you’re a big galoot like me.

Concert Review

Posted: June 19, 2012 in Neil Diamond, Weight loss
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Neil Diamond – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA – June 18, 2012

Neil Diamond proved that a 70-year-old man can still rock the house. During his 150 minute set at the Wells Fargo Center, he played without an intermission and without an opening act. And the audience went nuts.

The band came out and started playing a track with an African feel, lots of percussion and flute. The track quickly morphed into Soolaimon when Neil hit the stage and it really set the tone for the evening. Most of the evening was devoted to the all-time Diamond hits. Some highlights would be a double shot of I’m a Believer, which he ran through as a ballad, then proceeded to play again, in its more recognizable uptempo version. He also performed Cherry, Cherry, and turned it into a band feature. He closed the regular set with Sweet Caroline, followed by I Am… I Said. After a brief break (3 minutes or so) Neil came back with a different jacket and launched right into Cracklin’ Rosie, America (which he dedicated to his grandmother), Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show and finished with I’ve Been this Way Before.

It’s seems unbelievable that it’s been 40 years since he recorded Hot August Night at the Greek Theater. He performed a selection of songs from that classic concert, including Crunchy Granola Suite, Morningside and crowd favorite Holly Holy.

Diamond’s band is certainly tight, as you might expect from people playing together for over 30 years. And the core members aren’t young. Drummer Ron Tutt is 74, and the other guys (and gals) aren’t much younger. It’s nice that Diamond is quick to credit the band and his concerts usually contain a song for the band to showcase their skills. The prior tour that I caught, in support of his Three Chord Opera album, had the band taking a little known song from Diamond’s Heartlight album called Starflight, and bringing down the house at Reading, PA’s Sovereign Center.

Perhaps the only low note of the show was You Don’t Bring Me Flowers. The song was originally recorded as a duet with Barbra Streisand and it makes it hard for anyone to match up. Diamond’s backup singer, Linda Press, just didn’t sing it with the same amount of skill as Streisand would’ve done.

As enjoyable as the show was, the usual issues I have with attending a show were in full evidence. First off, $20 to park. Sadly, I actually paid $30 to park for a Jimmy Buffett show. I understand that the venue operators need to make their cash, but if they are going to screw you on parking, the least they could do would be to maybe NOT charge $5.00 for a medium (20 oz) fountain beverage. The prices make Disney prices seem reasonable. I won’t even get into the price of watered-down, pissy tasting beer. Diamond T-shirts and souvenirs were selling briskly in the concourse as well, at typical merchandise prices like $25-$35 for a t-shirt.

The Diamondheads rise for the National Anthem… aka Sweet Caroline

My other complaint is that the seating itself is not designed for a person of size. I’m very lucky I was on the end of the row… had I been shoehorned into the middle of a row, it would’ve been even worse. Not only for me, but the folks on either side. It really pointed out just how far I need to go in terms of weight loss. I’ve made some progress, but it would be nice to actually fit in a seat.

In short, helluva concert that I would gladly see again. I only hope that he  keeps making music.

Back in the day

Posted: June 16, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Physical activity, Weight loss
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With my current situation, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much thinner I was back in the day, especially compared to now. I was so active in my high school years that I didn’t have time to work on my Jabba the Hutt physique. One of the surprising activities that helped keep me in shape was marching band. We had a band director who wasn’t real fond of marching, but knew it had to be done. He was much more of a jazz nut. So, we marched in three parades a year, unless there was something special in town. We also marched for the football games. You never quite realize how much lung capacity you need to march and play at the same time, I tell you what.

The Management will often quote the line from American Pie… “I am a band geek. I just never joined the band.”

It’s amazing how much that HS band stuff sticks with you. Choir, too. When we go to see the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World every December, I still remember every word and every note of the bass part in the Hallelujah Chorus. It’s been 23 years.

Regardless, I don’t think you can discount the value of being physically active. I’m not advocating giving up exercise, but rather the use of physical activity to help keep you in shape. During his talk the other day, exercise physiologist Ryan said you have to do both to be a successful bariatric patient. I’ve at least upped the physical activity part of my daily routine. See, my place of employment is located near what is known in the biz as a “retail power center”. Or, as everyone else likes to call it, a shopping center. Basically, it’s a strip mall with big box stores. I’ve made it my mission to walk every day and try to go a little farther each day during my allotted break. One day, I walked to Home Depot and back; the next day, HomeGoods and back. My goal will be able to go all the way around the perimeter of the shopping center in 30 minutes. Hope I get there.

So, Monday brings a visit to the regular doc’s office. This is all part of my bariatric program. I must have my weight monitored by a regular doc for six months. Then I could go on to have surgery done. I’m hoping for good news… my last visit there wound up with me weighing in at an immense 374 pounds. I’ve been trying to eat right and get my physical activity in… I’m hoping it reflects in the number on the livestock scale. It’s really scary that the number has gotten so high as I was as low as 270 last January. I guess the wheels don’t fall off as much as just disintegrate. That’s the main reason I haven’t been giving a weight update… our home scale doesn’t go that high.

