The Skinny On Manhattan

Not cheating with beer and tapas at La Cerveceria

2012-01-26T17:18:00.002-05:00

I've recently been avoiding pubs and beer lounges. For one thing, beer has a lot of carbs. For another, places serving beer usually serve it with carb-laden foods. But having lived in Bangalore, I have a very healthy love of beer and do need my fix every so often.

I was just thinking this when the Universe in its infinite wisdom delivered an email from Scout Mob with a discount offer for La Cerveceria - a beer lounge serving Latin American tapas - that's been on my "to try" list for a while now. Who am I to ignore the signs? My friend Kim and I promptly made plans and arrived there at 8 pm on a Tuesday night.

The place is lovely. Dark wood interiors, very low-key, friendly vibe. And what looked like 999 bottles of beer on the wall (don't sing it!). Their extensive beer list is outstanding and what I like just as much is that it's color-coded according to type.

I'm in the middle of my Slim & Strong January boot camp and so had no intention of having a cheat meal that night. And I loved that the amazingly friendly bartender didn't bat an eye when I asked him for a low-carb beer that was NOT a light beer (I think light beers are a serious a cop-out).

He brought me Green's Discovery - a naturally gluten-free beer. Which meant that instead of wheat and barley, it was made with millet, sorghum, rice and buckwheat. And guess what? It had 3g of carbs per 100ml. THREE.

It comes in a big half-liter bottle (a bit more than a than a pint) which means the entire bottle has 15 g of carbs. Not bad at all. And it tasted refreshingly great. It's a Belgian ale that I'd compare to Kingfisher without the heaviness you feel afterwards. And because that's really the best I can do to articulate the actual taste of the beer, here's how the experts describe it: "Medium-bodied with subtle caramel and nut flavor nuances. Refined, herbal hop aroma and finish."

My second awesome beer of the night was Schneider Weisse Original - on their website, you can hit the button that says "Ja, ich bin uber 16" to get in. (Or you could just hit the American flag to get the English version with the link that says, "Yes, I am over 16." But where's the fun in that?)

Anyway, Schneider Weisse Original is a Bavarian wheat beer, officially described as having "nuances of ripe bananas, clove, nutmeg and nuts that create the aroma" not to mention "plenty of champagne-like carbonation". Which is not how I would ever think to write it myself but I liked it quite a bit. It was more full-bodied than the Green's Discovery and tasted a bit heavier - more like regular beer. The carb count was even more pleasing, though, with 2.3g of carbs per 100ml. Which is 11.5g of carbs for the entire pint!

The beauty of La Cerveceria is that they not only had fantastic-tasting low-carb beers, but they had healthful tapas (with sharp Peruvian influences, I'm told) as well. Everything I had was so fresh, light and delicious that I didn't really have to have a 'cheat meal' here.

What we ate:
- Lobster Guacamole which had avocado, lobster and shrimp served with plantain chips. So good. I hadn't had lobster since summer. You'll have to go easy on the plantain chips. They're light, thin and kind of addictive.

- Yucatan Quesadillas with chicken, corn, squash, onion and cheese. The squash was such a great addition to the flavors. Admittedly the wrap could be carb-y but it was small, we were sharing and we had no bread to start. Plus, we're trying to eat well, not go on a detox diet.

- The Shrimp Causas which were extraordinary with shrimp with jalapeños, red onion, tomato, cilantro served on a small pat of cooked potatoes.

- The Mexican Style Ceviche with calamari, shrimp and salsa picante. Fresh and light.

There's more to try on their menu for a non-cheat. Consider the chicken and shrimp skewers, vegetable quesadillas and other ceviches - I'm going to go for those next time. I also cannot wait to see what other beers they have for me.

So, a friendly note here: Just because we've found a low-carb beer does not mean you must make it an integral part of your diet plan. Low-carb doesn't mean it helps you lose weight. It's still alcohol which still stops your body's fat burning (till it has burned off all the alcohol) and still provides some empty calories. But they're such pleasantly empty calories. So just go easy, okay?

And a word to the wise - Even with low carb foods and low carb alcohol, it isn't the best idea to do this the night before you need to wake up at 5:30 am for Ariane's boot camp. Especially if you end up losing track of time and staying out late on top of it. And when you think, "I'm just having 2 beers," consider the size of the bottle. If it's a pint, it's more like a beer and a half. And you will want to die while you're doing your 300th jumping jack. And Ariane's voice will seem extra loud and rather annoying that day (sorry girlfriend!). Just saying. Since we're all still learning as we go.

UPDATE: I just found a Daily Candy deal for La Cerveceria - $50 worth of food and drink for $25. And if you enter the code BDAY, you'll get this same deal for $15. This offer ends January 29th so get yours before then. (The offer is good till April 12, 2012.)

La Cerveceria

65 2nd Ave
(between 3rd St & 4th St)
Manhattan, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village

(212) 777-6965

A serving of some good ol' portion control

2012-01-13T13:10:00.000-05:00

Over the holidays I discovered something that has always theoretically made sense to me, to be crazy true: portion control is powerful stuff.

It's not that I've never tried to control my portions before, but I've never really made it any consistent part of my life. When I enjoy a particular food, I just love stuffing my face with lots of it. I've never really thought about how completely silly this is. Some of it is pure gluttony, to be sure. But I'm convinced that some of it is cultural. Not only does it border on impolite if you don't eat well at a relative's home in India, but my aunts always think I didn't like something they cooked enough if I don't finish half the pot (which is a crime because their cooking is simply amazing)! In their defense, that is how they've seen me eat since I've been in grade school.

In last week's post, I mentioned getting food poisoning about a week into my trip and how that episode lost me no weight at all, but forced me to eat smaller portions of everything for the rest of my time in India. Only because I felt sick to my stomach whenever I ate even a tiny bit more than necessary (and I would quantify 'necessary' to be as much food as I needed to not be hungry). I was sure my stomach had shrunk and gleefully started to look into this.

Well, apparently your stomach does no such thing (without surgery). BUT, did you know that the size of your stomach is actually linked to the amount of food you eat and not to your weight? Which, according to WebMD, means that people who are thin can have the same size or even larger stomachs than those who battle with their weight! (I just flat out robbed a bunch of us of excuses, didn't I?)

When your stomach is empty, it's about the size of your fist. But it is verrrry elastic and can stretch depending on just how much you've consumed. So while you can't quite shrink your stomach, what you can do is eat smaller meals and get your stomach used to stretching out less. In other words, you can train it to feel full on less food by gradually getting it accustomed to less stretching. (This is my layman's explanation - google for all the fascinating but long facts!)

Now don't be an idiot and go drastically reduce your portions overnight. If your stomach is used to stretching a certain amount at meal time and you shock it like that, you'll only end up with hunger pangs that will make you miserable. And you'll probably eat more than you would have to begin with. Go about it slowly. Remember, this is something you want to change for the long haul.

A big way to get into portion control is to measure out what you'll be eating. Don't try to eat less than you should. Simply serve yourself a fair portion once and don't go back for seconds.

I hate the whole measuring out process so I was thrilled to bits when I found 'Portionware' online. Why didn't someone think of this before?

Apparently this line was created by Jennifer Panepinto as a part of her thesis while studying for her Masters in Design at the School of Visual Arts. It's simple but brilliant. It's a set of 5 plastic containers. The smallest fits a half cup of whatever you'll be eating (great for some Greek yoghurt!). The next size up fits a quarter cup more (cottage cheese!). Then there's a 1 cup, 1.5 cup and 2 cup container. They even have their measure marked on the lid. Really great for packing lunch (which, though time consuming, helps to control what you're eating and, at least in NYC, will save you tons of cash).

FYI, they are dish-washer safe and microwaveable (I've tried it without the lids on) but the company says they "do not advocate using any plastic in the microwave." Which is generally the safe way to go with all plastic and microwave ovens but I do get lazy sometimes.

You can get Portionware online here or, of course, on Amazon (though for some reason, it's more expensive there).

Just a note: Eating smaller portions does NOT automatically mean you'll be losing weight. What you're eating still matters. It's true that I ate whatever I wanted in India but I was also exercising and having protein shakes for half my breakfasts. Plus, I did this only for a month. Sadly, eating whatever I want plus dessert would not be a sustainable way for me to stay in shape!

Jan 17th update:
Daily Candy is offering a discount on Portionware till January 24th! Click here to get the deal.

New Year catch-up and Vacay debrief

2012-01-04T18:38:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone. May it be skinny and fabulous!

I'm back from a month-long trip to India with a quick stop in Paris and guess what? I managed NOT to do the kind of damage I did last year. Which is not to say I didn't gain any weight at all, but I can actually still button my jeans AND sit down in them. Great success!

A relatively healthful scallop lunch at Le Pre aux Clercs in Paris. Except for the risotto. Oh yeah - and the butter. And can you see across the street to where I'm headed for dessert?

For those who don't keep my every post top of mind (for shame!) last January, I came back to NYC with a body best suited to muumuu wear. Not only had I packed on the blubber, but I had lost muscle, stopped exercising and inexplicably thrown out even the easier good habits I had cultivated (drinking water, taking vitamins, making protein shakes). I paid for all this quite dearly.

According to Ariane, for every day you eat badly, you'd need to give yourself a day-and-a-half to two days of healthy diet and exercise to recover. It took me a good three months. A good frustrating, depressing, self-loathing three months. (If this is where you are today, I can tell you that looking back, 3 months is not really the worst thing in the world - the worst thing was my attitude. I wish it were healthier. But yours can be. Just start!)

So what was it that DID work for me this time? Of course, it was a combination of things:

1. I set a very specific goal of exercising 3 times a week. Not "at least" 3 times a week (which to me implies that if I'm sitting on my ass eating murkus after those 3 times, then maybe I should be exercising). Just 3 times a week. No guilt or niggling notions after that.

Mmmm...murku.

I travelled with Ariane's Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp DVD that would give me a serious cardio and strength workout, Tracy Anderson's Mat DVD for when I wanted to go a bit slower and an old Beach Body workout I've had since the late 90s, I think - it's Tony Horton before his P90X days - for a quick strength workout.

2. I decided to eat whatever I wanted but practiced major portion control. Which means I actually stopped with one dosa. Or 2 small rice rotis. Do you know how hard this is? Especially when it's homemade and served with homemade chutney? When I wanted more I just reminded myself that I already know what it tastes like and I'm not hungry any more. And yes, by the way - easier said than done. But I also ate slower, had coffee before I ate and tried to drink as much water as I could.

Rice rotis the only way they should be cooked - on coal.

3. I stuck to just one dessert a day. Now that may not sound like much, but with the way my relatives cook and feed you, it's bloody admirable.

Two of my faves - Jalebis and Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

4. I had all my fruit juices with no sugar. Not even a little. For anyone who has lived in or visited India, you know that fresh fruit juice every day is a mini-ritual. It's the best. But fruits already have sugar and the amount of sugar most households add to that just makes it candy. Of course if you're in someone else's house, you can't expect them to make it one way or the other for you - so I'd just have coffee instead.

Bombay Toast after a glass of fresh-squeezed grape juice at Wheelz Cafe in Mudigere. Recipe to follow soon!

5. I actually brought along my vitamins and supplements (I take a multi-vitamin, Vit D and fish oil) and made it a point to take them.

6. I brought my protein powder with me and had it for breakfast every other day, at least when I was in my parents' home. (I stayed with aunts and cousins when I was there as well.)

Now, there is one big thing that happened that influenced a lot: I got food poisoning from a restaurant when I was about 10 days into my trip. (FYI, I do NOT advocate getting food poisoning to keep your weight off. And I lost absolutely no weight from it which, I admit, I was mad as hell about. For all that suffering I thought I was owed at least that much.) But here's what it did do for me for the remainder of my trip: it forced the portion control.

I'm not sure that I would have stuck so rigidly with portion control had it not been for the food-poisoning. But after that incident and for the remainder of my trip, whenever I came close to overeating, my stomach would act up and I'd feel miserable. And I have to say that this taught me a lot.

First, you don't actually need a lot of food to be satisfied.
Second, always stop and ask if you're eating out of need or greed.
And third, eating slow is a great way to eat less.

I do believe that this very strictly enforced portion control is what really kept a lot of weight off for the rest of the trip. As for what I did gain, I start the Slim & Strong boot camp tomorrow with Ariane. (I start two classes late because I procrastinated because I reeeeally didn't feel like it and was freakishly nervous about getting back into proper, regularly scheduled exercise. Yes, even after all this (thanks Juletia, for cyber-slapping me upside my head). Some things never change, huh?

Seeing that I've written about what DID work for weight control, I would be remiss not to include what did NOT work. And that is quite simply two things: water and alcohol. I kinda just ended up choosing one over the other.

Any guesses as to which?

With my cousins Vinutha and Gowri at my favorite bar in Bangalore - Sky Bar

Have a great 2012. Go start exercising. Now. Do it for your health. And I'll drink to that!

You motivate you

2011-10-26T21:51:00.004-04:00

My apologies - this should have been posted on October 22nd. I have no decent excuse for it so won't bore you with one.

Thank you to those who responded to my post The Blind Woman on the Treadmill. Scroll down for the winners of the random draw for Ariane's Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp DVD!

For those still catching up, these awesome peeps shared what motivates and inspires them to work out, whether or not they feel like it. (Because you know feeling like it has very little to do with it, right?)

Cartoon by Shannon Wheeler

The common thread running through it all, is how everyone feels after their workout: accomplished, healthy, energized. That and having a whole lot of gratitude for the simple fact that we are able to work out. Congratulations to you guys for taking the time to motivate yourselves, articulating what keeps you going and putting it out there to inspire someone else.

So, for that someone else: Whenever you're running low on inspiration and could use a little motivational pick-me-up, borrow some of theirs. I've posted it for you all below. You'll see that keeping your eye on the prize (i.e., the consequences of exercise) and your heart full of gratitude can make you a rather powerful individual. Not to mention, a happy and healthy one.

Anna:
When I'm working out consistently and eating pretty well, everything feels better. Walking down the street feels better, getting dressed for work is better, going out with my friends is better, everything. So why I continually fall off the wagon is hard to grasp when the benefits of working out and eating well are so clear. Time to dust off and get back in the game...

Sarah B:
I love running, but there are definitely days when I am lacking any motivation. So what I do at times, is remind myself of my parents. My father became paralyzed when a tumor wrapped itself around his spinal cord, and he unfortunately never was able to walk again. Three years ago my mother was struck by a car, and broke her back and both femurs - surgeons had to replace these bones with metal rods. She is unable to run, and walking to this day can be extremely painful. When I think of what my parents, and their inability to run, let alone walk easily, I remind myself how fortunate I am to have two working legs, and that I have to not take this gift for granted...and that gets my motivation back in gear, and reminds me what I have to be thankful for!

Maggie from fatbottomslim:
I push myself to workout because I know it makes me feel better all around, not just better about my body but my mind is calmer too. Such a good motivator. I also know that I am easily bored, so I mix in new classes all the time to keep being excited and engaged in working out.

Monica G:
When I was in my twenties I was able to do full body push up with one hand. I had a full six pack that caused double takes. In my early thirties, I ran 3 NYC marathons with a best time of 3:46. I had a great body. I suffered (and still suffer) from lower back pain, but my strong core helped me overcome any pain. After getting pregnant, I stretched my abdominal muscles and ended with an 8 finger diastasis (which is now around 6). I was no longer able to run…no strong core left. I joined the spinning and body-sculpt classes at the gym. In March of this year, I had to quit my gym. I lost my job last year and I have not been able to find one. The lack of exercise, poor eating and stress caught up with me. I started waking up at 3am (only 3 hrs of sleep!). I was very cranky all day. I was not happy. After two weeks of no sleep, you did not want to be around me. My kids kept on asking me if they had done something wrong. I was moody!

I had my first child in 2006. Five years later, I could no longer recognize the person in front of the mirror. I could no longer afford to be like this. One night while suffering from insomnia, I ran into the www.brooklynbridgebootcamp.com website. I saw the Slim and Strong (S&S) plan and joined the August series. After getting my measurements in the first class of S&S, I was happy to see that I had only put on 20lbs since 2002 (when I was at my ideal weight)…but it was all fat, my body fat percentage went from 20% to 27%. After 2.5 months of S&S I have lost 15 lbs and my body fat is 24%. I feel great; my “old” clothes are back in my closet…they fit! My self esteem is through the roof, I can sleep like a rock, I have lots of energy and I am happy. All these feelings are my inspiration to get out of bed at 5:30 am, and do 2 hours of cardio per week in addition to the S&S sessions (and I am running again!). Like you mentioned, it’s all about how you feel after working out. What is your prize?… Mine is sleeping like a rock, feeling full of energy and happy.

As we all know, looking for a job these days is stressful, but the exercise gives me the stress release and endorphins to overcome any obstacle. When I started S&S, I told my sister I would be on my twenty’s weight by my birthday (Oct 30th). She told me we can all dream...well, I am 4 lbs away. If you put your mind and passion into something you want… you get it!

gracekelle from leangirslclub:
My motivation is more than vanity (although it does include my strong desire to reach my goal weight of 145...I am 13 pounds away), it's about living the life I was intended to live.

Being overweight for most of my life kept me from going to school dances, trying out for certain teams, going shopping, hanging out with friends, etc. Once I realized that I was missing out on LIFE, I knew that I had to get it together.

I work out so I have the confidence to go out there and try new things, meet new people...I don't want to get to the end of my life and say I didn't so anything.

Lastly, I work in music. I love being able to stand next to a "celebrity" with a "perfect" body and feeling like I could take them on in a race or donkey kick competition. Ha!!! Those artists will remain nameless :)

Mellissatink:
My motivation to keep working out comes from that feeling of accomplishment after a workout and feeling better about my body. I was at my lowest weight four years ago. It was a comfortable but still flabby weight, and then I gained a number of pounds. I'm looking to reach that comfortable weight again and then see what more I can do for my body. So that's why I made working out a priority last November, but beyond the scale numbers and the satisfaction of seeing changes in my body, I keep working out because I thrive off the sense of self-accomplishment and the feeling I get from a good workout. I like the stress release during a workout and the post-workout endorphins that provide a natural, overall feeling of happiness.

1FunnySistah (Joanna B):
I started my journey 2 years ago and have lost the same 35 lbs each year only to gain it all back after some malady restricts me or confines me to the bed... I found that I use that time to make excuses and stop the clean-eating and exercise and well, the 35 lbs has turned into 45 lbs. I have signed up for the Slim & Strong PM Brooklyn Spin Bootcamp and well, it's time I get my ass kicked, my mind bashed, and my eating in sync...I hear Ariane is the "bad-ass fitness chick" to do it and as frightened as I am, she will be MY Jillian Michaels in my head.

JanieHoffa:
Usually the only thing that motivates me is my clothes getting smaller (ahem). Luckily, I work right next door to a football training facility (http://www.d1sportstraining.com/) and every day at noon half the agency treks over to do an hour-long boot camp. All I do is bring my workout clothes to work, then come noon, I don't have an excuse to say, "Eh, you guys go on. I'm going to stay here at my desk". So I go. Almost every day since my 2nd day of work. I look at it as 4th period gym I used to have in high school.

Sudie G:
My biggest motivation for working out, is to fit in my clothes w/o having to switch my wardrobe size! I dont like being a "jiggly puff". I love Ariane's bootcamps to death - and even sent her an email from EU - saying how much I miss them!!!

Anonymous:
For motivation check out NYRR's achilles hope and possibility 5 mile race. Runners with all sorts of disabilities (wheelchairs, prosthetic legs) run 5 miles and run them FAST! It's so inpiring. This year I signed up but then ended up getting called in to work, so I ran a 5-mile race the following weekend. It was raining and the course sucked, but I ran like wildfire thinking "If these tough-as-nails people with prosthetic legs manage to do this... shame on me if I don't push myself to go faster!" Every time I don't feel like running, I think of those 'disabled' runners and I have no excuse not to move my ass ;)

And the winners, by random draw are:

Winners - please contact me at preethi27@yahoo.com with your addresses so I can have your Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp DVDs mailed to you!

What do you call a tailor on Elizabeth Street?

2011-10-18T00:51:00.007-04:00

Um, Elizabeth Tailor, of course.

It's my favorite tailoring/alteration place in Manhattan. Elizabeth Tailor is also my answer for what to do when you need to take in your clothing as a result of all your fabulous workout efforts! The place is a bit easy to miss: It's in Chinatown right off Canal Street on Elizabeth, right above two jewelry stores. The pink banner fluttering from the fire escape is your only sign.

Ask for Ann. She impressed me no end when I brought her a hopeless-fitting sari blouse that I had tailored in Edison, NJ. She took one look at it and knew what was wrong - something I couldn't for the life of me get the experienced sari-blouse tailor to understand. I needed it in a hurry and I didn't want to spend much more money on the damn thing so she fixed it the "quick" way - with a few nips and tucks, here and there. And for this, I love Ann even more. Because I could tell the seamstress in her wanted to take it apart and put it back together "properly" (and she offered me that option) but she totally respected my budget and rather lax attitude about it all and she made it work. And beautifully, at that.

Ever since, she's been my go-to. FYI, I pretty much never go up or down an entire size - I just go from having a good fit to looking like an overstuffed cannoli in the same size. So I'm talking about cinching and tucking and taking in clothing to fit your more slender form. Not to mention getting all your reasonably well-fitting clothing to fit you perfectly.

If you're not gaining weight, and you look and feel good in what you're wearing, don't worry about what your clothing size says. I have kinda broad hips. And thighs for that matter. (But the latter, I blame entirely on my South Indian genes. Seriously. Can't have anything to do with too much chocolate or wine.) So sometimes I have to buy a size up and take in the waist and darts at the back. I also have a short-ish torso (that's when you'll notice your sleeves slipping off your shoulders a bit or your dress shirt or dress wrinkling at the small of your back instead of fitting smoothly along the curve).

Ann is a genius at getting rid of what looks like a bit of extra material or unseemly folds and gathers, and making an outfit look like it was made to be worn by you. Which, I think, along with a healthy figure, is the key to looking great. And Ann helps you without burning a hole in your wallet. So you don't feel silly further tailoring something you didn't pay too much for to begin with. And you feel fine spending a bit extra on what may have already been a splurge.

A little tailoring is so worth it.

(However I'd say never, NEVER visit a tailor to having your clothing let out. And please don't start buying a larger size to accomodate blubber. This may sound masochistic, but you've got to use that uncomfortable squeeze you feel as motivation to get and stay fit!)

An extra 2 cents
(You may call it tough love. As long as you know it's love.)
You know, to a large extent, it doesn't matter how expensive your clothes are. Though nice material makes a difference, it's really all about the fit and how your clothes look on you. That goes double for the chunky, big-bellied menfolk sporting $200 designer shirts. Save your money for an exercise class and work on that body or it's all for naught! (Equally pointless - a fancy ride with which to transport said overweight frame. That just draws attention to it, people!) Same tough love for the ladies. There isn't a single Chloe bag or pair of Prada boots out there gorgeous enough to distract from or make up for an out-of-shape body. Because how you treat your body - whether you're stuffing it, starving it or treating it right - is the greatest giveaway for how you truly feel about yourself. And a healthy body makes a bigger statement than any designer label possibly can or will.

Elizabeth Tailor
26A Elizabeth Street
Chinatown, NYC
Phone: (212) 374-9086

I'd recommend calling before you go to make sure Ann is in.

For some Indian ladies who I know are wondering:
Ann charges about $150 to tailor an Indian sari blouse from scratch. Verrrry steep compared to the $50 charge in Edison. BUT, it took me 4 hours to get to Edison and back. And I had to do that twice because the blouse didn't fit at my first trial. And that tailor was a freakin' moron and didn't have the blouse ready when I got there. (Sound familiar?) So when you factor in an 8-hour commute, gas money and finding someone to do you the huge favor of driving you back and forth from Manhattan (Thanks Sheebs!) and the frustration of dealing with incompetent buffoons, I'm thinking Elizabeth Tailor might be worth a try!

DON'T FORGET
You still have a chance to win an awesome Brooklyn Boot Camp DVD. (And then you can hang out with Elizabeth Tailor.) Just go to my last post The Blind Woman on the Treadmill and share your motivation to work out. Not only will you be entered in a drawing for the DVD, but you will also inspire a bunch of other people to keep going on their journey to getting fit and skinny!

The blind woman on the treadmill

2011-10-04T13:43:00.002-04:00

A rather long-winded post about inspiration (I was in a sharing mood) plus your chance to win a Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp DVD to put that inspiration to good use.

It's been a kind of rough September. I'd been feeling that icky reluctance to take on Fall right at the end of August. And of course, there was no easing into it. It's like a bell went off last weekend and some sadist turned the thermostat way low.

With the blahs smugly setting up shop in my brain, I figured I'd better get me some endorphins to chase them out. So I signed myself up for last month's Slim & Strong bootcamp, the month-long indoor bootcamp with Ariane Hundt, where she slaps us around from 6:30 to 7:30 am, three days a week.

I couldn't exercise too much this summer because I busted my big toe the first week of June (I did do a lot of pilates reformer and tower classes which I loved and which helped with strength, but were not enough to keep my body type in shape). And remember that fat burning trick I told you worked so well? Well it seems I couldn't take my own advice about not relying on that effect to last forever. I was so thrilled to discover that my body would reward me for my past diligence by giving some leeway in my eating and exercising for a good long month. So thrilled that I thought, why not push it just a bit more? I began to add a cupcake in here and there. And what's a little gelato while you're at it, right? Then I spent a weekend on the Cape with my friend Patty whom I adore for ordering my all-time favorite Razzleberry Pie from Marion's (poor lady probably didn't expect me to finish half of it). And of course, outdoor cocktail season was here. And that pretty much did it.

The funny thing is it happened sooo slowly, this weight gain (unlike the last time when I was on vacay and could feel the accelerated accretion). I was still the same clothing size, but just in overstuffed canoli mode. Not pretty. My turf toe meant I was pretty much reduced to flip-flops - no closed-toes and certainly no heels. Which meant not too many form-fitting dresses, hence no barometer of my blubber. When I stepped on the scale for weigh-in last month, I thought Ariane's scale had a problem. I went home, annoyed to discover my personal scale seemed to have the same problem.

Well, September's Slim & Strong was nothing short of torture. It's a miracle I didn't miss a class. I was simply just not in the mood. My alarm going off in the morning was like a bad joke. The darkness at 5:30 am was (and is) depressing to me. Walking out into it made me feel like a troll.

It made me question "Why am I subjecting myself to this?" Such a stupid question. I've always carried the reason in my gut. Yes, literally.

So boo-hoo, poor me, etc. I was bitching about this to my friend Saumya one morning. She told me about this woman who comes to her NYSC gym on 86th & Lex, and gets on the treadmill. What's so remarkable about that? The woman is blind. Blind on a treadmill. This absolutely blew my mind. Apparently, she just comes in. Someone guides her on to the machine. She hangs up her stick. And she's off!

Now, I hate treadmills. I get bored to death on them (I need a TV in front of me showing picture with subtitles to read while I listen to good music to distract me enough to stay on one). So to imagine this woman who cannot even see where she's running, let alone the bizarre contraption she's running on, just humbled me no end. I mean, talk about dedication to your health and working out!

Mind you, I don't say this meaning to diminish what a blind person can achieve or do. But you know, if I were to come up with my own list of top extenuating circumstances to excuse my lazy ass from exercising, I can quite confidently say blindness would be pretty high up there.

So I've signed up for October's Slim & Strong. (Miraculously, I did end up losing 3% of my body fat in September and finally started lifting 10 pound weights. I didn't lose much actual weight, visible on the scale, but did burn through 4.7 pounds of pure fat (gross!) and put on 2 pounds of muscle. I thought it might be wise to continue the progress with the crazy intensity that Ariane's class delivers.)

When my alarm goes off these days and I'm conjuring up creative excuses to stay in bed, I think to myself "blind woman on treadmill". Quite honestly, it doesn't make exercising any easier, but it does inspire me to get the hell up and get going!

Really, though, there's plenty of inspiration all around, if you're looking. Olivia Ward, winner of The Biggest Loser reality show, was in our class last month and told me she lost half her body weight (129 pounds!!) in less than a year. How nuts is that? I was so inspired meeting her - not simply because of her weight loss, but for reminding me of the wonder of the possibility of change. In all spheres of life. There's so much you can do in just one year. Made me feel hopeful of a myriad other things!

But inspiration doesn't have to even be that extreme. My bootcamp buddy Luz gets up at 4 am to commute into the city for class. She's been doing so for months. And she has children. And she works. And she's still always smiling (not to mention, looking super hot these days)! She says she notices the difference and her kids notice the difference - both in how she looks and feels about herself. I tell you, every time I talk to someone in bootcamp, I'm more motivated and happy to be there.

It's not about loving exercise - god knows that would be the end of my progress if it were - or 'feeling' like working out. Seriously, don't bother waiting for that feeling. All this really has nothing to do with exercise, per se. It's about wanting to be fit and healthy and full of energy. And it's about how great you will feel after you've worked out. Keep your eye on that prize and get going!

If you need motivation to finally get your body back into shape (or get it into shape for the first time!) I'd highly recommend starting off by joining an exercise class. The people around you are pretty much of like mind. They understand the sacrifice and the struggle and the bitching and the moaning. Because (and this is from a 'Daily Om' post) through all this, we are never really alone, even though it might seem that way. There is inspiration all around us in the form of other people making their way through the world, in the very same boat. Remember to look around you for role models, companionship and encouragement.

SPEAKING OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND INCENTIVE:

Ariane has offered my readers a chance to win a free Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp DVD (She's given me 3 of them so your chances are pretty damn good!). In case any of you slackers don't read every word of every one of my blog posts (imagine!) Ariane recently came out with her own killer fitness DVD - and I do mean you'll quite literally keel over after doing it. You can read my post about it here.

What do you need to do? Share any inspiration you have or have had to start working out, keep working out or push yourself toward a better body and healthy eating in the comments section below. Not only will you give us all something to think about when our resolve to work out gets a bit mushy, but you'll also be entered into a drawing to win this fitness DVD!

So get going. Get inspired. And share some of that good energy here.

(Winners will be announced on October 22nd. An extra special thanks to Ariane for continuing to inspire me and now sharing the beating with my peeps!)

Post Irene Touch-Up with Edward Bess

2011-08-31T17:16:00.007-04:00

Monday, after the hurricane kinda sorta hit NYC, my friend Sheeba and I decided to go do our part to aid economic losses incurred by the city due to weekend closure, with a quick stop at Bergdorf's on 5th Ave. We headed straight to the Edward Bess counter downstairs and were thrilled to bump into the man himself.

I first met Edward Bess last year while on a search for my next favorite lipstick color. I was at Bergdorf's with Sheeba then, as well. (FYI, I pretty much do all my makeup shopping with her - ever since she introduced me to my very first eyeshadow 13 years ago at Urban Outfitters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The girl knows her stuff. And unlike me, knows how to apply it like an expert as well.)

That day, a woman from some other makeup counter told us we had to check out the Edward Bess colors, especially because he was at his counter himself. Sheeba was very excited about meeting a designer with his own makeup line. I was mortified. God alone knew what crap I had on my face. Plus I was more like a toddler with a crayon as far as wearing makeup was concerned at the time. Of course, it didn't matter. He was a sweetheart and reduced us to giggling girls with his charm. Quite the scene, considering he's in his young 20s and so talented.

The products he tried on us that first visit became our go-to faves. The thing about his colors are that they are your basics, but in their prettiest forms. Colors that never go out of style - eternally elegant - most of them understated and natural. Rather than making you over, they kind of make you look like the best version of yourself. (And you'll notice that if you can stop staring at Edward's porcelain skin and unjustly perfect hair. Am I gushing? I can't help it. The man is beautiful. And fun to hang with to boot.)

On Monday, Sheebs tried the 'Island Escape' trio of eye shadows. She also has on Edward's brown eye liner and mascara. He finished her lips with Demi-Buff lipstick and Nude Satin gloss.

I wanted to try a couple of his shadows for a bronzy look so he used 'Nude' on my whole lid and brow, and 'Mystery' in my crease. As of now, his concealers are all too light for my skin tone (he's promised to add more to his line in the future) so he grabbed one from Laura Mercier (he never hesitates to use someone else's line on you if he thinks it'll look good on you - another thing I love about going to him). I also have on his mascara and black liner, the Desert Sun bronzer and the Natural Seduction Lipstick with Dark Blossom gloss.

Below are my go-to products and colors in lipsticks, glosses, rouge and bronzer.

Lipsticks
Edward's lipsticks and glosses smell like figs. The fragrance is extremely light (you can't really smell it once it's on you). And you'll never get that faint smell of oil you get with so many brands (I have a very sensitive nose and as you may have gathered from my post on sunscreens, there are way too many things that make me sneeze or give me hives, lipsticks included). They glide on beautifully and look moist and creamy on your lips and have a little shine.

Natural Seduction - An incredible nude neutral that goes with anything you're wearing. Great when you're trying to keep your look simple or understated. Especially great with a smokey eye. I use it a lot under glosses - both sheer and colored.

Deep Lust - This is the color my lips should have been to go perfectly with my skin.

Glosses
I love the texture of the glosses. They feel moisturizing, not sticky.

Dark Blossom - An understated, lovely reddish medium brown. By itself, it gives your lip a nice hue. I love wearing it over Edward's Natural Seduction lipstick. Makes it look deliciously creamy.

Nude Satin - (I always thought this shade was called 'Nude Satan'.) This gloss has absolutely the slightest baby pink tint to it. Great to wear by itself, gorgeous to soften the color of any lipstick you're wearing, just a touch.

Lipliner
There is only one for his entire collection and it goes with everything. I use it more like a base for glosses and very light colored lipsticks. My upper lip is a bit darker than my lower, so sheer lipsticks look kind of odd on me if they're really light. This pencil creates a neutral colored base on my lips so I can wear nice baby pinks and get the true color I'm going for.

Ultra-luminous Bronzer
This stuff makes your face look airbrushed. I kid you not. 'Desert Sun' works well for my skin tone. 'Daydream' is the color for lighter skin.

Compact Rouge for Lip and Cheeks
After Sunset - This is an almost pinkish-brownish rose colored sheer cream tint that looks very natural. It's on the pinker side of Natural Seduction. For me, it's especially great when I can't figure out what shade goes with what I'm wearing and I want just a bit more color than a neutral lip.

You may have guessed that this line is not inexpensive (however a double negative does make a positive, right?). The line is completely worth it though. Edward has also just come out with a face moisturizer called 'Black Sea' that looks and feels rather amazing. Might have to try that after the next natural disaster.

Edward Bess sells his line in only two stores - Bergdorf Goodman in NYC and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, LA. Online, you can get his products on their respective websites as well as on his site and internationally at Zuneta.

Ariane makes herself at home. Your home.

2011-08-26T11:40:00.001-04:00

I've been waiting forever for Ariane Hundt, my favorite trainer/sado-masochist extraordinaire (and creator of the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp) to come bounding off the bridge and into my living room with a DVD. And she finally has.

The idea of working out on my own time without having to take the subway anywhere AND knowing I'd be worked to the point of fat-burning mode was very appealing. (FYI, you don't get to burn your blubber, and therefore change your shape, till you've burned off everything stored in your muscles.) And this workout is a high-intensity-interval training workout, which means that strength training moves are alternated with cardio moves. It's the most effective way to burn fat, build muscle and get lean and toned.

I've been exercising with Ariane for 2 whole years now. I'm a good 10 pounds lighter, I've dropped at least 5% of my total body fat and I've gained several pounds of muscle. I was so ready to make this DVD an easy part of my daily routine. So imagine my dismay when the first time I tried it, I could barely get through it.

True to Ariane's style, when the workout starts, it starts in full force. No sweet-talking or pussy-footing. It's not that you don't warm up, it's that you don't warm up with any leisurely stretches and smiles and the jibber-jabber you'd expect. We're working out right alongside the group she has brought with her on The Brooklyn Bridge and we are to keep up!

Right away, she hits your arms and abs and back with push-ups and tri-cep dips - the group against benches and us against chairs. I have to say, it's really inspiring to see Ariane's great form and ridiculously amazing body while working out. Nothing like having what you're working towards in front of your face. In HD, no less.

After warming up at the base of the bridge, we're off. The group starts its run to the first tower (the bridge has two) and we, at home, begin our cardio. The screen is split in two: The left side follows the group up the bridge. The right features Ariane performing the punishment she doles out, which we are to follow. The cardio consists of just 3 exercises throughout the video: jumping jacks, sumo squats and knee-ups. Simple enough, right? Um, no. But more about that in a minute.

At each of the towers and the other end of the bridge, we strength-train using a set of resistance bands (included with the DVD) and our own body weight. Expect lots of arm work, hip, thighs and calf work, back work and of course, lots of butt-shaping and lifting donkey kicks. There isn't a single muscle group that will be spared.

At least we have the gorgeous scenery around the bridge to enjoy. This is one thing that has always helped me distract myself when I want to quit on the bridge. I just look around me. It's NYC. It's incomparable.

Back to the cardio - this is what really got me. It felt endless (I found myself shouting, "Hurry up, you bastards!" at the group on the bridge, running from one tower to the next (sorry guys!). I've always had problems with endurance doing cardio. And having to do those 3 exercises over and over didn't help (plus, I think I have some kind of physical deformity that makes me hopelessly unable to do knee-ups - my bootcamp peeps can attest to this - I've been publicly mocked! So I do jump-ropes or run in place instead).

The second time I did the video, it did get better. But I was still reeling from the sheer volume of jumping jacks, sumo squats and knee-ups we had to endure. It just felt crazy. So I went straight to the source to find out why she chose to repeat just these 3 forms of torture above all else. Here's what Ariane said:

"All three cardio moves will increase your heart rate while at the same time working muscles in your entire body. Working your muscles as your heart rate is increased is the most effective way to burn fat. It is also the best way to induce a high afterburn effect, which is the number of calories you burn in the 24-48 hours after your workout. The greater your afterburn the greater the fat burn and muscle growth."

I should've known there would be a method to the madness. But 600 jumping jacks and 570 sumo squats?

"Jumping jacks and sumo squats work your entire body: your arms, shoulders, back, and your entire lower body and butt - wouldn't you rather work out effectively and efficiently rather than spending hours on a video only to have hit a few muscle groups?

"These two moves increase your heart rate fast and stimulate your
muscles to use up their stored energy. Once that energy is used up (within 20-30 minutes if you work out on an empty stomach in the morning) your body switches to burning stored body fat. And, that's when you start to see the fat melt away. So, 600 jumping jacks and 570 sumos don't sound so bad anymore, do they? :-)"

Don't sound bad? Jury's out on that one! But I definitely want to make the most of my hour. No question there. Eventually I'll get close to getting through it. But how is a beginner supposed to approach this (I've already gifted this to a couple of my friends!)?

"The Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp DVD is designed to be a challenge time after time... If you're a complete beginner then complete the video in stages. Start with 20-30 minutes the first day and then every time add more and more time until you can complete the entire workout without stopping. Perform the video every other or every 3 days to condition your body to improve time after time. It's all about getting better based on where you started, so don't consider yourself out of shape if you can't complete it all at your first go."

I have to say, that made me feel a bit better for every time I did think of stopping after about 30 minutes. But I actually love the strength training stuff she does at the towers and don't want to miss out. I do realize I could just fast forward through the cardio but I don't dare. Ariane has a very strong presence and she somehow manages to blend being super tough with being encouraging, inspiring and positive. So you're not frightened of her like you'd imagine being terrified of a bootcamp instructor, but you're juuuust a teeny bit scared. Mostly of her energy.

Last summer, my friend Seema and I had just come out of the subway for bootcamp at the Brooklyn Bridge and found it had started raining. Sure enough, we saw Ariane out there anyway but didn't feel like getting drenched. So what did we do? What any 2 normal, grown women would - we just approached her and told her frankly we weren't up for it and left. Hahaha. No we didn't. We hid. Two grown women. We hid from Ariane Hundt, behind a pillar, praying she didn't see us and wouldn't come over there and drag our sorry asses over to the bridge to be kicked from Manhattan to Brooklyn and back. Because she totally would. And only when she was safely out of sight did we slink back down into the subway and head out for a drink instead. (Bad. BAD!)

Well, take a peek at the woman herself in action. I seriously love her to death - she's changed my body, my health, my nutrition and my consciousness. And she might do the same for you.

The DVD is available for purchase on the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp site. You can get more fitness tips from Ariane here and on her Slim & Strong blog.

Seriously Easy Salmon

2011-08-23T00:38:00.004-04:00

Not only is this recipe seriously easy, but it's ridiculously quick and healthy. The sauce is so creamy and good, it feels like a cheat meal. Great for dinner tonight. And tomorrow. With leftovers. (The recipe below makes three 5-ounce servings.)

SERIOUSLY EASY SALMON

The Salmon:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (I use half of that and just brush it all over the pan)
1 lb of salmon (divided into 3 pieces for 5-oz filets)
Lots of salt and pepper

The Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%)
½ shallot, minced (use about 1 tbsp minced onion if you don't have shallots)
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp chopped fresh dill (I used almost 2)
Pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper

Method:
Make the sauce first so you can serve the salmon right off the pan. Whisk together yogurt, garlic powder, salt, lemon, shallots and dill. That's it for the sauce.

For the salmon, coat a skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat. When hot, add the filets to the pan, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the skin is nice and brown (how long you cook it really depends on how thick your filet is. I just wait till I see the bottom half of the pink flesh get opaque-ish and then flip it.) Cook for 3 minutes on the other side or just till the rest of the flesh is opaque. I like leaving mine a bit pink so I don't cook it through completely. Don't overcook or it'll get dry.

Pour sauce over salmon and serve. If, like me, you have no clue what to do with the extra dill, then garnish.

WHY YOU'LL FEEL SO GOOD

Salmon - Protein-rich and delicious. Has omega 3 fatty acids (the good fat that reduces inflammation in your body) and a 4 oz serving (approx the size of your palm) gives you an entire day's worth of vitamin D and more. As my friend Sudie would say when she gets in the last word, "Now how about that?"

Greek yogurt - Another excellent source of protein. Plus it has more calcium than milk and contains live cultures that aid digestion. And even the fat-free Greek yogurt is incredibly creamy. In general, it's a good idea to switch from regular to Greek yogurt.

Dill - Good source of manganese, iron and magnesium and apparently contains something called 'carvone', which has a calming effect and aids with digestion by relieving intestional gas.

Note:
I modified this recipe from here. Essentially, I've used fat-free Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (which I do for every recipe though I loooooove sour cream). It's much healthier this way. I've also used less lemon than the original recipe and added garlic powder. I didn't have any horseradish at home so I simply left it out.