Oh, and the chili I made the other night has been given the seal of approval by The Management. As such, I’ll post my recipe here:

Brian’s Beef, Bean and Beer Chili

Ingredients
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (might as well get the Omega-3)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 cluster fresh garlic, smashed or minced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin, ground
  • 2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 8 oz of fresh black beans, soaked and boiled
  • 1 cup of beer (I use Sam Adams Boston Lager)
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped*
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 handful cilantro, chopped
    * If you are short on time or don’t want to mess with a real chipotle, just dump in Tabasco Chipotle sauce to taste
Directions
  1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it apart as is cooks, drain any grease and set the beef aside.
  3. Add the oil in the pan, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, cumin and chili powders and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  5. Add the tomatoes, beef, beans, broth, chipotle and oregano, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-50 minutes. I then put it in a crock pot on low for 4-5 hours to really saturate the flavors
  6. If you want to make things healthier, use leaner beef. I will use 96% lean beef. It also makes for less grease to drain

If you are feeling like a big batch, double up on the ingredients, use a full bottle of beer and perhaps a can of beef broth or a packet of flavor enhancer. For those who like their chili with more heat, add hot sauce to taste.

I’m not sure…

Posted: June 15, 2012 in Lego, The Management, Travel, Weight loss
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what I will be writing about today. I have a streak going that I don’t want to break, so I’ll just start typing and see what happens.

I mentioned in the little biography blurb that I have a wee bit of a Lego problem. It’s true. I’m fascinated by those little plastic bricks. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, but the few Legos I had were very well-used. I spent a lot of time building spaceships of my own design, knowing then that since there’s vacuum in space, my ships could be very rectangular. Well, that and there weren’t a lot of round pieces back in the dark ages.

Fast forward to December 2011, we were visiting the Lego Imagination Center in Orlando at Downtown Disney. I was taken by the sheer number of choices available. Being as I like Star Wars, I was checking out some of the Lego Star Wars sets, lusting after the Super Star Destroyer that cost $400, things like that, when I saw the AT-AT.

WANT!

To quote my friend Jed, “I’m generally very pro-AT-AT.” I thought it would be a great set to build after being out of the Lego game for 20 years. It was only about 815 pieces, reasonably priced as such things go, and the last one they had. I bought it, then realized I had a problem. How the heck would I get it on the plane? This was a pretty big box and The Management and I were only travelling with carry-on bags.

Luckily, a friend of ours we would be seeing at New Years was travelling via Auto Train and was willing to take the AT-AT home for us. It was sad, though… I had to wait another three weeks to build it. Or even to see it again. Sniffle.

So, December 30, The Management and I headed to scenic Glenside, PA, to take in a Cinematic Titanicdouble feature featuring two of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. One was called Astral Factor. Starring Robert Foxworth and a pantsless Stefanie Powers, well, it’s as bad as you might think it would be. The other was called Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks, and that was even worse. All that is beside the point… I was finally reunited with the AT-AT. I was rather happy about this, as you can probably tell from the picture.

The Precioussssssss

The next day, I was able to start construction. It came back to me and I was again struck by the attention to detail. This even had movable legs and a General Veers minifig! I started understanding why the sets were so expensive and just how much detail goes into them.

After watching me build that, The Management decided she wanted to join the fun and we managed to pick up a model of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, from the Lego Architecture Series. Lego Architecture takes some of the world’s landmarks and renders them in Lego bricks… some results are better than others. I consider Fallingwater to be an amazing rendering, whereas the Sydney Opera House was a dud, IMHO.

Anyways, she built that in one night and our family addiction was born. Currently, the Nerd Lair is populated by many of the sets from the Original Trilogy films. There’s a TIE Fighter, X-Wing, Y-Wing and the Millennium Falcon. On the bar is one exception, an Ultimate Collectors Series version of Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter. Also on the bar is my birthday present… an Ultimate Collectors Series Imperial Shuttle. That took me nearly a week to complete, but it was certainly worth it.

In short, Legos were a big part of my childhood and one I’m very glad I’ve not only been able to rediscover, but one that I’ve been able to share with The Management. Her next build is in the house… an Architecture Series rendition of the Robie House. We’ll see how it goes.

Hope you all have a great weekend and can treat yourselves well. I have a regular doctor’s appointment on Monday. Hope I’ll be able to report a few pounds lost.

Food porn

Posted: June 14, 2012 in Cooking, Food porn, Weight loss
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One of the quirky habits that Supportive Partner Woman (Devourer of Tasty Meat!) and I have is a proclivity toward food porn. When we are out and we see a nice looking dinner plate, we snap a picture and put it up on Facebook.

Top: Roasted cedar plank salmon with olive oil and fresh ground pepper; bottom left: veggie flatbread pizza; bottom right: my almost famous chocolate chip cookies.

I even have an album simply entitled Food Porn, where the photos go to live on. I’ve recently started adding photos of some of my culinary creations when I feel they pass the pretty test. I’m going to share a few of the best looking ones here.

Left side: Scallop risotto from Royal Caribbean; top right, standard chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-a; bottom right: chicken nachos from San Antonio Bar & Grill in Washington, DC.

Quite honestly, most of the food porn stuff is not what you’d call healthy by any stretch of the imagination. There are lots of red meats and lots of desserts, most of which I didn’t actually eat. OK, maybe I did eat the red meat… I’m not opposed to tasty cow. Or tasty chicken. Or tasty fish.

I like to post it because to me, food tastes better when it looks good. I’m sure there have been studies done proving this, but to me, presentation means a lot. Appearance influences perception… not just food but everything. You could see two identical meals, same ingredients, same recipe, and chances are you’d pick the plate that looks more appealing and say it tasted better.

I’m going to start posting up some recipes… most of what I do is simple enough. I’m not quite good enough to make all my own stuff yet, but I’m pretty good at modifying other recipes to suit my needs. I’ve gotten ahold of a nice black bean chili recipe that I’m going to try to tweak. We shall see how it goes. If it’s good, I’ll post it up here.

Have a great day, folks, and I will keep the food porn coming your way.

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