Now eat and be merry!

Out of Manhattan. And into Smorgasburg.

2011-08-19T14:35:00.010-04:00

The Skinny has hopped off the island and into BK!

You are now entering Smorgasburg – a waterside Utopia of local Greenmarket farmers, NYC chefs and food makers, and entrepreneurs who’ve come together to treat us to fresh, affordable food. Not to mention a “change in food consciousness” and sourcing.

Think local, local, local (at least as much as possible). And yummy, yummy, yummy (no qualification necessary there).

It’s being held from 9-5 every Saturday till the middle of November in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – the very first stop out of Manhattan on the L train. You can also hop on the ferry at East 34th Street Ferry Landing on the FDR which will take you straight to Smorgasburg.

The variety of drool-worthy foods here seriously blew me away. There were celebrated chefs experimenting with new recipes, small family businesses introducing their specialty foods and ordinary folk simply getting one uber-brilliant idea off the ground (see Rob & Anna’s below). It was inspiring.

Now, there were lots of pastries and desserts and fried chicken and noodles, so it would be a great place to go for a king sized cheat meal. BUT if you’re not due for a cheat meal, I’m ecstatic to report that you’ll do just as well! And I do mean dessert included. I’m serious.

IF YOU'RE EATING HEALTHY:

King’s County Jerky Co.

With neither experience nor cash to start a restaurant, Rob Stout (in pic below) and Chris Woehrle decided to focus on one snack. They decided to reinvent jerky. And did they ever. This stuff is plain delicious. The beef they use is grass fed and super lean. And the jerky is homemade with no MSG or other chemicals. They had 3 flavors at Smorgasburg - Classic, Orange-ginger and Korean BBQ – and they encourage you to try all before you buy (which I’ve always thought says a lot about someone’s product). I loved the last 2 but chose to go home with the Korean BBQ because it had a nice kick to it.

By the way, all you people who’ve been asking me for examples of acceptable snacks – this is definitely one of them. It’s full of protein, it's low-carb and a good source of zinc. (FYI, all jerky is pretty high in sodium and does have some sat fat. It’s still a great snack but as with everything you eat, just watch your portions).

Red Hook Lobster Pound

I don’t have to tell you how protein-packed and great for you lobster is, do I? (Now the butter that goes on it is admittedly debatable but we’re at a food fair after all, and committed to being reasonably healthy, not achieve sainthood.)

I generally thumb my nose at NYC lobsta – anyone from New England would understand that. But I have to say, this lobster roll is the best I’ve ever had in the city and really good.

(Sorry - my husband got at it before I could take a pic of the whole thing.)

You can have it with butter (Yes!) or with mayo (Blasphemy! You don’t sully lobsta like that!). It’s succulent and cooked just right. Oddly enough, I tried it a few days later from one of Red Hook’s food trucks parked in Manhattan and didn’t think it tasted as fresh as it had at Smorgasburg. Which makes sense, I guess, on account of the crazy quick turnover at the fair.

D-Vine and Olive

Nothing like being invited to sample everything in the house. And I never hesitate. D-Vine and Olive is a family business based out of upstate NY that specializes in extra virgin olive oil and vinegars from the U.S. and abroad. The oils are cold-pressed and infused with pure, whole ingredients like basil, garlic and lemon. No artificial flavors, of course.

I loved this mix of herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, peppers and more) to throw into olive oil for dipping. They also suggested using it as a quick rub for meats which I’ll need to try soon.

Tenpenny

If you've got to get in your veggies (and you know you do) then there's nothing like having fresh market vegetables with lemon crème fraîche, ranch powder and caramelized sunchoke crumble. Now if I could drum that up at home, it would make eating vegetables sooo much more enticing. By the way, this is the little outpost of the Tenpenny restaurant in mid-town.

Rob & Anna's

I promised you dessert. And here it is: Rob & Anna’s. Say it fast, several times. Get it? How about now? And now? (That’s right, my clever peeps – RAW BANANAS.)

The taste was just, well, bananas! Like a banana gelato or icecream, but there’s no milk, no cream, no sugar, no preservatives. Literally just bananas. The secret, apparently, is just frozen bananas put through a food processor. I saw it with my own eyes. And the sauce? Just fruit. I had the raspberry coulis which was just raspberry and dates. Again, no sugar, no nothing. Talk about guilt-free. Healthy. Natural. Amazing!

Unfortunately, these guys have no other outposts anywhere in the city. Saturdays at Smorgasburg is it. I say it’s worth the trip.

IF YOU'VE EARNED A CHEAT MEAL:

King's Crumb

This has got to be the best fried chicken I have ever tried in my life. Ever. How these people (apparently a cook from Momofuku Noodle Bar, a bartender from Prime Meats and another friend) get it so crispy on the outside without making it in the least bit greasy and then so juicy on the inside is absolutely beyond me. And the homemade biscuits they serve it between - light and fluffy.

I shared this with my husband and half is really all you need. I so want to come back to try the biscuits with clotted cream and homemade mixed berry jam. Or the biscuits they serve with suckling pig. Yum. Another day. Another cheat meal.

Kumquat Cupcakery

Um, yes. That is bacon on a cupcake. And I'm not sure I can even describe how insanely happy it made me. Can you imagine a maple cinnamon cake topped with vanilla frosting and a thick cut of bacon? God bless Keavy Landreth, the genius who came up with these. You've got to take a look at her other flavors.

She also sells this bourbon sauce which is pretty much all sugar and bourbon and deelish. I tried it and knew it would mean trouble if I had it casually sitting in my kitchen so I had to pass. But the next time I'm having a party (my only excuse) and serving ice cream, this is the stuff I'm pouring on it.

Stay tuned for more from my next trip across the river. In the meanwhile, if you're looking for a cheap and rather awesome getaway, I'd say Smorgasburg would be it. I do so heart NYC.

TIP:
If you're looking to enjoy all the eats, I'd highly recommend you get there by noon at the latest. When I was there, a lot of stalls were packing up by 2pm because they had run out of food! To shop for fruits and vegetables, get there by 10.

Smorgasburg is on the waterfront at 27 N 6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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On maintaining fabulosity. Part 1: Sunblock

2011-07-29T00:33:00.008-04:00

In my book, there’s a lot more to being Skinny than being slim. Being Skinny is a fabulous by-product of being healthy. And there’s a lot of maintenance and wellness that has nothing to do with weight loss that goes a long way toward your general health.

It seems like a lot of people associate maintenance with vanity. And they let themselves go or think they’re too busy, or old or lazy to do anything about their bodies or diet or skin or hair. Which is kind of stupid if you think about it. You maintain your car, your house, your dog, your job. And that’s not vain. And just FYI, I’m not talking about pampering yourselves with spa treatments or facials or manicures or anything remotely more complicated than putting some damn lotion on that dry skin of yours. Or taking care of those distracting fly-aways with a bit of pomade. Or not leaving home without sun block so you don’t end up looking splotchy or blotchy or burnt (not to mention raising your risk of skin cancer).

Since we are still blessed to be in the middle of summer, I'm going to share my favorite sunblocks (and in future posts, other favorite things to keep you Skinny). You know that crazy lady you see sitting at CVS for about 2 hours squirting every bottle of every lotion on her hands and arms, sniffing it, making exaggerated faces to show disgust or delight? Well that’s me. Every year. Just testing what’s come out to see how it feels, how it works and if it makes me sneeze or break out (FYI, just about everything makes me sneeze, if not sneeze and break out, so if you have sensitive skin and are allergic to anything that remotely smells, this is probably a good guide).

So here are my favorite sunblocks/sunscreens (I'm using both terms interchangeably - though one term sounds stronger than the other, there's no difference). All of these feel great on your skin. No residue and minimal white-powder-on-your-face look (which is most dreadful on darker skin). None of these smell like anything, least of all like sun block. All are broad-spectrum, meaning that they deflect both UVA (think Aging) and UVB (think Burning) rays. But more about that later.

Super Goop's Save Face - SPF 35 (Pictured above)

Moisturizer and sun block. I love this because it makes your face look moist, lush and dewy (hello youth!). It might feel a bit greasy when it goes on but it dries right up in a minute and you can’t feel it. Most impressive, is that it's even paraben-free and meets the safety standards of the Environmental Worker's Group cosmetic database. It’s also water and sweat proof so works awesomely well when you’re exercising outdoors. I’ve tried it out in crazy humidity during boot camp on the Brooklyn Bridge and it keeps. Don't forget, as with any 'water- and sweat-proof stuff, you HAVE to reapply every hour to an hour and a half. I get mine at Sephora.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase UV - SPF 30

Moisturizer and sun block. Great for every day use, walking around the city. Your skin will feel moist and plump under this stuff. It also sits exceptionally well under makeup. It’s extremely light, has no smell and just feels like a good moisturizing face lotion. Does not do very well in humidity though. You'll feel like your face is running off. And you most definitely can’t use it during exercise. You’ll sweat it off in a minute.

La Roche-Posay makes another sunscreen called Anthelios which contains meroxyl (great for UVA rays) and has an SPF of 40. I wanted to love it, especially because it gets such a great rating from the EWG and reviewers online. It's very thick, a bit hard to spread and gets you quite pasty (my husband actually asked if I was unwell when I was wearing it). The stuff seriously works, though. But I'd stick with the Super Goop or the Aveeno Positively Ageless for my face (see below) for a higher SPF.

Clarins Eye Contour Care - SPF 30

Sun block only. I love that this is made specifically for the delicate skin under your eyes and on your eyelids. On brown skin there is a very, very faint white film. But that's because it uses mineral filters which are considered safer for your skin (at least in cream form) and creates a physical barrier which is great for sun protection. Pat it in well and it almost disappears in a few minutes. I do find it hard to put concealer on top of it but that may just be because my under-eyes tend to get dry. I recommend using a light eye cream under it (Clinique's All About Eyes is my fav) as this is purely a sun screen.

Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-Touch Sunblock - SPF 85

More of a sun block than moisturizer though I don't apply anything under this. Good old Neutrogena. Lots of great products but this one's exceptional. It seriously does dry on your face very quickly while leaving no trace of white and is not in the least bit greasy. Also works great during outdoor exercise. Its consistency is a bit thick and of all the sunblocks mentioned here, this is the one that smells most like sunblock (which is not bad because none of the above really smells like sunblock anyway). I love that it's readily available in drugstores everywhere.

A word - if you see the American Cancer Society’s logo or the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation on Neutrogena (or any other products for that matter), do take it with a grain of salt. Neutrogena pays a royalty to use the former's logo and the brands with the latter's seal have to pay to be members before any approval takes place. Not that the two organizations lack merit or standards, but I'm always skeptical of approvals that come with the exchange of money.

Aveeno POSITIVELY AGELESS Sunblock Lotion for Face - SPF 70

Moisturizer and sun block. I use this stuff all over my body when I'm on the beach or walking around in the sun on vacation (for some reason, I'm a lot more vigilant of sun-blocking my entire body on vacay than not). It's light and has an extremely faint but pleasant smell. It's great on your face too, but I'm kind of hung up on Super Goop for my face on days I'm not looking for a higher SPF.

Aveeno HYDROSPORT Sunblock Spray - SPF 85

Sun block only. I use this on my body when I'm getting serious sun. Think beach with no beach umbrella (and yes, if I can help it, I won't sit on the beach without an umbrella - it's really bad for your skin!). I like it better than the Neutrogena sprays mostly because it smells much, much better. It's seriously waterproof which is great. But it's a pain getting it off in the shower. You need to give yourself a good scrub with a washcloth (which is actually great as you need to get all that dead skin and salt water spray off you anyway - tough when you're feeling lazy though).

Chapstick Moisturizer - SPF 15

You didn't think you could ignore your lips, did you? They can burn too. And besides, dried lips make you look crunchy and plain unkempt. Which is fine if you're hugging a tree. But I'm guessing you're not.

I've tried so many different products for my lips - Clinique, Burt's Bees, Neutrogena, Blistex, to name a few - but I keep coming back to ChapStick. It's so basic. And with the SPF 15, it's perfect. I like this particular kind because (surprise!) it doesn't smell or give me hives. It doesn't sting like Burt's Bees, it's not kinda waxy like Blistex, it doesn't make your lips feel kinda itchy like Clinique, and it goes on kinda thicker than Neutrogena does, but not so thick that your lipstick won't smear on. It isn't waterproof but doesn't just come off if you've licked your lips a few times or have something to drink. Which in a large nutshell, is why I love it.

Now, I will say that it's not as much fun or luxurious-feeling as my real favorite, Fresh's 'Sugar' Lip Treatment. After all, it doesn't smell like cake batter, which is the one smell I'm not allergic to, but then ChapStick also doesn't cost $23. Which means I can put one of these things in each and every purse I own so I don't have to remember to carry it with me. Also, as much as I love Fresh's 'Sugar', it's lousy under lipstick.

Stuff that makes me sneeze:
Banana Boat, Copper Tone, Peter Thomas Roth, Clinique, Murad. Completely nauseating. I did try the new Shiseido sunblock - the one with an orange cap. No smell, but it goes on (and stays) pasty white. I looked like bit-character in Twilight - Edward's long lost South Asian relative. Not pretty.

And just FYI about SPF:

*The actual SPF (Sun Protection Factor) only refers to UVB rays. So you can have a sun block that claims SPF factor of 110. But that’s just about its ability to deflect UVB rays. The same sun block can have a UVA protection factor of only 12, as is the actual case with Banana Boat Sport Performance Active Max Protect SPF 110! No kidding. Check out the Sunscreen Hall of Shame.

*Apparently there are no studies that support the notion that SPF levels over 50 do anything more to protect you from skin damage and skin cancer. Which is bizarre. I love slathering on the 85 and feeling bullet proof. A Huff Post article went as far as to say “…the high-SPF products contain greater amounts of sun-blocking chemicals that may pose health risks like tissue damage and hormone disruption, thus increasing a person's exposure to these chemicals more than if they used a lower-SPF sunscreen." Might not be a bad idea to switch to Neutogena's DryTouch with SPF 45.

*In order for your sun block to work at its full SPF capacity, you need to seriously slather it on. Most of us don't because it seems like it'll make our skin look oily-ish or because the consistency makes it seem excessive. But SPF factors are based on at least twice as much sunscreen as you probably use. Put in perspective - half the recommended amount of an SPF 50 sunscreen will only provide SPF 7 protection. Yikes. Make sure you use enough. (An entire ounce is recommended for your entire body. Though I'd think that depends on how big/tall you are. I couldn't find anything that clarified this better. Anyone know?)

*UVA over-exposure is more of a long-term thing associated with immune suppression and skin aging. As of now, there's no real regulation about what words on product labels guarantee what level of protection against UVA rays. The only way to really be sure is to look on the label to make sure your sun block contains zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, Mexoryl or avobenzone. Should be easier, right? Apparently the FDA is working on it. (Ha.)

*One last thing taken directly from the American Academy of Dermatology's FAQs page: There is no safe way to tan. A tan damages the skin. Tanning occurs when ultraviolet rays penetrate the epidermis, the skin's outer layer causing the production of melanin as a response to the injury.

Do you hear that people? Please, please, stay the hell away from tanning beds/salons. Keep from baking in the sun without sun block. It's not worth it. If you really need some help feeling good about being abominably fair-skinned, please visit my mother in India. She'll convince you you're absolutely blessed.

One more message for you:

Photo credits: Aveeno products from www.Aveeno.com, Neutrogena product from www.Neutrogena.com, La Roche-Posay products from www.LaRochePosay.com, Super Goop from www.sephora.com, Chapstick from www.cvs.com

Quickie blubber burn

2011-06-28T13:53:00.002-04:00

Yes, this is the stuff I'm talking about burning off. Good old fat. (And this is what it looks like in your body!)

I’ve been somewhat out of commission for a couple of weeks – I tore a ligament around my left big toe joint while sprinting up the stairs at boot camp. I was halfway through my workout and was so determined to get in the full thing (especially since I had managed to get my ass to the bridge by 6:30 am) that I continued on my toe, hobbling like a drunken toddler throughout. Clearly not the brightest idea.

It’s just that it’s summer. And I had already missed so many workouts from being sick. And I didn’t want to gain back anything I had tried so hard to lose. Again.

So last week, when I passed the 2 week mark of having rested, iced, compressed and elevated my foot (and being thoroughly depressed by it all), I decided it was time to slowly get back into the swing of things. At least with some upper body exercise.

Being generally masochistic, I stepped on a scale just before starting my first workout – the morning after a lovely cheat meal, no less. I was completely prepared to cringe. So imagine my shock when the scales showed I hadn’t really gained any weight! (FYI, I don’t count 1-2 pound fluctuations, as long as they fluctuate right on back at some point during the day, of course.)

I was pleasantly stunned. This was exactly what I had been hoping for but didn’t dare expect (oh me of little faith!). Especially because I knew exactly how it had happened: In my last round of Slim & Strong, the month-long exercise program with Ariane, I had seriously concentrated on burning pounds of pure, actual fat (more than just losing weight). Fat. Blubber. The stuff that bounces a few more times when you’ve stopped your jumping jacks. It’s a result that might or might not necessarily show up on the scale (especially if you’ve developed muscle in its place) but one that actually makes your body look different.

What's seriously cool about it, however, is that it really gives you some leeway in terms of exercise. Now I'm not advocating you burn all this fat and stop exercising. But I had to cut down my exercise drastically all of last month. I ate reasonably well (was really good with the portion control when I was eating less-than-healthy) and I still look more or less the same - maybe a bit less toned, but still something I'm happy with. Which feels sooooo good. Clearly, burning fat is a pretty damn lasting way to change the shape of your body.

How this all works
When you start a workout, the very first thing your body turns to for energy, is whatever fuel you have stored in your muscles - the glycogen. If you want to make a literal dent in your body fat, you need to burn off all this stored glycogen so that the body will then turn to its next source of energy: your fat reserves. And that’s where the magic really begins. Because when you start to burn that off, you’re really going to see crazy change in your body.

Normally, it’ll take you a good 45 minutes to burn off your stored energy to reach your fat. (Of course, I’m speaking pretty broadly – this number could possibly be less for you depending on your weight, body fat, when you last ate, etc… I just like taking the worst-case scenario.) So you figure that in an intense hour-long workout, you’re left with 15 minutes of fat-burning time.

The plan
What I needed to do was burn through the glycogen faster so I could reach my fat reserves faster and spend more of that hour making permanent change. Obviously, the less glycogen I started out with, the quicker I could get to that point.

The short story:
Once a week, for 4 weeks, I worked out on a Thursday night, had a protein shake right after (so I consumed minimal carbs) and worked out again the next morning, about 11 hours later, on an empty stomach. This meant that I burned through my glycogen stores in about 15 minutes and spent the remaining 45 minutes burning through fat. Instead of the other way around.

The detailed story for those who want to try it:

FIRST
So the first thing you need to do is get used to working out on an empty stomach in the morning. Yes. IN THE MORNING. I hear that you’re not a morning person, you have to get to work early, you’re barely functional at the hour you’d have to get up, etc., etc., whatever. Remember, we’re not talking about the rest of your life here. It’s just for now - till you reach your goal weight. So make it happen. You can always change your routine once you’re just in maintenance mode.

Think you can’t work out on an empty stomach? I did too. I used to feel seriously nauseous so it was a bit of a process for me . I started out having a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter about 40 minutes before working out. Then downsized to a couple of crackers with peanut butter. Then just a teaspoonful of plain peanut butter. And finally nothing.

NEXT
Plan a workout in the evening. Let’s say 6:30 – 7:30. Have a protein shake for dinner. This is how I made mine:
½ cup water
½ cup skim milk
2 scoops Whole Foods whey protein powder
1½ tsp Trader Joe’s natural peanut butter

This gives you roughly 38g of protein, 5g of fat and 13g carbs. So you are not starving yourself by a long shot. You are, however going very low carb for this one night in the week.

Brush your teeth immediately afterwards (so you know you’re done eating for the night.)
Go to bed early (so you know you’re done eating for the night.)

THEN
Plan your next workout 11 hours later. In this case, 6:30 am. And do it on an empty stomach. Within 30 minutes of completing your workout, have a protein shake. That would be around 8 am. Have a snack at 10:30 (handful of almonds or an apple with cottage cheese) and have your lunch around 1.

I did this just once a week for 4 weeks (I had already been doing morning workouts Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so I added in a Thursday evening workout to accomplish this). That was it. The results were really worth it. I lost 2.5% of my body fat which turned out to be almost 4 whole pounds of pure ooey-gooey fat. Gross! You really should try it.

A word
Now mind you, I’m not any kind of licensed nutritionist – merely a nutritionista picking up tips, trying to figure out the logic/science behind them and disseminating what has worked for me. I did get Ariane’s blessing while trying this out so it’s not some kind of plan for crazies. She had actually recommended adding a banana to the nighttime shake for some added carbs, just in case I thought I might feel too dizzy in the morning while working out (I didn’t. I just felt like I had been hit by a truck. But that’s pretty much how I feel after all of her workouts.) If you want a real nutritionist's deets on fat burning, here's hers.

Also keep in mind, that during this time, I ate pretty healthy. Still had my cheat meals and a few glasses of wine a week, but was conscientious about eating plenty of chicken, fish, veggies and drinking 2 liters of water a day. It's never just one trick or the other. Sucks. But c'est la vie, right?

Try this quickie blubber burn. Tell me how you fare!

Fat photo from Amazon.com - where you can actually get your own model of fat!

Do you Kangoo?

2011-05-31T18:27:00.004-04:00

Recently, I began to tire of working out (again) and decided it was time to mix it up a bit (again). And what better way to do that than with ‘Kangoo’? For those of you stuck back in 2010 wondering what that is, it’s rebound exercise – the type you’d normally imagine doing on a trampoline – but done instead with these crazy cool boots that look like the beautiful bouncing baby of a roller blade and a football.

Mario Godiva Green is the effusive trainer, choreographer and force behind the class as well as the fierce defender of Kangoo Nation, his own grassroots fitness movement. Encouraging and inspirational, he may be the happiest looking person I’ve ever met. But I guess that makes sense if you’re literally jumping up and down every single day.

Besides making sure our Kangoos were strapped on right, Mario gave us no specific instructions about getting started which had me somewhat concerned. A few minutes later, I saw why. There isn’t really much to say. You just get up and start walking around immediately. It’s almost impossible to stand still on these boots because you feel like you’re going to fall. You won’t. He was sure of it. (Me, not so much. But he was right.) Not being able to stand still is a good thing, because it means you’re constantly moving. And in this instance, because you’re always finding your balance, you’re constantly engaging your core.

I have to say, I was not prepared for how much fun all this was. I kept hearing the cartoon “boing” sound effect in my head with every step I took. It felt so Jetsons. And it felt great.

Apparently rebounding exercise does all kinds of wonderful for one’s body – most of which has to do with circulation (especially lymphatic circulation), hence really getting your blood flowing to deliver more oxygen to your tissues. Here’s NASA’s take (yes, NASA’s) on the whole thing.

Rebounding done with Kangoo boots is especially great because it’s supposed to reduce up to 80% of impact shock to your ankles, shins, knees, hips, lower back, and spine. In fact, the original purpose of these boots was to help athletes recovering from leg injuries. I’m no athlete but I do have one rubbish knee (apparently I was born this way – thanks Ma) and I was thrilled I felt no pain or discomfort from my workout. Here's more about 'Kangoo health'.

My first Kangoo class was hip-hop dance (an indoor class held at NYHRC in Midtown - you don't have to be a member to take the class). Which was fun except that my coordination is never as decent as I think it will be. Which makes me cringe whenever I catch a glimpse of myself flailing tragically in the mirror. But it really doesn’t matter because nobody cares. The group is sweet and supportive. Besides, you’re all essentially dancing to some great music, admiring Mario's killer moves and just working a lot harder at each step because of the boots.

My second class was a Kangoo boot camp, a high intensity, interval training class which I enjoyed a lot more and felt like it gave me a much better workout on the whole. We did a bunch of drills – one where we jump forward across the room with both feet together. You would not believe how tough this simple movement is. It all entails your abs and core working seriously hard. Besides this, Mario had us do full-body push-ups, donkey kicks and planks. And there was no cheating on these for the likes of me (like slipping into downward dog position to rest for a second) because I couldn’t figure out how with those damned boots on!

Other than the dance and boot camp classes, Mario conducts 2-mile runs in Central Park. If you don’t have your own Kangoos (Who on earth buys their own Kangoos? Turns out, almost everyone who comes to class!), you can rent them from Mario. Classes are priced with and without boot rental. Get scheduling, pricing and more about Kangoo on Mario’s site.

All in all, I would highly recommend that you do, in fact, Kangoo.

A Cuban Cheat Treat

2011-04-25T15:08:00.023-04:00

It’s been a while. I had a miserable bout of asthma along with a cold and couldn’t handle exercising for a good 10 days. I had to try especially hard to eat healthy during this time to balance out my lack of activity. To get back on track, I scheduled 4 days of exercise in a row for last week. And thought I’d kick it all off with a good ol’ cheat meal. And what a meal that was!

The place: Cienfuegos in the East Village
The company: My husband (above), all too happy to take me out for a cheat meal (Yes, I've dragged him into my 'lifestyle change'. He'll thank me for it. Any day now).

This has got to be my new favorite place to be. It's a colorful and lively little place situated on the second floor of its sister bar, 'El Cobre'. It’s probably a good thing the drinks here are pretty expensive or I’d be working on a new problem. The tapas, however, are surprisingly reasonably priced and seriously yummy. (That's our awesome waiter on the right.)

Cienfuegos is essentially a rum bar and specializes in punches. I’m not really that into rum (I’d always looked at it as a kind of starter drink, considering it was all my friends and I knew to order at age 18 on our very first pubbing expeditions). This however, is rum done on an entirely different level.

Our first punchbowl was The Honeybadger: Flor de Cana (4-year extra dry), Laird’s bonded Applejack, lime, passion fruit, honey and yellow banana pepper to spice it up. Needless to say, it goes down way too easy. We promptly ordered another that was actually bourbon based, called Red Bush. (The punches, by the way, are organized by potency. The Red Bush was on the much stronger end with Rooibos tea-infused bourbon, peach liqueur, cinnamon and lemon.)
To say it kicked my ass would be the ultimate understatement “Yowza!” is really the only way to describe what hits you: a burst of boozy happiness that settles into a pleasant peachy contentment. Peoples, this is good stuff.

Cienfuegos actually has plenty of non-rum based cocktails that looked pretty darn inspired and I’ll have to go back for those, though sheer variety of punches demand their own separate visits.

To soak up the punch, we had the Drunken Shrimp and the Pulpo Ceviche, which do not, in my book, even count as cheat meals. The shrimp had garlic and rum mojo on a bed of sweet mashed plantains (okay, some carbs there) and jalapeno shavings. The garlic, sweet and spicy flavors all together with the shrimp were excellent.

The ceviche had octopus tossed with hearts of palm, grape tomatoes and avocado. All-around healthy and delicious to boot.

My favorite dish, however, was the Croquetas de cangrejo con guava. These were lump crabmeat croquettes over a pat of goat cheese fondue with roasted red pepper (pictured right). And see those pretty pink diamonds on top? That’s guava paste. I love anything with the slightly tangy sweetness of guava and those things together with the crunch of the breaded and fried croquettes were pure happiness.

I really could have stopped there. I really should have stopped there. Even on a cheat meal, it’s stupid to eat past the point you’re not hungry any more. But I saw Tres Leches on the menu. And I’m a sucker for Tres Leches. This one came topped with meringue and a toasted coconut wafer. So good.

If you’re due for a cheat meal, head here. Cheat meals are important to your diet and workout plan. Even with just 2 per week, they keep you from feeling deprived and remind you that your choice to be healthier isn't about giving up great food. Just having it in moderation so you can always look fabulous while you indulge! I can honestly say this meal had me so satisfied, that working out the next day actually seemed like a pretty fair deal to me. Life not so bad,eh?

Cienfuegos
95 Avenue A
East Village
212-614-6818

Cienfuegos does not take reservations. Best to go early or really late. Dinner served till 1 am.

But how do you feel?

2011-03-17T14:51:00.022-04:00

On the Saturday before my Feb 28th weigh-in, I had a mild freak out. I hadn’t lost as many pounds as I’d wanted to. My belly still moved like jelly. And the muffin top that should have by now been completely non-existent, still existed.

I really had been quite diligent with my eating – plenty of lean protein, non-starchy carbs, good fat, 2 liters of water per day (I did have my 2 cheat meals per week, of course, but that’s a part of the program and quite frankly, at times, the only thing that inspired me to work out the next day). I exercised more than I ever have in my life with 5 boot camp classes per week between the Slim & Strong program plus drop-in classes with Ariane. And I consumed less alcohol than I ever had since beginning my drinking life way back when (and I’m from Bangalore!) – no more than 2 glasses of wine per week. So WTF?

Mild freakout turned into some serious self-loathing. The oh-so-cliched downward spiral was to be my path. The big problem here was that my focus had shifted to the wrong thing.

I had absolutely and completely thrown out the concept of making a lifestyle change, being a healthy human being, in it for the long-term benefits and all that good stuff. All I wanted was to see those damn numbers go waaaay down on the scale. Insta-fabulosity. And then we could talk lifestyle. Isn’t it so much easier to talk health when you’re already looking great? Everything you do at that point is simply enhancing what you’ve got. I know because I was there last summer. Right now, I didn’t want to take any of that advice I doled out. I just wanted to be skinny, dammit. Now!

Of course realizing all this intellectually is one thing. Translating it into part of my thought process and internalizing it all is quite another. I could barely think.

If you are at this low or ever do hit it, reach out. To your healthy, physically active friends (no offense to my favorite couch potatoes!). To your trainer. To anyone who might understand you want to look better than just “fine” or “not fat” and who supports your doing that in a mentally and physically healthy, realistic way. Because for the type of weight loss that actually stays lost instead of yo-yo-ing on you and driving you mad, there are quite simply, no short cuts. You need good sound advice from someone who shares your goals and knows what they’re talking about.

For me, it was Ariane (surprise!) but not because I had the good sense to go to her when this was getting to me (I was too embarrassed). It was on weigh-in day. I stepped on the scale. When she asked me if I was okay, my eyes welled up and turned red, even as I tried to say I was fine. The scale showed 127.2 lb. Which meant I lost 2.2 lb. My goal was 5 lb! I felt so deflated.

She sent me an email later that day with this:

“You do know that numbers are merely a measure of a certain time and they can be completely different again tomorrow and next week, right?”

Hm, I had somehow missed that tomorrow is, in fact, another day. And the weigh-in day was not my last chance to lose weight.

“How you feel in your skin is the ultimate measure. And that also changes day by day based on so many factors. I do hope that whatever the numbers show, you'll see it just as that and keep moving forward!”

Of course, she had a point. In the midst of all this, I didn’t reflect on how I truly felt. I did, in fact, feel lighter. My jeans did, in fact, fit me better. It’s just that I didn’t feel as light or look as super-fantastic in my jeans as I had set out to look. But I totally missed the fact that I was moving in the right direction.

Though I didn’t reach my goal of being 5 lb lighter and reducing my body fat by 4.5% in a month, it turns out that I did lose some pure fat (that gooey stuff you see being poured out of soda cans all over those disgusting NYC subway ads) and gain muscle.

These were my results:

Weight – From 129.4 lb to 127.2 lb
Body fat – From 26.6% to 24.1%
Pure fat lost – 3.8 pounds
Muscle gained – 1.5 lb
Height gained – From 5’3¾” to 5’5” – hahaha - I wish!

The funny thing is that weigh-in was on a Monday. By Saturday I was already another pound lighter (I did, of course, keep up the exercise and healthy eating, right after a nice big cheat meal followed by the flourless chocolate cookie I had promised myself after completing the month).

Ariane snapped this shot of me after kicking my ass, way too early in the morning.

I still haven’t reached my goal. But I have my exercise classes planned out and have started taking lunch to work with me (never in a million years did I ever believe I’d be one of those efficient people with the lunch bag!!!). I’m working seriously hard to not fret, to celebrate little victories and internalize the whole “journey vs. destination” thing, to concentrate on moving in the right direction and really focus on how I’m feeling vs. having only numbers dictate my mood. And of course, remembering that tomorrow is, indeed, another day.

Special thanks to Ariane for the encouragement, wisdom and merciless donkey kicks that quite literally are getting my butt in shape!

You can have pancakes

2011-02-15T22:00:00.020-05:00

A few weeks back, I was in Chicago visiting my friend Sunita and she treated us to her amazing home made pumpkin pancakes. I had been hanging out with her in the kitchen while she was making them, and somehow, through the back of her head, she caught me pouring over the nutritional info of the bag of flour she'd used.

"I don't want to hear it" she pre-empted. (I've learned I can be annoying that way.)

Not that I had planned to say anything. I was too busy trying to figure out why pancakes are supposed to be so bad for you. Because I had looked through all the ingredients she was using and everything seemed pretty darn stellar:

Pumpkin: Tons of Vitamin A, no carbs or sugar. Couldn't be any better for you.
Fat-free yogurt or buttermilk: Plenty of protein and good active cultures.
Milk and eggs: More protein that's good for you.
And of course, cinnamon, vanilla essence, salt, baking powder and soda - no problem there.

As it happened, the culprit was in my hands - the all-purpose flour:
1 cup contains 95g of carbs.

Consider the average recipe calls for 2 cups of flour to produce a dozen 4-inch pancakes. Also consider that nobody eats 4-inch pancakes. Or that at that size you'd need to eat 3 to feel like you'd eaten at all. That's a total of 47g of carbs JUST from the flour - the white starchy flour that would be very quickly absorbed into your blood stream, spiking your blood sugar level, inciting your insulin to push that stuff into your cells and store fat. We haven't even begun to count carbs from all the other ingredients and worse still, we still need syrup!

So what now? I had to have those pancakes again.

As I randomly googled health and pancakes and thought hard to find a way (FYI, I spend way too much time thinking of stuff to eat), I found a recipe using 'whole grain pastry flour' - never knew such a thing existed. That was a good start. I also remembered coming across 'wheat germ' in a bunch of random health articles online, saying it was among the 10 best foods for energy, incredibly high in zinc, and how it's a crazy concentrated source of Vitamin E and a great number of other nutrients as well as protein and fiber. I just as randomly googled 'recipes with wheat germ' and lo and behold - a wheat germ pancake recipe popped up! Sunita sent me her original pumpkin pancake recipe, and I set out to madly Frankenstein the two. The result? Light, fluffy, protein-packed, Vitamin A-filled, reasonably carbed, low-fat, 124 calorie pancakes that tooootally did not taste like I could have possibly made them! I cannot even tell you how thrilled I am. Hence the name:

OMG Pumpkin Pancakes
1.5 cups whole grain pastry flour
½ cup toasted wheat germ
3 tbsp Splenda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
3 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cups kefir (NOT buttermilk - important for your protein)
1 cup organic canned pumpkin

In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, Splenda, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, adding vanilla, oil, kefir and pumpkin puree. Mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just blended. The batter will be quite a bit thicker than the usual pancake batter, which is fine. Just spread it out a tiny bit once it hits the pan (we're going for a 5.5-inch diameter). Spoon the batter onto a preheated, oiled griddle, using 1/3 cup batter for each pancake. (I tried spray oil. Not good. Use just a few drops of canola and spread it around on the pan with a brush.) Cook pancakes slowly over low heat for approximately 3 minutes one side, 2 minutes on the other. At least that's how I cooked them. Yields twelve 5.5-inch pancakes.

Each pancake:
Protein: 6.5g
Fat: 4.4g
Carbs: 15g
Fiber: 3g

The entire batter has a ton of Vitamin A (760% DV) from the pumpkin, which also adds a good amount of iron along with the wheat germ. It has Vitamin E and potassium from the what germ as well along with Vitamin D and calcium from the kefir.

The carbs in the pancakes are from whole grains and therefore still include all their nutrients (as you see above). They're also more fibrous and therefore not as easily absorbed by your body as white flour is. Which means it won't spike your blood sugar. (You know the drill, right? What? Again? A blood sugar spike causes your body to secrete insulin which stops fat burning! Which is why we want to keep blood sugar at a steady level. Which is what non-starchy carbs, lean proteins and good fats do.)

Now for the tricky part.
It's up to you how much syrup you put on these pancakes. MEASURE IT OUT. Do not say, "I'll use just a bit." You will only need a tablespoon per pancake. See those little white dishes on the side? That's 2 tablespoons of syrup measured out. . You will never find a syrup bottle on my table (yeah, I'm just a treat to be with). And that moderation, my friends, will run you 26g of carbs from sugar. That's about 6.5 tsp of sugar. I tell you this not to suck the joy out of it. You can enjoy this as long as you're aware of what you're having and compensate for it in another way. Like not having anything else sugary that day.

Want to make this a really great breakfast? Have 2 pancakes and a 1/2 cup of low-fat (I love 1%) cottage cheese on the side to add another 14g of protein to your meal. Now that's a yummy breakfast if I do say so myself. If you have any ideas for additions, substitutions or the like to decrease carbs, fats or increase proteins or the deelish factor, lemme know!

NOTES:
*Whole grain pastry flour (different from whole grain flour) and toasted wheat germ (different from raw wheat germ) is available at Whole Foods. Don't forget to refrigerate the remaining wheat germ.
*Kefir is different from buttermilk - thicker, more protein, fewer carbs, more live active cultures. But you can use buttermilk instead, if you must.
*Wheat germ is available in India - called godhi ravva I think. Help me out here if you can!
*The pumpkin, if you're enthusiastic enough to use a real one, is cooked and pureed.
*Use REAL maple syrup. All the other stuff is just high fructose corn syrup!

Where I am. Where are you?

2011-02-07T18:14:00.018-05:00

As a way to get back to getting Skinny, (and as a way to hold myself publicly accountable - albeit to no one in particular) I had previously stated I'd re-cultivate some decent habits. I also hoped that I may earn a narcissistic, self-congratulatory pat on the back by getting someone else - anyone else - to come along on this journey. So here's the one thing I would absolutely love for you to do: physically write down where you are and physically write down where you want to be. The act of getting the idea out of your head and putting it out there, on paper, and setting a date to record your progress, takes weight-loss and fitness out of the realm of some abstract daydream and into the territory of serious results. Being confronted with numbers also gives you less chance to talk yourself out of it. So here's where I am:

Last week, I weighed in at 129.8 pounds and 25.6% body fat. My goal is to lose 5 pounds by February 28th and get my body fat down to 22% - where it was only just 3 months ago. Easier said than done, especially because that's very dependent on nutrition. But I'm trying to make this my month. Look! I've even bribed myself with a new pair of workout shoes and changed the laces to make 'em pretty:
(These are the Nike Free Run+. They have a barefoot-like fit and are kind to my wide and flat feet.)

Besides that,
-I have started drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
-Started drinking the protein shakes for breakfast again.
-Have stopped my multi-cocktail mania. Replaced that with a single glass of red wine at a sitting or a little sake (1g carb per ounce, people!)
-Started back with the multi-vitamins and have added Vitamin D3 and a fish oil supplement to the mix.
-Have made the switch to skim milk.
-Did great with the veggie consumption till last week (then came the weekend)
-Did great with no dessert till last week (then came the weekend)

As for the exercise...
I'm struggling. Really struggling. I'm back to feeling like it's just not who I am (this exercising being). And it's tough to keep ignoring the part of me saying, "How bad would it really be to be 10 pounds or so overweight? Do you really want to live like this?" The only thing that keeps me going is this now rather hazy memory of throwing on clothes without having to think about what fits how. And all the extra energy I had. And how confident I felt. (FYI, I still catch my weight brazenly molesting my self-esteem and I'm still working on keeping the two apart.) It helps that Ariane has always said we can feel free to hate the exercise as much as we like. Just concentrate on how good we'll feel afterwards. And there's no denying that feeling.

January actually began well enough with my commitment to 2 bootcamp classes per week and the gym for which I bought a 10-day trial membership. I used the elliptical machine for 30 minutes and did 15 minutes on the rowing machine. Went well all in all and I was down about a pound and a half. But I needed more motivation. I think what I was doing was enough for maintenance, ie., making sure I didn't add another roll to my belly's collection. But I wasn't moving anywhere further than those 1.5 pounds.

I really didn't want to join Slim & Strong again. (The boot camp classes I was doing in January are Ariane's drop-in classes. They are not part of any larger program and there's no commitment except for the single class you're doing. Slim & Strong is a month-long bootcamp I've done several times before, where you get your butt kicked 3 times a week, you're weighed and measured at the beginning, middle and end of the month, and you have food diaries to be analyzed by Ariane. And she will ask you which part of "no sugar" you cannot understand.) It's work. It's discipline. I'd be measured and it would be really coming face to face with exactly what I needed to lose and it would force me to put a serious plan in action. All good stuff, right?

Honestly, I would have rather spent that money on a designer bag.*Sigh* Having now said that aloud, I might add that I know exactly how to hold one to hide certain bulges!

I'm happy to report that I didn't act on that urge (still rather embarrassed I had it, though) and instead signed my sorry ass up for the February Slim & Strong. MORNING CLASS. I'm not a morning person. But it was really the only way to eliminate the utter dread I would feel all freakin' day till the exercise was over and done with. Now I wake up, do it and it's out of the way. Waking up sucks. But I tell you, there is nothing like being awake at 7:30 am and being DONE with the exercise. And you know what the morning exercise does, right?

It gets your blood moving, delivering more oxygen to parts of your body that need it, which means you have more energy. Plus you get the endorphins going in your body which reduces appetite, tension and anxiety. I have to say, it's an amazing way to start your day (except for having to wake up to do it).

So get going, people. If I can show up for exercise, so can you. Seriously, you don't have to be the 'type' who is just into physical activity. Just do it for your heath and well-being. And vanity. Or whatever motivates you. Send me your progress if you'd like. I'd love to hear from you.

Where brunch is kale and hearty

2011-01-28T17:20:00.009-05:00

I thought I hated kale. But holy Jeebus - one Saturday's brunch seriously had me contemplating buying a bunch to cook up at home. (The notion passed, by the way. Instead I returned to Northern Spy Food Co. the very next weekend and ordered up another plate.)

The dish is Kale Salad served with baked eggs. And it's ridiculous. (Link to the recipe below!) Between the flavor and the health benefits, it's an amazing treat. The Kale Salad has kale, of course, mixed with almonds, winter squash (kabocha squash to be precise), crumbled clothbound cheddar cheese, pecorino cheese shavings and lemon dressing. Who would've thought eggs would go so perfectly with this?

The almonds add a heartiness to the kale while the salty cheeses balance out the pucker of the lemon dressing. And the little bursts of sweetness, courtesy of the squash, cut through any possibility of bitterness from the kale. The eggs, of course, make it brunch.

And check out the health benefits of kale: Kale is rich in calcium, iron and Vitamins A, C and K. Kale's cancer preventive benefits have been linked to its concentration of two types of antioxidants - carotenoids and flavonoids. Within the carotenoids, lutein and beta-carotene are standout antioxidants in kale: it has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Google it. The benefits go on and on. And that's just brunch!

Now if you were headed to Northern Spy on a cheat meal, I would have to tell you about their homemade biscuits that are the lightest, fluffiest, crumbliest, most delightful biscuits you'd ever have. Paired with their pear jam, it would be out of control. But you're eating healthy. And that Kale Salad with eggs will leave you happier than you could imagine. I didn't even think about those biscuits the last time I was there. (It also helped that I was the first in the door at 11 am on a Saturday and they brought out my brunch in record time.)

For all you enthusiastic cutlets who can tackle such food stuffs as salads (not my forte) at home, click for the recipe. New Yorkers can head straight to the East Village. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 3:30 pm.

Northern Spy Food Co.
511 E 12th St
(between Avenue A & Avenue B)

A Merry Meltdown and A Happy New Year

2011-01-13T16:01:00.015-05:00

I’m having both but am hoping you’ve all been well and stayed skinny and strong. No? Well if the holidays had anything to do with it, I’ll tell you my unbearable misery loves your company.

I’ve discovered a lot can happen in 45 days. Starting November 16th of 2010, I began eating the richest, most decadent foods I could lay my hands on. Mind you, I exercised right up to the morning of my flight in preparation, first, for two days in Paris and then a few weeks in India. And I didn’t waste my calories on just any nonsense. Only the finest nonsense. And I even tried moderation, sticking to just one dessert course instead of two at dinner. But what do you do when homemade desserts are served for lunch as well?

My 'moderation' lasted about two weeks. And after that, I just lost it. One by one, every decent habit I had cultivated over the entire year, simply disintegrated (yes, that's me on the left looking like the poster child for IBS medication):

I stopped drinking 8 glasses of water a day, barely made it to 3 (though I do tend to systematically and consciously dehydrate while traveling. I hate being that person who perpetually has to use the loo!).

I stopped taking vitamins. I have no reason for this.

Stopped exercising. My belly was too full. All the time.

Stopped the protein shakes for breakfast (what, with masala dosa, rice rotis and that morning’s fresh-churned butter?). In fact I stopped protein shakes altogether. I didn’t have a sealed box of the powder to take with me. And all I needed with airport security these days was to have my brown face traveling with a mysterious white powder in my luggage. I’d be headed straight to Guantanamo.

Worst of all (maybe), I completely stopped eating enough protein each day. This was a tough one even when I made a more-than-nominal effort. I didn’t realize how little of it I used to eat in India. Everything is much more carb and fat-focused. At least in my house.

Now, I do think everyone needs a little break from discipline once in a while, but when the results are 8 pounds heavier and a 3.4% increase in body fat, then something’s not right. These aren’t easy-to-lose pounds and I had spent all of last year burning it off. Plus, the way I was exercising and eating was supposed to be a lifestyle change, not something I abandoned on vacation!

I’m not sure how to not have this happen again. But I think I need to concentrate on the present for now.

I will say, I was scared to death to head to Boot Camp and face Ariane. When I hinted at the weight I had gained, she asked, “What?! Are we back to square one?” and I quickly replied that it wasn’t quite so bad. And I wasn’t lying. Square one was 132 pounds. I was now 131.8 pounds. Yeesh. So pathetic. My only saving grace was that my body fat which I had gotten down to 22% was not back to 28% (it’s now at 25.4%).

This has been so depressing for me since I had really come to associate myself with healthfulness (Hm, never actually realized that till just now. Feels good. Image doesn’t look so hot with my belly, though). I am aware that I'm by no means fat, and sure, I look 'ok' but I'm not at my healthiest shape OR weight: where I have the highest level of energy, am at my physically strongest best, fitting into all my clothes and waking up feeling good. Which, in a nutshell, is my definition of Skinny.

How about you? Do you feel Skinny? There's no reason to settle for anything less. Friends may be kind, but the scales don’t lie. And neither do your favorite jeans. I currently don’t even have a pair that fit. For the last month, I’ve been surviving on two pairs of Uniqlo ‘legging pants’ (that's one of them above) - something between jeggings and skinny jeans. (I highly recommend them, by the way. They’re soooo forgiving.)

Check out the super stretchy elastic waist band, bound to show some love for your muffin top!

So what to do? Where to start?

The idea of exercise has been daunting. I started on January 3rd. I’ve done 2 boot camp classes with Ariane since then and they were hell. Like I had never done them before. But she's promised muscle memory will kick in (I'm still waiting.) This week I decided to focus on cardio. 30 minutes on an elliptical machine and 15 minutes of rowing for the last 5 days. I have a boot camp class today that I’m nervous about. I’m hoping it goes better.

Since January 3rd, it's really been back to basics on my road to healthfulness and thus to Skinny:

1. Drink at least two liters of water a day.
2. Have a protein shake for breakfast.
3. Indulge in dessert just once a week.
4. Take multi-vitamins every day.
5. Have protein at every meal, including 2 snacks a day.
6. Go from 1% to skim milk (organic milk tastes creamier and makes this change more bearable)
7. Eat a 1/2 cup of fat-free Greek yogurt or cottage cheese or drink a little kefir each day.
8. Cut out bread for a while and get all my carbs (as much as possible) from veggies. Which means a cup of veggies for lunch as well as a cup of veggies for dinner.
9. Exercise 5 times a week till I reach my goal weight (remember, even a 15-minute re-charge run counts!)

I think that right now, nutrition is the most important thing. Don't forget, nutrition is 80% of the battle! Over the last 10 days, I've lost a pound and a half. Still have the belly. Still need the stretchy pants. Ariane tells us to give ourselves at least one day for every day we ate poorly - two days at the most. Which for me means anything from 45 to 90 days to get back to where I was. Guess I have to start somewhere.

Join me - it'll be a blast! Haha. No it won't. But I promise you, you'll feel immeasurably better. As our most venerable role-model and coke-head, Kate Moss, declared:

"Nothing tastes as good as Skinny feels."

Uniqlo
546 Broadway
(bet Spring & Prince St)
New York, NY 10012

Recharging your body

2010-10-21T16:33:00.006-04:00

Here's my report on my last post about the mini-workout I was going to try for 4 days. (For all you slackers who didn't read it, I was going to try a quick 15-minute run and 50 push-ups a day during one of my busiest weeks at work to see if exercise could help my energy level. As promised by my boss, that last week (and weekend) sucked. There were two one saving graces: One was that I actually enjoyed the project. Two, those 15 minute runs and 50 push-ups worked wonders for my energy level.

I have to say, the way I felt on that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was drastically different compared to how I felt on the days before that.This made me realize a few things:

First, what I was doing wasn't a workout. It was a re-charge. We do it for our phones, computers, anything with a battery. It makes sense that the human body would need a recharge too, right? Imagine waking up and not getting your heart really pumping and your blood circulating and delivering oxygen! (Yes, I'm aware the heart does pump on it's own whether you're being a lazy ass or not, but you know what I mean.)

Second, this really was soooo much less about staying in shape and so much more about basic health. (No, this seriously never occurred to me before. Even though I wrote about it. Perhaps I was just trying to convince myself. Trying it is the only real way to truly understand this. I deserve a big, fat, "duh!")

So, here's how it went. I followed through with the run and push-ups 3 days out of the planned 4 days (day 4, I overslept to the point that not even a crazy speeding cab could help me get to work on time).

Wednesday
Waking up was hell. I pottered about and stalled as if waiting for a stay of execution. I have to confess that the only reason I even bothered was because I had so rashly announced this little experiment in my blog. So thank you to everyone who reads this thing. I didn't think I could face you without coming through. Eventually, I got out of my apartment, looked for a song that was exactly 3.5 minutes long so I could listen to it twice while running in one direction and then run back (which I only now realize totals 14 minutes and not 15. Oh well.) Push-ups were hell. I just barely managed them.

It was amazing to be outside, though. Especially before work began. It made me feel like I had a life, even though I was at work past midnight and was on my way back to work shortly afterwards. Also it gave me some time to myself. 3pm lull didn't happen that day. I kind of felt rather uplifted all day.

Thursday
Woke up very enthusiastically because of the previous day's success. Thought running would be easier. It wasn't. But the push-ups were. Legs sore today. And I was tired toward the evening, but not feeling heavy.

Friday
Thought I'd die if I woke up and had to move a muscle. My thighs hurt with every step. And I was sooo sleepy. I had a long day ahead of me and thought sleep would do me more good than this nonsense. I literally had to shut my mind off to get my ass outside. Once outside, I was happy again, though. Sunshine is a wonderful thing. And again, it gave me that illusion of having plenty of time to myself. Because 15 minutes of cardio feels like a lifetime to me! I hated doing the pushups today but kept picturing my arms looking more fabulous with each one. I will say, by the end of this day, I was beat but still upbeat.

Saturday
Overslept. :(

The big changes: For those four days, I wasn't sleepy. Not that I couldn't have used a nap. But I didn't have that icky heaviness that a tiring day brings with it. Second, I was not overwhelmed. Which was important, not only for my own sanity, but because it helped me better deal with those folks who were. I found myself gravitating toward the calmer, more positive people around me (and I guarantee you, those people were sneaking in their workouts as well!)

So there you have it. If you're tired and you know you're going to have a particularly painful, busy week, it's NO time to skip the exercise. Even just 15 minutes will charge you up and have you thinking positive and ready to go.

When "this week is going to suck"

2010-10-18T14:44:00.012-04:00

This is part of an email I got from work on Sunday: "...this week is going to suck so please do not make plans... we will be on this till Saturday night."

I work in advertising so sometimes, this is par for the course. Normally, I'd either grumble a bit or be completely fine with it if I'm on an interesting project. But ever since my 'lifestyle change' which incorporates regular exercise and healthy eats, this wreaks havoc in my world. I've been enjoying the greater balance I've achieved recently and have made it a point to cut out of whatever meeting I'm in, go for boot camp, and come back to work if necessary. Of course, this has not been viewed kindly.

"You're gonna work out now?" they'll ask at 7pm while we're sitting in a studio.

"It's not just a work out. It's boot camp," I'll say. Like that doesn't sound even more idiotic. "Plus, I'll be back by 8:30." I accept the eye rolls. Sometimes I'm tempted to say I'm going to church or something. People are more tolerant of religion than they are of exercise. Or having a life outside work.

Sometimes, however, even this doesn't work. That's this week's situation. I haven't worked out since last Wednesday. I'm soooo tired and all I want to do when I get home is sleep. (For that matter, all I want to do when I wake up is sleep!) Part of the tiredness, oddly enough, is the lack of exercise. I never believed people when they said exercise gave them energy. It sounds so counter-intuituve but I've found it to be true. What's the deal?. Here's what I learned:

BLOOD FLOW:
When you exercise, you get more blood moving through your body. Which gets more oxygen to parts of your body that need it. And apparently, over time, your body builds more capillaries to deliver oxygen to more areas. Which means more blood flow. And more blood flow translates to more energy. And round and round we go.

In case you missed it:
Exercise = Increased Blood Flow = Increased Energy

ENDORPHINS:
Your body releases these guys when you exercise. Endorphins decrease appetite, block pain and reduce tension and anxiety. So it makes sense that with fewer of them circulating through your body, you might feel more weighed down than you normally would.

HORMONES:
When you exercise, your body secretes the hormone epinephrine: a.k.a. adrenaline! (Am I the only one who didn't know this? Apparently they're one and the same. America calls it epinephrine and the rest of the world calls it adrenaline.) Anyway, epinephrine increases the speed of your heart beat, which gets your blood really flowing and pumps oxygen through your body to where you need it the most. Epinephrine also helps you use glycogen in the muscles and liver for energy.

And so that, my fellow lay people, is why exercise gives you more energy. Which means that when you're tired, a quick run might do you a lot more good than a quick nap.

So here's what I'm committing to the rest of this week because boot camp is not looking bloody likely: a 15 minute run and 50 push-ups. No matter what. (Wow - I just caught myself already starting to make excuses in my head... waking up will be hell... save me Jebus!) I'm not even attempting to make it to Central Park. Just boom - go for 7.5 minutes right out of my door and then turn around and head back. Then 5 sets of 10 push-ups and done. Couldn't take more than 20 minutes.

Anyone joining me? Just try it Wednesday to Saturday - 4 days in a row. See you how you feel. I'll tell you how I fared.

Thanks to Ariane from Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp for the info!

Quickie meal help: Bagel Spice

2010-10-12T12:00:00.020-04:00

The most challenging part of staying on course with your 'lifestyle change' is figuring out what the hell to eat for dinner, especially when you're at home and don't feel like making anything elaborate. And even more so when you live in Manhattan and can order virtually anything you feel like. (Slippery slope. Don't go there.)

Eggs or cottage cheese or steamed veggies are great but can become sooo boring. But I've found a quick fix: Bagel Spice.

I tell you, you can put this stuff on anything and it livens it up like you wouldn't believe. It's about 5 bucks and so far, you can only buy it online on their site.

What is it? Just a dried mix of minced onion, minced garlic, sesame seeds and other natural spices. No salt, no sugar, no MSG or preservatives. My husband put it on broccoli the other day and it was delicious - ditto with all steamed vegetables. It makes cottage cheese taste like a savory snack. Scrambled eggs taste like an effort has been made. Sprinkle on fish brushed with a bit of olive oil and bake. Sprinkle on grilled chicken breasts - the blandest of all bland foods. Even that tastes good with it!

The only thing Bagel Spice is missing, in my humble opinion, of course, is crushed red chili peppers. A very easy addition. But I just heard they will soon be introducing one blend with green jalapeno flakes and another with sea salt. Will let you know how those measure up when they're out.

Ariane recently posted an entry on her blog - "Who says dinner has to be complicated?" Try all that stuff with Bagel Spice. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Bagel Spice is available at www.bagelspice.com. Makes sense, right?

Redefining 'comfort food'

2010-10-06T12:57:00.011-04:00

I’ve done such an embarrassing job of keeping up with my blog that I’m hiding my face whike typinf. See? I wasn’t kidding. So I’ll just get on with it.

For a few weeks last month, I was sick as a dog. I had a general head cold after my trip to Nicaragua (yes, Nicaragua! No guerillas, no warfare, no kidnapping, nothing – but more about that later) added to a stark-raving mad case of asthma like I hadn’t had for years and years. It had me down and out. I couldn’t afford to take any days off work and so I was feeling mighty sorry for myself. I couldn’t even manage exercise. So guess what called out to comfort me?

Did you say food?

Clever peeps! Every carb skulking around as comfort food had my name on it. From fries to pizza to pasta to kaara baath (try it at Saravanaa Bhavan if you haven’t – and count it as a cheat meal!). I knew my “Poor Preethi” mode was getting out of control when I felt my jeans begin to gently perforate my belly. Which is when I had a little realization, thanks to a lovely and inspiring set of stories and recipes.

Just a few months back, my friend and rising star, Barry, sent me a book he was featured in. It’s called “Breaking Bread,” by Lynne Anderson, and is a collection of recipes borne of the culinary traditions of immigrant America. It features stories of first and second generation Americans, their gardens, customs, the memories and connections they keep alive by the simple act of cooking these foods. Such a great concept.

What struck me is that while some of the recipes called for lots of butter and cream, many others were completely healthy and yet, felt like an incredible indulgence to certain families because of the precious memories evoked by specific tastes and smells.

Which got me thinking - comfort food does NOT have to always be the deep-fried, ooey-gooey carb-fest we make it out to be.

Just think - what are the foods your grandmom or mom or aunts (or their male counterparts) used to make that made you feel happy or cared for? What’s the stuff that takes you back?

Oddly enough, for me, it’s a typical South Indian preparation of spinach. Yes, SPINACH. It has tons of garlic in it, mustard seeds and a sprinkling of fresh coconut. (Recipe to follow soon!) That, mixed with some yogurt makes me feel like I’m at home. Yum. And by golly, it’s healthy!

This isn’t to say I’m not a sucker for potato skins or fried chicken or dumplings (and I could go on). But if it’s comfort I’m looking for (and it's food that I’ve turned to), why not choose something that makes me feel comforted without the collateral damage? It doesn’t have to be spinach but surely, you can scrape up one food you used to have that made you feel good and is healthy for you! Figure it out. Make a ton. And freeze it so you have it whenever you crave a little comfort food.

Below is one such recipe. It’s Yulia’s Russian Mushroom Casserole from ‘Breaking Bread’. (Yulia is originally from Latvia.) I couldn’t believe Yulia's entire family actually foraged for their own mushrooms up in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. My husband was always fascinated by his grandfather, Myrl, who did the same in Iowa. And my aunts Prema and Vani still forage for wild mushrooms in the countryside of Southern India. I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to this day when they make me that crazy spicy mushroom curry when I visit.

Yulia's Mushroom Casserole
1 pound edible wild mushrooms (Yulia forages for the orange-cap boletus)
½ cup onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1-2 tsp chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, marjoram, oregano or parsley
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Adjust oven rack to the center and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the insides of a small casserole or a 9x9 inch baking dish with ½ tbsp of the butter.
Clean mushrooms. Chop the caps and stems into ½ inch pieces.
Heat remaining 2-½ tbsp butter in a large sauté pan till melted. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat till they begin to get soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring frequently till mushrooms and onions are soft about 5 minutes. (Time varies depending on the kind of mushrooms you use.) Transfer mushrooms and onions to the casserole and spread evenly.
In a small bowl, combine milk, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture over mushrooms and bake, uncovered, till golden, about 20 minutes.
Can be served hot or at room temperature.

A few notes:
I substituted olive oil for butter to fry the onions and used a half teaspoon of Olivio to grease the pan. I got a bit too virtuous in using 1% milk though. Too watery for this dish. Whole milk would have been much better, and considering there’s only half a cup in the entire thing, it really wouldn’t have hurt. Don't chop the onions too small if you like onions. Also, chop the mushrooms small - it'll absorb more flavor. As you can see, I made big honking pieces of mine instead of following the recipe!

For an Indian twist on this, you could add green chilies and try cilantro instead of the other herbs. If it doesn’t butcher this recipe, it just might become your own tradition.

(By the way, I ‘foraged’ at Agata and Valentina. No one taught me how.)

For a cheat meal, I would highly recommend Barry's Irish Dinner: Baked Fillet of Sole, Mashed Potatoes and Carrot-Parsnip Mash (p.58). His mom has made sure he stress the importance of butter in this dish and even had her own place-setting, via Skype, when the author came to dinner!

You can find Lynne Anderson's, 'Breaking Bread' on Amazon.com and get even more fun multi-cultural recipes on her website at www.lynnechristyanderson.com.
'Breaking Bread' is a publication of University of California Press.

On getting caught between the moon and New York City

2010-07-27T00:00:00.016-04:00

Did anyone ever figure out what the heck that ever meant? Of course, I’m talking about the theme song from the Dudley Moore movie Arthur. I was pretty small when it came out and learned to play it on the piano at my mother’s insistence. I had all the words in front of me but never quite got it. Its most famous lines:

"If you get caught between the moon and New York City
The best that you can do is fall in love."

After much pondering, I figured that must be something rather X-rated that adults did. Till Sunday night.

I was about to begin my bedtime ritual of practiced neuroses (I’m a raging insomniac these days). I was anxious about Monday morning’s weigh-in for my boot camp. I was just about to complete another Slim & Strong session (the month-long program from Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp) to rid myself of a few pounds I had put on since the last one I did in February. And to get closer to my desired body fat percentage. I had been eating most virtuously and had exercised for an hour that morning but had done no cardio. Which always helps before a final weigh-in. I thought my husband would tell me I’d be just fine, after which I’d obsess about it some more and eventually move on to my next worry without incident.

But instead he said, “Ok, let’s go.”
"Where?"
“For a run.”
"Now?"
"Why not?"

Why not, indeed. Damned, supportive spouse!@#! Now I had no excuse to boot.

11 pm. There we were, ready to roll uptown on the East River Promenade, when lo and behold! Standing at the eastern-most edge of Manhattan, I realized I had the entire city to the left of me and the most deliciously bright, full moon to the right.

Guess what, peeps - I was freakin’ caught, smack-dab, between the moon and New York City. And let me tell you, it really is something else.

It was the first cool night in a while. Also the first time I had ever gone jogging at night. I always used to watch people run on the Charles River from my apartment window when I lived in Boston. Always wondered who the hell these crazies were at all hours of the night. I can’t say I’ve joined their ranks just yet, but I actually enjoyed the run.

I started on 81st Street where the East River Promenade goes through Carl Schurz Park, and ran up to about 100th Street, near the Randall Island bridge. Felt perfectly safe, though of course, I’m not sure how wise it would be to go alone. The path is extremely well-lit up to that point and littered with other joggers, people walking their dogs and the occasional couple who never thought to get a room. Past 100th, it gets lonely so I’d stop there.

20 Manhattan blocks equal about 1 mile so I estimate I covered a distance of about 2 miles, to and fro. This was barely 20 minutes of my time, getting my ass outside included. Which essentially means you could watch just one less TV show and get in a night's run. A few times a week and it makes one hell of a difference. The pounds fall off, I tell you. And it’s one of two great ways to exhaust yourself before your head hits the pillow.

If you’re more ambitious, you can start on 60th Street off York Avenue and get in a 6-mile uninterrupted run, roundtrip.
(Right: East River Promenade heading South along the FDR past Carl Schurz Park)

West-siders have an even longer stretch at their disposal at Riverside Park along the Hudson from 58th Street to about 156th Street. Here's a great site for more NYC running maps like the one above.

So now you know. If you ever get caught between the moon and New York City (and I highly recommend you do), what's the best that you can do besides falling in love? Go for a run.

P.S. Happy Anniversary to Damned Supportive Spouse - my fat melts for you! XOXO

DanceSport? Why not?

2010-06-29T17:08:00.001-04:00

I've been bummed that my last two bits of excitement fizzled somewhat unceremoniously. The Costa Rica bootcamp was cancelled after one of the co-ordinators pulled out. I had such visions of emerging from there a bronzed and chiseled goddess. Relaxed and with a zen-like calm about me, mind and body both healed and radiant. I would float along the streets of the city, exuding a light and energy, most enviable. Seriously, peeps - I was freakin' miserable when this thing was cancelled.

As for the hula-hoop class I was thrilled about, I'd say it is better suited for someone who has seriously not moved in a while. Or is out of touch their rhythm. Not my idea of a great workout as not much is too targeted to certain areas of your body or works you out completely evenly.

So that was that. But this morning, I saw a Groupon for DanceSport. And I'm excited again.

[In case you haven't read every word of my other blog posts (for shame!) a Groupon is essentially a group coupon whereby you're offered a deal on something and if a large enough group of people buy in, then everyone gets to take advantage of the deal. Such a great concept. See if it's in your city yet.]

Back to DanceSport - It's supposed to be New York's largest Ballroom and Latin Dance studio, founded by Paul Pellicoro who has literally written the book on Argentine tango. (Also apparently the guy who taught Al Pacino that gorgeous dance sequence in Scent of a Woman.)

So the deal is for $49, you get to take UNLIMITED dance classes for a month! The schedule looks amazing with 10-12 classes hour-long classes offered every day from 5:30 to about 9:30 pm on weekdays. More on weekends. (Though it looks like if you do the classes through Groupon, you have 4 classes a day to choose from.) Classes include International Latin Workout, Salsa/Mambo, Argentine Tango and Latin Jazz among others. Sounds like a great way to work up a sweat and work off my summer boozing! The Groupon is just for today (sorry I didn't get this out earlier!!) so if you want to use it to sign up, you'd better hustle.

Heads-up on an upcoming Nutrition Class
Ariane is conducting two nutrition workshops this Friday, July 2nd, one at 6:30 am and the other at 6:30 pm. It's $25 and an hour long. Called 'Fat Burning 101: The Inside-Out Approach to a Healthy and Fit Body'. And I recommend it highly. Nothing like hearing this stuff from the formally educated (Ariane, besides being a trainer, has a Master's in Nutrition). This really is the first step to getting skinny. Even more crucial than exercise, I would say. Check it out.

Running with makeup

2010-06-20T21:14:00.018-04:00

What psycho gets made up to go to the gym? Or to boot camp?

Not me. At least not usually. But last Thursday, the NARS summer makeup event was going on at Barney’s (which I only knew about because my super-fabulous friend Sheeba responsibly informed me). And the only time I could make it was right before boot camp.

So I asked my favorite make-up artist of all time, the crazy-talented Bridget Lembo, to go easy on me since I was going to be getting obnoxiously sweaty and I didn’t want everything on my face to be running right along with me. (Also, it’s one thing to show up looking glamorous if I’m the star pupil at boot camp – but quite another thing being one of the slowest runners, with all engines firing to merely keep up!)

Bridget, of course, said “Nonsense.” And thought it the perfect opportunity to try their new primers: NARS Skin Smoothing Face Prep (above) and NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (right). It would be the ultimate test to see if they really worked to keep all my makeup in place, she said. And proceeded to make my humble face nothing short of red-carpet worthy. (This woman’s got mad skills.)

And so an hour later I was chugging along at the Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp. My body – looking like it had been beaten with a stick. My face – totally ready for the paparazzi.

Did I look ridiculous? I most certainly did. But I looked rather fabulously ridiculous (why yes, there’s a difference). So much so, that at the end of class, when Ariane asked who had worked out at a level 10, and I proudly raised my hand, she said “How can you be at a ten? You’re makeup hasn’t even moved!”

Seriously, it hadn’t. I had foundation, blush, concealer, eye shadows, the freakin’ works. Not even the shadow lining my under-eyes had leaked. Or even moved.

Does this mean I run with makeup on from now on? Hells no! You’re lucky to see me looking presentable out at dinner. But I’m thrilled I’ve found stuff that will be great to keep makeup on for hot summer weather days and nights out when I do make the effort. And of course, I had to share.

Barney’s New York
660 Madison Ave
(between 60th St & 61st St)
New York, NY 10021

You can find Bridget at Barney’s NARS counter Thurs–Sun.
I’d recommend calling for an appointment since she’s popular. 212-833-2008.

[Photos of NARS products from Sephora, also one of my favorite stores!]

Two bits of excitement

2010-06-07T11:49:00.009-04:00

My slackerly ways seem to know no bounds. But there are a couple of things right now that have me excited enough to kick my own ass and get back on track to bring you the skinny.

The First (and you don't have to be a New Yorker to sign up):

RETREAT! August 30th - September 5th! Ariane has just posted a 'Wellness' trip to Playa Cocles in Costa Rica and I can't wait! We'll be staying in a resort, on the beach. We'll be doing two bootcamp exercise sessions a day, on the beach. Plus an hour of yoga in the evenings - guess where? That's right, peeps. On the beach! Yes, I have professed my intense dislike of yoga before, but I'm giving it one more shot. There's a lot I'm willing to try if it's on a beach.

Besides the exercise and yoga (which will be taught by Stefanie DiLibero of Gotham Wellness), the trip includes a nutrition workshop, a group acupuncture session, a couple of day excursions you can choose like snorkeling, hiking through the rain forest or a zipline canopy tour (the ones where you hook yourself up to cables that literally run over tree tops and go zipping from one post to another - this will be a first for me). It also includes a bike trip to Punta Uva beach. And I'm going to see if I can't get to Manzanillo which is supposed to be close by and beautiful.

It's about $1200 per person ($1300 with A/C) for 6 nights of stay, breakfasts and everything else I just mentioned, plus some more (you can get all the details here). It's two people per room and the actual activities run for 5 full days.

The last Wellness retreat was in May and I wasn't able to make it. Ariane came back looking even more amazing than usual and happily relaxed. And I remembered thinking "THAT'S what I want." She said she felt like she had been away for a month.

If you guys are interested, sign up quick! This trip sells out ridiculously fast. I'm thrilled my friend Sarah B. is coming with. When I called her, she said, "That's exactly the kind of trip I need." On the other hand, when I called my friend Sunita and enthusiastically finished relating all the exercise activities, she said, "Wow - that sounds awful." Not for everyone, I guess. But I think it's going to be a blast!

The Second (only in New York):
Okay - not nearly as exciting as above, but it's another exercise class doing something I absolutely used to adore: hula-hooping! Seriously guys, I was a freakin' star when it came to the hula-hoop. My glory days were in the second grade. No one, and I mean no one, could out-hula me. And now, I have a chance to re-capture that glory.

(This heinous picture is from the LivingSocial.com website that's offering a deal on this class today. Hopefully no one looks like that while hula-hooping!)

Hoopclass is a 60-minute hula-hoop workout in Central Park on the Upper West side (enter at 69th street and follow the path to the Bocci Ball Court). They have classes on Saturdays at 11 am and 1 pm and an evening class on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm in the Village at 219 Sullivan Street. It's normally $20 a class, but today only, there's a deal on LivingSocial.com where you can buy one class for $10. I just got one for myself.

By the way, these couple of websites are awesome for deals in your city: www.Groupon.com as well as www.LivingSocial.com. And they seem to be expanding their reach all the time. Groupon is my favorite, though. Their deals are better and they feature more interesting and relevant stuff. At least for NYC. The deals last only 24 hrs and there's a new one every day. So when you see something you like, snatch it up!

Mommy, where do calories come from?

2010-05-14T00:49:00.005-04:00

Part 1: Proteins

I’m willing to bet nobody’s ever uttered those words. And in any case, chances are, your mom’s advice never really went beyond “Eat your veggies” and “Drink your milk.” So I’m going to pass along some of Ariane’s notes on this one since she’s already done the work.

Obviously, you get your calories from proteins, fats and carbs. So really, this and the next couple of posts will be a little cheat sheet about the three.

Hopefully, this will also help you realize that not all calories are created equal. Which is why I hate that places like Starbucks, with all those muffins and biscotti, only post the calorie count on their products like it’s going to do me any good. If the blueberry coffee cake has only 200 calories, it’s still a bad deal if most of those calories come from sugar. It will still spike my blood sugar level, increase my insulin, and stop my body's fat burning. Similarly, it doesn’t matter if the brownie is fat-free if it’s full of bad carbs (a.k.a. sugar!). What we really need is the breakdown into proteins, fats and carbs, with the amount of sugar clearly stated. (You remember that 4g = 1 tsp of sugar, right?) That way, we can make more informed choices.

To hit you over the head just one more time with how pointless it is to simply count calories without recognizing this inequality of calories business, compare someone who eats 200 calories worth of gelato with someone eating 200 calories worth of gambas a la plancha (yummy shrimp pictured above, with recipe below). The former has ingested a ton of (admittedly delicious) sugar and fat, causing a blood-sugar spike, resulting in an increase in insulin excretion which tells the body to start storing away the fat. The latter has had lean protein which will help build muscle and keep the blood sugar level. And, if that's not enough, the latter’s body will burn about 60 calories in the energy it expends just to digest the 200 calories of protein from the shrimp!

Can you really compare one source of 200 calories to the other? (No, my friends. You cannot.)

So here's the low-down:
*1g of protein provides you with 4 calories. (So 20g of protein, which is the size of a deck of cards, equals about 80 calories. For me, personally, it's easier to keep track of the grams of stuff I eat, rather than count calories.)

*For every 100 calories of protein you eat, your body burns about 30 just to digest it.

*Turkey, chicken, lean meats, fish, eggs, yogurt, cheese, milk (all low-fat dairy), nuts and beans are great sources of protein.

*Protein builds and repairs muscle. And the beauty of that muscle, besides making you look lean and toned, is that it burns calories even when you're sitting on the couch watching your nails dry. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns just maintaining it.

*Proteins promote the release of fat burning hormones.

*It is crucial for immunity.

*Proteins take longer to digest than fats and carbs, which is why they keep us feeling full for longer.

*If you don’t eat enough protein, your body cannibalizes itself, so to speak. How horrifying is that? Basically your body will break down its own muscle for protein to use as fuel.

*Lack of protein can also cause hair loss or thinning.

Gadzooks! Eat your protein, people!

How much do you need?
*Generally, you need about 1g to 1.25g per pound of body weight per day. (So if you weigh 130 lbs then you should eat at least 130g of protein per day. Unless you’re on some weight loss regimen prescribed by a nutritionist. I’m about 125 pounds trying to get to 120 and I’ve been put on a diet of 100g of protein per day. My morning protein shake goes a long way to getting me there every day. Mind you, this is not a high-protein diet that I'm on. It's simply balanced - my carb and fat intake is proportional to my protein allowance.)

*20g is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.

*Your body can only use about 20-40 grams of protein at every meal (depending on how much muscle you have). The rest is stored.

A protein-rich recipe:
Gambas a la Plancha

I ate this every day on my trip to Spain last year. First tried it in the Boqueria market in Barcelona and it’s been my favorite way to make shrimp ever since. (Full disclosure – I actually don’t really know any other way to make shrimp. I saw the guys at the market make it so many times I was sure I couldn’t mess it up. If you have more shrimp recipes that are SIMPLE, please pass them along!)

1 pound medium to large sized, de-veined, shrimp (peel still on, head off or on)
2 tbsp olive oil
10 cloves garlic minced
Chopped curly parsley
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Heat olive oil on the frying pan over medium heat. Throw the minced garlic on there and brown just a tiny bit. Turn heat a bit lower. Throw in the shrimp and season generously with salt and fresh ground pepper (I like mine coarsely ground). Cook about 2-3 minutes on one side (or just till the bottom half becomes opaque) and turn over. Season again with salt and pepper and let cook for another couple of minutes. You can drizzle a bit more olive oil if the shrimp is looking dry or looks like it may start sticking to the pan. Don’t overdo it, though. Shake pan a bit to mix stuff around. When the shrimp is done (the other part is opaque), sprinkle generously with the chopped parsley and toss it all in the pan for another 15 seconds. That’s it. How crazy simple is that?

Only thing to watch for is overcooking the shrimp. This dish tastes amazing no matter what, though.

And this bit is for other people like me: No, frozen shrimp is not okay. Yes, fresh parsley, not the dried stuff from McCormick. And fresh ground pepper tastes completely different from the ready ground pepper. Yes, really. You don’t have to go and buy a pepper mill for this, McCormick actually sells whole pepper corns in a pepper mill! Look on the right – that’s it right there. Cool, right?

Don’t laugh, all you super smart cooks out there. I used to be so afraid to cook shrimp that I used to buy pre-cooked shrimp and put it in all the recipes that required cleaned raw, shrimp. How sad is that? I was just so afraid I’d do something wrong with it. And it looked so pale and colorless uncooked! I couldn’t imagine how it would turn pinkish from that state. My friend Lynne has a great site that shows you how to do all the things (like how to pick out fresh fish or shuck an oyster or make a roux) that you think you should already know by now. It’s called How2Heroes.com and is seriously awesome. Even I’m able to follow it! (Mind you, I’m the woman who had to google “how to boil an egg” at one point.)

Cooking your meals is a great way to keep track of what you're eating. And stay skinny! Try the recipe. Tell me how it turns out. And in the meantime, make sure you include a lean protein at every meal to keep fit and healthy.

Special thanks to Ariane Hundt of The Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp for letting me use info from her paper "Where do calories come from?" provided during her nutrition class as part of the Slim & Strong program. You can check out my review of her boot camp or get more info on Ariane's official website.

Keeping motivated

2010-05-04T13:27:00.006-04:00

A couple of nights back, I dreamt I had grown a roll of fat on my belly. It’s my problem area and my first tell-tale sign of when I’ve been eating crap. You see, I've had a couple of fabulous eating weekends (fab being yummy, not necessarily healthy) – and though I’ve kept up with the exercise, I’ve made a few excuses nutritionally speaking. For the coming weekend, I was all excited about my friend Daman’s wedding. Which really didn’t mean I had to eat terribly. It’s easy enough to stick to fish or chicken and go easy on the breads, desserts and drinks. But I sooooo didn’t want to. And that made me nervous.

Anyway, in this dream, I was walking around Union Square and bumped into Ariane. I was nervous she might notice my belly roll but thought there was no way she could see it through my strategically loose-fitting top. Just in case, however, I kept my “hello” as short as possible and got the heck out of there.

(Some background: At the beginning of my last Slim & Strong course, she had grabbed that roll – yes, there was that much of it – and wanted to know what the hell! I had lost all of it in my previous course and put it back on within two weeks of very poor eating. That’s the roll that I got rid of last February with some very hard work and discipline.)

Back to the dream. I hopped on the subway, got back to my apartment and sat down to check email. My first message was from Ariane. It said “Preethi, you really need to re-take that nutrition class!”

AAaaaaargh! End dream.

It took no genius to analyze that dream. The message was clear: Stop eating crap and apply what you know!

To me, it’s amazing that in some ways, I’ve internalized this message to the point that when I’m not following it, my subconscious will go as far as to send me emails from Ariane to get with the program. But in other ways, I’m still grappling with the idea that I’ll have to watch what I eat and exercise for the rest of my life. Though I feel great after a workout, I still find that idea overwhelming. My friend Seema said part of what motivates her to keep it up is the fact that people who exercise look that much more youthful and will take the health benefits with them as they grow older. I’m completely convinced of the usefulness of this lifestyle, but I'm still struggling to really make it my own. I guess this blog is a part of my process.

(By the way, at Daman’s wedding I was successful cutting down the drinks and breads. Not so much the rice and desserts – that wedding dinner was heavenly. What I had to remember was Kate Moss’ little adage:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels".

And yes, I do see all the things so very wrong with the above, including how idiotic it is to take the words of a coke addict with an eating disorder and unhealthy body image and apply it in any way, shape or form to anything worth aspiring to, yadda, yadda, yadda…but still. Let’s go Fox News on it for a moment and take the quote out of its context. It kinda makes sense, no? When I button my jeans and it doesn’t hurt and that muffin top is all neatly contained, well jeez – it feels GREAT.)

Here’s how I’d suggest keeping yourself motivated. It’s so worth it.

1
Take pictures of little wins and progress. See the tiniest bit of definition in those arms? Take a picture. Stick it on your mirror. Look at those pics when you wonder why you’re lifting weights when you’d rather be doing anything else.

2
Write down why it is you want to look slim and toned and how it makes you feel when you are. Read it when you don’t feel like going running.

3
Look at pics of your friends who don’t exercise. Point and laugh. I’m kidding. I’M KIDDING! Seriously, what I want to say is that everyone has friends or family members whose weight they point to with some amount of concern. When you feel reluctant to work out, turn that concern onto yourself.

That picture you’re pointing at is not as far from the realm of possibility for yourself as you’d like to think – especially as you get older. It’s so easy to skip a few days of exercise. Then just a few more. Grab a choco-brownie cupcake here. Some creamy coconut-caramel rice pudding there (ok, so all this is me). Before you know it, you’re packing on the pounds. Did you know it only takes about 4 days before you start to lose your muscle tone from your last workout? And for me, personally, just two days between cardio workouts and I find it so much harder to run – after boot camp on the bridge last night, I felt like I’d been beaten with a stick. It happens every time I’ve let the weekend go by without a little exercise.

By the way, don’t give up the concern for people who don’t have time for “all that” or think it superficial or vain to strive for a certain figure at such and such an age. Give them a little push. After all, looking fit and lean is simply a first-rate by-product of being healthy and strong. Can anyone really argue against the value of health and strength? I’m thinking, that, my friends, would be negatory.

4
My next tip for motivation includes a weighing scale. Everyone I know would advise against getting on a scale too often. But I do it. Every morning. (You weigh the least in the morning!) Here’s what it does for me. I love seeing that number. I do. It affirms why I worked myself to a pulp the last night. Why I’m going to run around the reservoir though my thighs hurt and I can’t even seem to keep up with Al Roker (celebrity sighting around the reservoir!). And it confirms I’m on the right track. If the number is a bit higher than usual, I just watch what I’m eating for the next few days and then get on the scale again. Now, I would NOT suggest this for someone just starting to lose weight. That would be masochistic. Get to a number you’re happy to see – doesn’t have to be your goal number – just one that you’re happy to have reached. If doing this causes you anxiety instead of encouragement, then ditch it. It’s unnecessary.

5
As much as you can, surround yourself with like-minded people. This can be a tough one. Especially if your friends or spouse is not at a place where health matters just yet. But if you love food, drink and not exercising as much as I do, it’s easy to lose motivation around people scarfing down burgers and brownies, with no plans of physical activity. Living around that kind of stagnant energy can be depressing. Also, it’s very easy to consider your weight “just fine” if everyone around you weighs the same. Now, I’m not in any way, shape or form advocating ditching your overweight friends (or your spouse!). What I am suggesting is making sure you also hang out with people who have made this change in their lifestyle. It can be as simple as taking an exercise class a couple of times a week where you’re in a room full of people who are trying to get fit.

(Sarah Z, Seema and me on the bridge)

I love my Slim & Strong buddies because everyone is trying so hard to be their best, no matter what their size. I love watching everyone become stronger by the week. In the course of the month, I notice their postures improving. They stand taller, look more confident and have this crazy healthy glow about them. It’s not that everyone there is skinny, but they have that drive for betterment. And they get what it means to take care of their bodies and their selves. That’s what I recommend being around. I’m very lucky that my friends in NYC have that drive and as a result, look fantastic. It inspires me.

Those are my two cents to keep yourself motivated. If you have more tips you can share, I’d be interested. I can use all the help I can get!

Small Switches: Yogurt

2010-04-23T01:09:00.012-04:00

Low-fat yogurt is a great snack to keep on hand. Mind you, I mean plain low-fat yogurt (and no, vanilla is not plain!). Plain, un-flavored yogurt, with your own fruit added in, or not, is crazy good for you.

It’s a greater source of calcium than milk. Its live cultures help in digestion (make sure you look for brands that say “live and active cultures” on the label – unless specified, they don’t necessarily contain these probiotics and you miss out on a huge benefit). And according to the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, yogurt has as much protein as an egg or ounce of meat.

So how do you make this work any better for you? Switch from regular yogurt to Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt, perhaps put simplistically, is super-strained yogurt. So the cloudy-ish water you’d see on top of regular yogurt (which would be the whey) is completely absent because it’s been strained through something like a cheese cloth.

My favorite brand is Fage. It’s pronounced Fa-yeh. The milk used in Fage comes from cows not treated with growth hormones, the yogurt has no sweeteners, preservatives or thickeners used in other brands of 'Greek-style' yogurt. It has the live active cultures we want. And it’s delicious.

The thick and creamy texture of even the FAT FREE variety is seriously unbelievable. But that’s really just the icing on the cake. Ooh. Bad analogy for staying skinny. But you know what I mean. The nutritional difference is astounding:

Fage has DOUBLE the amount of protein that regular fat-free yogurt has. For an 8-oz cup, that’s 20g vs 10g.

As for carbs, Fage has just 9g compared to 16g in regular fat-free yogurt. It also has about half the amount of sodium.

Take a look - here's the nutrition label of Colombo fat-free yogurt which I think is the only decent tasting regular fat-free yogurt around (sadly going out of business soon):

Here's Fage (you can click on the pic to enlarge - or add some more carrots into that diet of yours):

Make the switch. Nutrition-wise, it’s a no-brainer. Wallet-wise, it stings a bit but is well worth it. Trader Joe’s has a significantly less expensive version which has the same great texture, a bit more protein and lots more potassium. But it tastes somewhat tangy and slightly saltier – almost like kefir. I’m not crazy about it but it’s worth a try. (Online rumor has it that Stonyfield actually makes the TJ brand yogurt for them.)

And once again, buy the PLAIN (fat-free or low-fat) yogurt. Even with Fage. All flavored yogurts contain a ridiculous amount of sugar (don't forget 4g = 1tsp). You don't want to be resisting a delicious piece of cake only to consume all that sugar in a yogurt. (Plus, spike in blood sugar results in insulin excretion which promotes fat storage.)

Avoid! Avoid!

And although the Fage with the side of honey is tempting, don’t do it. If you must sweeten, just put a pinch of sugar. Add berries – I add frozen berries to this too and I love it.

Catching up

2010-04-16T00:22:00.018-04:00

It’s been a while. I’ve been writing blog posts in my head the entire time. So much material everywhere. If my telepathic skills were in order, I’d have all this great info to you thrice weekly. Sadly, my telepathy sucks. Hence the absence. But let’s catch up.

Has anyone made any changes? Incorporated protein shakes into their breakfasts? Lost any weight? Gained any muscle? Eating better? I wanna know!

Right now I weigh about 125 pounds. At least that’s the number from the outer range (my weight fluctuates quite a bit in the course of the day). I’m weighing in with Ariane on Monday, just to see where I am in terms of muscle and body fat percentage. This will give me a decent idea of how I’m keeping up on my own (as in no more regimented Slim & Strong workshop, just individual classes whenever I choose - I’ve been averaging about 3 a week).

Outdoor boot camp classes have finally begun!! I’m so excited about this. The weather is great and being back out on the Brooklyn Bridge for boot camp has felt empowering even though the bridge classes are so much easier than the indoor classes. I recently dragged my husband to both and he’ll vouch for that. I also signed him up for Saturday morning classes on the bridge (usually I’d get up in the morning, finish class and return and he’d still be sleeping). He’s actually enjoying them, which is just as well. (Ain’t mama sleepin’, ain’t nobody sleepin’!)

What else? Tune in to the National Geographic Channel next Friday, April 23rd at 10 pm – you’ll see two Masaii warriors take on Manhattan. You know where they went to get a workout right? Did you say “Brooklyn Bridge”? Clever peeps! Apparently they rocked the class, running circles around everyone strength-wise. And they did it all in their sandals! (Photo from Nat Geo website.)

Now, I had a chance to be a part of this show. But I’m still the slowest runner in class, even though I’ve been doing this since last Fall. And I’m not one to humiliate myself on national television. International television, however, is a different story. Which leads me to my next bit of news…

I’m going to be on Japanese TV! And you can too – Japanese TBS is coming to film the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp in action on Tuesday, April 20th. Just sign up for the 8:30 am class and look super kawaii! Ariane is even offering two classes free for taking part. I can’t wait. Slow running be damned! There are plenty of A-list celebrities who’ve made complete asses of themselves for the Japanese audience. And I can’t wait to join their ranks!

Other random notes from the last two weeks:

Wearing nice workout clothes makes me feel like working out.
I LOVE Bebe’s line of workout gear called ph8 – pronounced ‘fate’ of course. Also symbolic of pH balance. Of course. A little too expensive at full price but there’s always something on sale. The colors are such fun and the clothes are uber-cool even if admittedly a bit "Elle-Woods-goes-to-Harvard" dress up, if you get what I mean. It suits me just fine. Nike makes me feel like I'm trying to look like an athlete. Which god knows I'm not. I'm just trying to look good! Back to pH8: Would you believe there isn’t one single pH8 store in Manhattan? My friend Sheeba (who also pointed me to pH8) has driven me to the mall in New Jersey a couple of times to get their stuff and it’s been completely worth the journey. (FYI - their website is completely useless except for the store locator. They show none of their actual workout clothes so I've taken pics of what I bought.)

I hate yoga. It’s abominably uncool of me to say so. But there it is. I’ve tried and tried and tried. It makes me dizzy and nauseous and breathless. I’m giving it one last shot before I simply embrace my feelings. Pure Yoga on the Upper East Side is offering complimentary classes on Thursday, April 22nd from 6 – 8:30 pm to celebrate Earth Day. I’m trying the Iyengar (they’re also offering Forrest and Vinyasa yoga as a part of the special). Reserve your spot ASAP if you’re interested. This place is popular.

I need new sneakers. Mine are just a year old but I’ve used them constantly and apparently one year out is usually when it’s time for a new pair. The store Jack Rabbit analyzes your gait and stride and makes recommendations for people based on that. Will try it out and report back.

Coming up:

More ‘Simple Switches’, some ‘Must-See’ shows and exhibits going on around town (great way to NOT think about eating!), skinny jeans that actually make you look skinny and a series of notes titled “Where do calories come from?” courtesy of Ariane, where we’ll figure out how to take in fats, carbs and proteins in a way that finally makes sense. Plus, some new finds (well, new to me, at least) at my favorite Trader Joe’s.

Have a great weekend!

Back on the wagon. Starting with beans.

2010-03-24T01:29:00.010-04:00

This last week, I fell off the wagon, nutritionally speaking. Two cheat meals turned into three. And quite quickly to four. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Ugh. Had a couple of emotionally draining days and said, "Poor you - have some Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes. And an ice cream martini to go with. There, there. All better?"

And it was all better. For all of 30 minutes. Simple carbs like sugar, white bread, etc., are a seriously slippery slope. Because they (unlike proteins and complex carbs like veggies and whole grains) are quickly absorbed into your blood stream, spike your blood sugar and give you a little burst of energy. And then it’s gone, leaving you craving for more.

These last several months I've been able to avoid emotional eating by asking myself with every craving, "What is it I really want" Because if I’ve eaten my meals, I shouldn’t be hungry. And I don’t really need sugar. Usually, the answer to what I want, when I've really stopped to think about it has been "a better project at work," or "to distract myself" from some bad feeling or other or simply "to feel good" when I’m feeling blah. I've been able to find other ways to fulfill those needs - calling a friend to chat, playing some music I haven’t heard in a while, heading to the park for a walk, etc. - and the craving usually goes away. This time around, my finely honed hand-eye-mouth coordination totally bypassed any intellectual dealings and now I feel like crap. Physically. Even though I've been exercising throughout. Shouldn't be surprising. After all, it's 80% nutrition, right?

Ariane had warned us that once our bodies got used to good food, we’d become more sensitive to carbs and sugar and any crap we put in it. And that it would make us feel sluggish and ill. I didn’t actually believe her at the time. But I do now that I’ve felt like I’ve been in a food coma for two days.

So today I'm entering my kitchen to get back to cooking something basic and good. Green beans.

This has got to be the most ridiculously simple recipe ever. It's my friend Mony's and it's super healthy and good.

GREEN BEANS WITH CUMIN

Ingredients:
1 box of frozen chopped green beans (9 oz)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp canola oil

Method:
Half-thaw the beans in the microwave (or stove top). I usually just stick it in the microwave for half the time suggested. In a frying pan, heat the oil on medium. Then add the cumin seeds. Let them brown a bit (see right). If you’re like me and tend to burn stuff, keep the heat on low. The cumin seeds tend to start burning right after they brown. Add half-thawed beans. Stir for a couple of minutes. Add the turmeric and salt (I'd recommend a bit more salt than the 1/4 tsp to really bring out the flavor). Stir well to coat the beans and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Turn heat to low, cover and let cook for another 10 minutes. Stir once in between. Cook longer if you like your beans wilty. That's it.

A few notes about what we're eating:

Green beans – I knew green beans were good for you in the general kind of way any idiot knows vegetables are good for you. But take a look at this info. In short, they are an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C and manganese. Not to mention iron, vitamin A, fiber, folate and potassium (which I’ve just learned is tough to even get through multi-vitamins. More later on this later.).

As for frozen vs. fresh, unless you’re buying them from your local farmer’s market, I’d go with frozen. You don’t know how long the beans have been stocked at your grocery store (apparently, green beans, lose up to 75% of their vitamin C within 7 days of harvest) and besides that, fresh produce tends to be picked before it’s fully ripened. Which means they haven’t reached their full nutritive potential. Frozen veggies are flash-frozen at the peak of their ripeness, when they’re most packed with nutrients.

Cumin seeds – These are an excellent source of iron and a good source of calcium, magnesium and manganese. It's great for digestive health and a host of other things you'd probably have to try to believe. It's amazing properties are what make it so valuable in natural and Ayurvedic healing.

Turmeric - This stuff is made by crushing the root of the Curcoma plant and is rich in curcumin. Never heard of curcumin? Neither had I. I just remember using ground turmeric in India, not only in foods, but all over my face for its antibiotic and healing properties. Besides that, it has anti-inflammatory qualities and is great for digestion. It is also an anti-oxidant. And apparently, it's even good for hangovers. Who knew? Here's more.

Canola Oil – I like cooking with this oil because it’s virtually tasteless. Plus, it is low in saturated fats (the bad stuff) than most other oils, it's high in mono-unsaturated fats (the good stuff) and is the second-highest vegetable source of the essential omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil is the first). Here’s an interesting bit about oils.

Try the beans. Let me know how it turns out. Also, if you've had a bout of emotional eating, it doesn't mean that all your progress has to stop. Just start again right now. (Not tomorrow!) And you'll be back on track to Skinny again.

A time to cheat

2010-03-15T17:18:00.022-04:00

It's only Monday and I'm already thinking about martinis. Guess it's as good a time as any to discuss cheat meals.

What are they? Exactly what they sound like (surprise!). A meal where you can eat anything - absolutely anything - your lusty taste buds desire. Guilt-free. And when you've incorporated your healthy-eating lifestyle change, the cheat meals are most enjoyable. Makes you remember that you're not deprived. That you're alive and thrive. And the world is your culinary oyster. It's also the one thing that will ultimately help you keep on track the rest of the days.

You get two cheat meals a week. NOT two cheat days a week (as I first understood it when Ariane put forth this policy and thought, "hey - I can totally handle this lifestyle change - this isn't half bad, what's everyone bitching about? etc"). Also not to be confused with unhealthy snacks eaten between meals on the same day as your cheat - a cookie here, a brownie there. Your two cheat meals are just those two meals in the entire week. And those meals can include dessert.

The beauty of the two cheat meals is that you not only get to indulge, but you can feel very proud that it means in a week, you're eating healthy 90% of the time. Which is pretty damn fantastic. Ariane instituted these in our program to prevent cravings and help with our long-term success: "...better than trying to be perfect 100% of the time and then caving in completely after allowing yourself a treat!"

My two cents on your two cheats:

*Make sure you reserve your cheat meals for amazing food. I don't mean fancy, necessarily. Just amazing - like the most amazing pizza from your local pizzeria. Please don't waste your calories on ghetto Pizza Hut. Unless, of course, that's really your thing. It's your cheat meal after all. No judgment. (But Pizza Hut?)

*Plan your cheat meals at the beginning of the week. Like 'Saturday night dinner and Thursday afternoon lunch.' (Still better if you plan the actual restaurant or cuisine). It's easier to eat well the rest of the week when you have an indulgence to look forward to. With no planning, it's way too easy to sit down somewhere, look at a menu and say, "I think I'll make this my cheat meal." You'll be surprised how many cheat meals will make their way into your week. This is how I messed up making any progress doing the Slim & Strong boot camp in January.

*By all means, indulge. But don't stuff yourself. Stop eating when you're full. If you have leftovers, pack it and give it to the homeless (keep no cheat meals at home - too much of a tease).

*If you're okay with sharing dessert, do so. Again, don't eat more just because it's a cheat meal. After following a healthier diet all throughout the week, you'll discover you don't need quite as much. To me, this was a shocker. Most who know me know I live for dessert.

*If you order a cocktail, and it isn't fantastic, send it back. Sweetly tell your waiter that you simply don't like it and order a different one. Same goes for a glass of wine. There's absolutely no need waste those calories on anything that's less than stellar (sorry friends and husband whom I embarrass with this policy, but I've only got so many cheat meals). Most places in Manhattan will oblige.

Part of my cheat last weekend, that I waited for all week and would highly recommend, were two martinis at Cornelia Street Cafe in the West Village:

PB & J Martini. That's right, peeps. Peanut Butter and Jelly martini. Peanut butter rum, Acai Liqueur and Chambord Liqueur, swirled with blueberry coulis. (Pictured top. Sorry for the rubbish photo. I couldn't even wait to drink half of it before taking the pic.)

Banoffee Pie Martini. As in banana toffee. Godiva caramel liqueur, Banana liqueur, light cream and a Graham cracker crust rim. I wish I could swim in this stuff. For the best actual Banoffee Pie, go to Charbonnel & Walker in Saks. And get your own. This one's definitely not for sharing.

Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia St (bet 4th & Bleecker St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 989-9319

Charbonnel & Walker
Saks Fifth Avenue, 8th Fl
611 Fifth Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 753-4000

Vegetarians are people too

2010-03-11T16:07:00.019-05:00

Hahaha. Of course you knew that. This should really be titled "Vegetarians need protein, too". But to me, they're such a curious lot. I’ve always seen their discipline in living without chicken, lamb and fish (except for my pseudo-vegetarian friends – for the last time, you’re pescatarian!) as masochistic. Or in the very least as martyrdom, especially in this country where I think it's a lot harder than others that have entire cultures built around vegetarian cuisine.

Perhaps my thoughts are such because I lack the ability to have compassion for the juicy chicken leg that comes steaming out of the tandoor. I’m cruel that way. No consideration whatsoever for the bird’s sacrifice.

Deep beneath my general contempt and desire to annoy vegetarians, however, lies some amount of sincere concern. How on earth do they stay healthy? Where’s their protein coming from? How do they build muscle? Judging by the number of toneless (muscle-wise) vegetarians I’ve seen – both skinny and fat – I was quite convinced it was impossible.

Sarah Z., vegetarian extraordinaire, has proven that assumption completely wrong. (Vegetarians rejoice!)

Sarah was in my February Slim & Strong boot camp. And won 2nd place in class for overall weight/fat loss and muscle gain (we tied!). She gave me some excellent tips in a comment to my post On the road to Skinny. I want to re-post that info here – so all you meatless wonders can benefit (you know I really love you, right?)

Nutrition-wise, Sarah's challenge was getting in 120g of protein per day (as calculated for her height/weight/age). Not an easy task with vegetables alone. (Consider 50 stalks of cooked asparagus, though amazingly nutritious, gives you only about 12g of protein!). So how did she do it? The following were her main sources:

*1 cup of Greek Yogurt – Sarah has fat-free if it’s a part of a meal that contains fat and 2% if it’s a snack all by itself. That’s 20g of protein. The individual sizes of Greek yogurts (like Fage) pack 15g.

*1 cup of 1% Cottage Cheese. That’s 32g of protein right there! (The skim cottage cheese tastes awful and usually has added sugar. Not worth it.) She sometimes adds fruit to it. Or a lot of cinnamon – which I just tried and it’s yummy. I love eating cottage cheese with Indian spicy mango pickle as well. Don’t knock it till you try it!

*Vegetable Protein Shake – Sarah starting using this because the whey protein made her throw up. She thought it could be the stevia (the sweetener) that was possibly getting to her. Vegetable protein powder basically tastes like vegetable juice – lightly sweet and pleasant. Sarah uses the brand Vibrant Health (pictured right). Oddly enough, it comes in Natural, Vanilla and Chocolate (Chocolate veggie protein? If someone tries this, please let me know what that’s like!)

*Low-fat Tofu – Sarah gets Nasoya Lite Firm and uses it in stir-frys. If she’s having it without rice or noodles, then she has the whole package. That’s 30g of protein right there. One great tip: “Tofu is better if you freeze it first, then put it in the fridge for 24 hours. It makes it all porous and the texture is grainier that way.”

*Eggs and Egg Whites - 1 egg has 6g of protein. Sarah combines two whole eggs and several egg whites to get about 20g of protein. I generally like to avoid more than two egg yolks per day because of the cholesterol. I always wondered about the harm of all the fat in yolks as well. One thing Sara said that Ariane taught her about protein, eggs in particular, was not to be afraid of the fat that came with it. “If I'm eating cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast, and veggies and low-fat tofu for dinner, and light snacks [in between], then I can have three eggs at lunch. This was pleasantly revelatory for me.”

Sarah likes to bake eggs in homemade tomato sauce. Her recipe is below:

Sauce:
Saute some garlic in olive oil. Saute onions as well if you like.
When garlic browns, add a can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, or about 5 cut-up fresh tomatoes
Let cook on med-high about 5-10 mins. Mash with a potato masher or something similar to get a nice consistency.
Add pepper, oregano, etc.
Cook down until sauce isn't watery

To bake the eggs:
Turn oven to 350.
In a cast-iron pan (or pyrex dish or something else oven-safe), add sauce.
Crack eggs into a separate bowl (to prevent losing shells in the sauce), and add to sauce.
Put a little sauce over the eggs and add Parmesan cheese, ricotta or what have you.
Bake for 24-28 minutes, depending on how you like the eggs. 28 minute really bakes them. With 24 minutes, they're still a little soft.

Sarah says you could use a jarred sauce… “just be careful about the sodium/sugar content. Even canned tomatoes have a lot of sodium but I try not to think about it… it's a really forgiving recipe, and you can add other veggies to the sauce, or lean meat, or whatever you have on hand.”

So there you are, vegetarian peeps. Get your proteins in. And get strong!

To Sarah Z - thank you so much for all this info. You're looking seriously amazing and your new muscle tone totally knocks my vegetarian stereotyping. Some of it I'll hold on to, however, just to amuse myself.

What's Sheeba eating?

2010-03-09T10:36:00.006-05:00

I once saw Daniela Peštová at a Ricky’s in Soho. It was shortly after she had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s ever-so-icky Swimsuit Edition. She had amazing skin. Everyone in the store very carefully watched - and then pounced - on everything she touched. So we could possibly buy it. And achieve the same results. Slightly pathetic, I know. BUT, I’ve learned that it’s really not the worst idea in the world. In fact it isn’t so different from studying the habits of highly successful people. Or following investing tips from the financially savvy. Or fashion tips from those who’ve got it and can flaunt it.

Well, there’s also much you can learn from the slim and svelte lot of humanity. (And no – sadly, I speak not of myself.)

My friend Sheeba is about as slim and svelte as they come. She’s absolutely tiny. But not like other skinny women who are just lanky, small or frail. Look closely, and this girl is all muscle. (FYI, Sheeba does not normally traipse around the city dressed like Lady Gaga. This is her at Halloween.)

I’ve noticed she doesn’t drink too much (except on her birthday and New Year’s): she sticks to one glass of red wine at dinner, might order a second cocktail if it’s seriously deelish. She almost always chooses the fish or chicken dish (go lean proteins!) and shares her dessert.

Every group has a Sheeba. She doesn’t have to be tiny. But looks well-proportioned, has great muscle tone and glowing skin (good eating does that to you). And I’m not talking about the whiny, health-nut who winces at everything you eat. I’m talking about the one who quietly orders the good stuff. Who does indulge, but in such sensible quantities, it’s really okay.

So, one pretty good guide to eating well when you’re eating out – find the Sheeba of your group (or what the hell – just look around the restaurant for a Sheeba!). See what she orders. Follow suit.

Normally I'd include an address to my favorite Ricky's here, but everything they have is overpriced. You can do better at any salon or your local CVS. I wouldn't recommend Ricky's for anything but Halloween costumes (Sheeba bought her wig there). So I'll simply remind you in October.

On the road to Skinny

2010-03-05T12:37:00.006-05:00

I’d love to say that Skinny, like life, is a journey, not a destination. But who would I be kidding? Skinny is a place I just want to reach. (Are we there yet?)

So let’s quit the jibber-jabber and get there already.

Start drinking water. Eight 8-ounce glasses a day. I know there are debates on whether it’s necessary or not. I used to drink 1.5 glasses. And that’s when I remembered. With the 8 glasses, I actually feel less tired all the time. More on this later.

Stop eating breakfast cereal. For the most part, it’s candy. Even the so-called healthy ones have way too much sugar, corn syrup and all kinds of crap in them. And the actual 'health brands' have way too many carbs. Much better to get your carbs from veggies.

Get going on your protein shakes for breakfast.

Go easy on the fruit. At the most, 2 servings per day. Last month, I cut out all fruit except for berries – blue, black and straw. And I did not have more than ¼ cup of them in my shakes. I know 5 servings are recommended (nutritionists most welcome to comment on this!) – but that’s way too much sugar. Even though it’s natural sugar. And you’ll spend your time burning through that before you even reach the fat in your body that needs burning.

When you do have fruit, eat it with yogurt. Or with cottage cheese. (Or peanut butter!) You slow down the absorption of sugar into your blood stream when you combine it with a protein or fat.
(Why don’t you want that sugar spike? Because your body responds to sugar with insulin. And insulin actually prevents fat burning. Not good!)

Eat more vegetables. I hate when people say that. It bores me. But veggies cooked right , as I have only recently discovered, are actually quite yummy. I’m going start posting recipes that make vegetables delicious. Seriously. Beacuse I can’t stand the steamed stuff. It’s like eating fibrous cardboard.

Eat more yogurt. Fat-free or with just 1% fat. PLAIN yogurt. Put your own fruit in it.

Stop the juice - Tropicana, Florida Natural, Ocean Spray, Mott's - all of it. Have you seen the sugar in that stuff? One cup of orange juice has about 24g of sugar. That's 6 teaspoons!

Stop drinking soda. It contains high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is even sweeter than plain old corn syrup. That’s a topic all in itself. Just one example of the harm it does: it interferes with your brain’s communication with your stomach (Put down that bagel, dammit! You’re full!”) which results in overeating.

Oh, and stop eating bagels. One whole bagel is too huge to begin with. Most are made from processed flour – those carbs are quickly converted to sugar in your body. A lot of commercial varieties also contain HFCS in them. If you must have bagels, have the 100% whole wheat bagels with no HCFS. These are decent. (They’re made from whole grains and therefore better – apparently, 9-grain and multi-grain bagels and bread are NOT made from whole grains. Go figure.)

Eat a lean protein at EVERY meal. Eggs, fish, chicken (white or dark, but skinless), lamb shank with fat trimmed to at least 1/8 of an inch. Vegetarians – I don’t yet know what the hell you’re supposed to do. But I was just informed that sisters-in-crime, Seema and Saumya, started boot camp yesterday and will have the low-down for me on that. Will post when I catch up with them.

One more thing - I found this the hardest - cut out the starchy carbs at dinner. So yes, chicken and vegetables with no pasta. Daal with no chapati. Lamb with no cous-cous. And forget the Massaman curry and rice. Eat it all at lunch. Or at a cheat meal.

Does all this seem extreme? If so, just try it for ONE month. That's it. Your results will tell you if it's worth it or not. But a month of this won't kill anyone. Plus, let's not forget why we're doing this - it's not only about getting skinny. It's also about being able to enjoy this amazing city! Why waste your calories on cereal when you can have ceviche? Or a bagel when you can have a Bloody Mary (cheat meal, people!)

I will elaborate on all of these tips in future posts. But in a nutshell, here’s where you start. At least with your nutrition. I made my husband follow the above and you know what? He lost 5 pounds in two weeks, not even lifting his pinky toe to exercise. Guys are annoying like that. I did all this and more, and exercised my butt off for a month - and I lost just one pound more than he did. (I do bet my body fat percentage is better than his though!)

One big thing to remember as you cut out (or at least greatly cut back on stuffing your face with) some of your favorite things: The change you're making in your diet is not about what you FEEL like doing. So don’t think your slim body is not meant to be because you don't have some natural desire to put down that croissant. This is all about a DECISION you're making with your head for a healthier body (and a skinnier frame!).

So decide. Then do.

Weighing in on results

2010-03-03T16:56:00.010-05:00

Last Friday was the last day of my Slim & Strong boot camp. I was both relieved (finally, a break!) and horrendously nervous (this was the final weigh-in) before class. What was really at stake? Just my belief that I could ever lose these 10 frickin’ pounds. I could neither hope to eat any better than I had nor exercise any more than I did. If I didn’t shed anything this time, I never would.

I had worked out every day of the last week. To the point that my chest and back muscles hurt when I took a deep breath. My ass hurt when I walked. I wanted to pay someone to carry me. I also started smelling Oreo cookies wherever I went. (Olfactory hallucination?) And the night before class, I dreamt I visited my friend Lavi in China. We went to an amazing food festival under a towering tent in the valley of some idyllic village. But everything was fattening. I couldn’t resist and ate every dumpling in sight and completely messed up my weigh-in!

For all that, things turned out rather well. Even though I didn’t reach my 10-pound goal. This is what I did achieve:

*I lost 4.4% of my original weight – about 6 pounds. I’m now 126. I’d really love to get to 120-122.
*Also lost 2.2% body fat this month (I am now at 22.4% body fat. I started out my very first Slim & Strong program in November at 28.4% body fat.)
*I’ve also shed 4.2 lbs of pure fat – this I’m most thrilled about. Have you seen what this looks like? It’s gross.
(This is a what 5 pounds of fat looks like compared to the same weight in muscle.)

And all that meant a second-place win for me. Was I happy? Incredibly! And then I got home and started bawling. Inconsolably.

How on earth was I going to keep that weight off? How was I to keep eating healthy? And what of my beloved martinis? I’m a seasonal lush. Come summer and sun – and I’m toasted. (I once put off a course of antibiotics when I lived in Boston because it was July and we were expecting exceptionally great weather that week – which only meant one thing to me. Hello Happy Hour!)

I’ve just exposed my own brand of Crazy, huh? I wish I didn’t sound like such nut, but worrying about weeks, months and years at a time is my special talent. Ariane has reminded me every so often to remember that I only need to get to the weight I want and then slowly incorporate back into my diet, the things I really want to eat. So it does NOT mean a ban on everything good forever. I think that’s really important to remember. Because the logic I’ve used and so often hear is that “I’m never going to keep it up, so why even start?” But you don’t have to keep up this intensity. That’s a short-term goal. And right now it’s about losing weight and fat and building muscle. After that, it’s maintenance.

I do realize maintenance will have its own set of challenges. But one thing at a time, right? For now, I’m going to concentrate on getting to that ideal weight. So, another 4-6 pounds lighter. Well, let’s just say 6 pounds since my weight fluctuates (being very specific in your goals is very important to achieving them).

So, here’s what I did to kick-start the weight loss in the last month. Clearly, something worked. I will continue most of this till I hit the 120 lb mark (more about that in my next post):

*Started drinking 2 liters of water a day.

*Kept track of EVERYTHING I ate.

*Started every single day with a protein shake.

*Completely cut out pasta and rice (except for some brown rice with sushi). And yes, it was possible – remember it was just for a month.

*Cut out all white bread. Really limited whole wheat bread. And definitely ate no bread, pasta or rice for dinner.

*When I did order a sandwich, I got it with whole wheat bread and removed the top slice (like having an open-faced sandwich)

*Ate protein at every meal (mostly eggs, chicken, fish, cottage cheese, yogurt) and made sure I had about 100g a day. (That’s the quantity that was calculated as right for me and I do believe it’s important to actually measure and keep track, at least till you can guesstimate. 20g is about the size of a deck of cards.)

*Cut out most added sugar except in my coffee and tea.

*Only treated myself to very dark chocolate every so often (1 Ghirardelli square every other day or so to be precise).

*Kept the alcohol at 2 glasses of wine per week and limited them to my cheat meals (Ariane allotted us two cheat meals a week – we could eat whatever we wanted.)

At no time was I ever hungry. And besides smelling Oreos the last week, I actually didn’t crave stuff unless it was in front of my face. So get the bad stuff out of your house. The really bad stuff is out for good. The not-so-great stuff is out only till you’re a good weight. And don’t fret!

My next post will be on what I plan to do now that I won't have Ariane standing a few feet away from me, 3 times a week. (It'll also hopefully answer my friend Liz's question about where on earth to start.) I think I'm ready to continue this lifestyle change thing on my own.

A very big, emotionally-inarticulate hug to Ariane for all her encouragement and patient dealings with my neuroses. You rock.

You can check out Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp for complete info and schedules for exercise programs & nutrition classes conducted by Ariane Hundt.

Walk, dammit!

2010-03-01T15:28:00.011-05:00

In all seriousness, I don't think walking does squat for weight-loss. I've always lived in cities and so have never owned a car. My legs are my transport authorities and walking is simply how I get around. I always sneer at people who count "a walk" as exercise. Because I can walk from here to China and will not shed a pound. Of course, that's my stubborn body. One thing I can't discount, though - walking burns more calories than hanging out on a couch. Even for me.

I know it's cold outside. But right now, Central Park is abominably beautiful. So bundle up, jump into your rubber boots (get your hands on a pair of Moovs - like Hunter's on the outside and Uggs on the inside - so gorgeous, I want to eat them) and get out! Do watch for melting snow falling from tree branches. (You'll look ridiculous but it might not be the worst idea to walk around with an umbrella. It'll keep your head safe. Plus, it's NYC. No one will really care!)

Bow Bridge

Lady Liberty as Ice Queen

One of my favorite views

Joe with my Double Tall Skim Latte (my 'small switch' from my uber-favorite caramel macchiato) and the Skim, No-whip Hot Chocolate I talked him into. (That was my good deed for the day. Joe might disagree.)

Just dance it off

2010-02-26T23:19:00.023-05:00

Remember when going dancing every Saturday night was just a given? Just a joy (as of course was all the boozing). Well no wonder we could eat and drink whatever we wanted – we did hours of cardio the same night.

I propose re-instituting that tradition. Now wait a minute before you say you’re way beyond standing in line to have some muscle-brained bouncer cock his head, check you out and yea or nay you. I’m right there with you. (A bouncer once examined my ID and said, “Damn! Go easy on the Olay, girl!” I decided to take it as a compliment.)

Back to my point. What if you could simply walk into a place – no line, no fuss, no pretentious annoying people around – and just dance your ass off? The Pyramid Club is just such a place. $6 cover charge. 80s music every Saturday night. Well drinks I wouldn’t touch. Pure joy. We completely date ourselves knowing every word to every song, but so much of the excitement stems from the fact that we were too young to be at clubs when this stuff actually came out!

The place looks like something out of Desperately Seeking Susan. I wouldn’t call it a dive (mainly because it doesn’t come with the divey people) but it kinda looks it. In a good, relaxed way. The DJ looks like the cashier at my local liquor store and doesn’t so much 'DJ' as much as he simply plays good music. My friend Sarah found a request list that not too many people must have known about – because most of the requests were ours and the DJ played about 70% of them, which I was pretty thrilled about. As was Sarah – many of hers got the entire place on their feet. (FYI, walk up onto the DJ platform/stage and you’ll see a clipboard with paper on a table to your right. That’s the request sheet.)

It was a ridiculously good time. How long has it been since you’ve danced to Duran Duran’s Reflex? Or MJ’s Beat It? Or Rick Springfield’s Jesse’s Girl? Or anything from Wham! for goddsake? Mine was Saturday.

As for the people there. Really too hard to peg. It was all over the place:
There were 7 of us girls celebrating my friend Daman’s approaching nuptials.
There was a guy with his shirt off, moving to every single song he heard. I mean, there was nothing he couldn’t dance to. That’s him on the right rocking Material Girl.
There was a 70 year old man (below), dressed in a tux, complete with rose bud on his lapel, quietly sitting in a corner, sketching the scene in front of him by candle light.
And there was Batman. (Bat-thang?) In a full body black silicone suit, working a long ponytail and heels twice as high as mine. He wanted Sarah but she wasn't having any of it. (There she is, right of him, in the pic below. Daman is on the left.)
One of my favorite characters of the night was a very normal looking woman in her 40s who simply walked back and forth on the floor, mouthing the words of each song like she was performing it. When it came to Beat It, she sang Eat It. Loudly. And laughed harder and harder each time at how very funny it was.

Those are the people that stuck in my mind. There were more. Everyone was friendly and having a blast. No one cared what anyone else thought of them. Clearly.

Wear comfy shoes. I didn’t know we were dancing and arrived in my highest heels. I couldn’t even move by the end of the night but my calves got the workout of their lives. And I'm pretty sure I burned off all my dinner.

Here's a big fat super tip from Ariane:
One way to balance an indulgence is to exercise within 12-16 hours of eating too much. You actually have that much time before the excess energy created from your meal is stored in your fat cells.

So, follow a great dinner by a couple of hours dancing. And do it often. You’ll not only get those endorphins hyperactive, but stay awesomely skinny.

The Pyramid Club
101 Avenue A
Between 6th & 7th Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-4888

Nice Matin for a more than nice brunch

2010-02-23T00:47:00.015-05:00

My idea of a great Saturday afternoon – after being beaten up that morning AND the previous evening at boot camp – is brunch. I love having brunch on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. (The Upper East is a wasteland in comparison.) Brunch followed by shopping, or a walk in the park, or a museum. Depends on who I’m with. On this day, I was with my husband, Joe, and we did the latter.

Nice Matin was our destination. My friend Karen recommended it a little over a month ago, just when I thought I had exhausted all UWS options. It’s bright, warm and cozy. And I’ve been there three times since. They have great menu options that are really quite healthy and don’t make you feel like you’re even trying to be.

I had the Artichoke and Leek Frittata with pesto and parmesan and a dollop of creamy ricotta on top. (A frittata is similar to an omelette except that the veggies/meats/cheeses are combined with the eggs instead of folded into the center. Usually, it’s only half-cooked on the stove and then finished in the oven. Kinda like a quiche without the crust.)

This one had fat, happy chunks of artichoke hearts throughout. The parmesan added a nice salty edge to it and to me, leeks add a good spin to everything. (Sorry – couldn’t resist the link.) I could have used a little more ricotta, but it was just as well they dollop in moderation. It tasted like cream with the frittata. Such a great combo of fresh-tasting flavors. It also came with a small side salad of greens with white wine vinaigrette (have it) and some spiced potatoes (skip it).

Nice Matin makes its eggs using both butter and olive oil unless you specifically ask for just olive oil. So ask! (Both are equally fattening, but olive oil is better from a health standpoint. It has good fat (mono-unsaturated), raises good cholesterol, lowers the bad and is high in buzzword anti-oxidants. Butter, since it’s made from animal fat, has higher cholesterol and a lot of saturated fat.)

I also had 2 cappuccinos - they were so frothy and good despite being made with skim milk (another think to ask for).

Also, ask them not to bring out their yummo bread basket. (The delicious carrot-bran mini-muffin sounds healthy but a muffin is a muffin. Is a muffin.) Entertaining it on your table is masochistic if you’re trying to avoid those carbs. Now, if you’re there to indulge, nobody makes a more heavenly chocolate croissant. NOBODY. And yes, I’ve been lucky enough to have had them in Paris. But sorry. My statement stands.

But you know, if you want to stay thin and still go out and enjoy yourself, and not really be saddled with a ‘diet’ per se, I’m finding more and more that these are the little things you just need to avoid. It does suck if you dwell on it. So don’t. Save it for a cheat meal (more on that in another post). Just enjoy what you can have. Speaking of which, here are some other good options at Nice Matin:

- Asparagus and Goat Cheese Omelette (Lots of protein here and goat cheese makes me so happy)
- Egg White Fritatta with fresh spinach and mushrooms (I personally don’t see the point of an egg without a yolk. But if you like it, it’s less fat and cholesterol for you!)
- Scrambled Egg Whites with One Yolk, with peppers, scallions and sliced tomatoes. (Had this the last time we were here and it’s the best of both worlds)

A little more indulgent would be what Joe had – the Salmon Benedict. Order it with multi-grain bread instead of the English muffin (Joe didn’t) and get the hollandaise sauce on the side (Joe didn’t), though really, unlike other places, they don’t drown the eggs with the sauce. The salmon is luscious and melts in your mouth.

We both didn't touch the potatoes each dish came with. Instead, we packed them to go and Joe gave it to a homeless person. Who then proceeded to ask him if he any had butter for it. (Joe didn't.)

For non-egg brunch options, try these salads:
- Grilled Moroccan Spiced Salmon with grilled asparagus,tabouleh,arugula pesto, eggplant puree
- Salad Nicoise with olive oil, poached tuna, raw vegetables & hard cooked eggs, olivade croutons, lemon & extra virgin olive oil (Ask for no croutons)
- Mediterranean Lamb Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, feta, beans and yogurt sauce
- Chopped Chicken Salad with tomatoes, avocado, onions, cucumbers and celery with imported greek feta cheese (Ask for the dressing on the side. You can also do this one with shrimp.)

The dinner menu at Nice Matin looks incredible as well. Thinking of going back Saturday night. Will let you know how it is.

When you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the Museum of Natural History, just a couple of blocks over from Nice Matin. Their Hall of Human Origins never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I go back to it (they have the actual Turkana boy!). I personally think their permanent exhibits blow their special exhibits out of the water. FYI , their outrageous $20 entrance is ‘suggested price only.’ Meaning that you can ask to buy 2 tickets for $10. Yes, just like that. And they give it to you. It’s great, especially if you go often and sometimes only have a half hour to spend there. We make up for it by getting a membership every other year.

Nice Matin
201 West 79 Street,
(Corner of Amsterdam & 79th)
(212) 873-6423

American Museum of Natural History
79 Street & Central Park West
(212) 769-5100

Breakfast Idea #1

2010-02-19T15:51:00.009-05:00

(Right off the bat, I'll confess I don't actually have an Idea #2 as today's title would imply. But I'm feeling optimistic this morning as the weekend's around the corner.)

Breakfast has always been a tough one for me. It's actually my favorite meal. But eaten at 11 am. At a table. Leisurely. Seeing as how that's a bit impractical, I started looking for some way to incorporate "the most important meal of the day". One big problem was (and is) that I'm just not that hungry before 11. And if I'm not hungry, why not just save some calories, right?

Wrong. Your metabolism (read:calorie burning) slows down while you sleep. Your morning breakfast revs it up and gets it to pick up the pace again. Skip it and your body starts to slow your metabolism down even further to conserve energy and protect your fat ass from starvation. Not ideal if you want to lose or maintain your weight.

My solution? The whey protein shake! Seriously, I always thought this was for body-builders or gym rats - people really working out for some professional purpose or the other. But then I found out a couple of my friends, the most petite, svelte creatures you'll ever find, had this every day. I didn't walk, I ran - to Whole Foods at Columbus Circle. And got myself some of this stuff.

For six months now, I've had a protein shake for breakfast on most weekdays. You can get both vanilla and chocolate protein powder - I like the vanilla. These are my usual combos:

1 (8 oz) cup milk - yes, I measure it out, and I use 1% milk
1 scoop protein powder - scoop measure comes with can
1 medium banana
or 2 tsp peanut butter
or 1/4 cup blueberries
or 1/4 cup strawberries
or any combo of the above.
1/2 tsp sugar, only if you must.

Blend together. Insert straw. Drink. By the way, the banana mixed with peanut butter is like dessert!

The milk and protein powder alone give you 24g of protein! (Each scoop of the powder has 16g of protein.) Obviously, you know you need protein for energy, to repair body cells, build muscles, etc. But did you also know that if you don't get enough protein through nutrition, your body cannibalizes itself and breaks down your muscle to get the protein it needs? Well, now you do. For many of you skinny people who still feel like you're somewhat flabby, it could simply be lack of protein in your diet!

A few things:
- On days when I'm not sure what or where I'm eating later on, I use up to 2 scoops of protein powder. I need 100g a day for my height (5'4"), and weight (130 lb) and body fat percentage (24.6 %) in order to reach my goals (120 lb and 20% body fat).
- You don't have to use fresh fruit. I keep bags of frozen strawberries and blueberries on hand. You don't have to thaw. Just throw them in frozen.
- I started using only half a banana because the whole banana has 27g of carbs. A lot potassium, but too much sugar. It's not the biggest deal, though. Have the whole banana if you like.
- I've recently started making my shake with 1/2 cup of cold water mixed with 1/2 cup of milk to save on carbs and fat. I should probably just switch to skim milk but I HATE skim milk. Plus, if you have something like a banana in there, you can't really tell there's all that water. Again, not the biggest deal.
- I've stopped adding sugar. Did you know 1 cup of 1% milk has 12g of sugar? Now that's a big deal.

I can't tell you what a difference this morning shake has made! First of all, I feel better. I don't have the urge to reach for a muffin or a mid-morning sugary coffee (mid-afternooon is a different story), and I'm perfectly fine right up to lunch (I have recently incorporated a snack before lunch to keep the metabolism going, like a handful of almonds or a piece of string cheese, and that helps even more). Second of all, I'm getting a whole lot of protein I knew nothing about!

Whey protein is a mixture of a certain class of proteins that have been isolated from whey. (Of course, whey, for those of you who've forgotten Little Miss Muffet, is the liquid by-product of cheese production.) Apparently, our bodies can make non-essential amino acids from other amino acids in the body. But it can't make essential amino acids. The only way to get them is through high quality protein foods. Those that contain all of the essential amino acids are called complete proteins. Whey protein is a naturally complete protein. Who knew? There are also a crazy number of other health benefits to whey protein you can read about.

By the way, I buy the Whole Foods brand Whey Protein powder because I get kind of dizzy and overwhelmed walking into a GNC or Vitamin Shoppe. The few times I have, I've noticed that most other brands have a lot more carbs, fat or sugar in their protein powder. So just watch for that.

Do watch out if you have milk allergies, though. Lactose intolerant folk can try soy protein powder, also available (in identical packaging) at Whole Foods.

My favorite Whole Foods Market in the city:
10 Columbus Circle
New York, New York 10019
Phone: 212.823.9600

FYI, I find the other stores are not stocked nearly as well as this one.

NOTE: It's March 1st. I've had the worst time getting my hands on this stuff. Sold out in Union Square and Columbus Circle. Finally got some at the Whole Foods on the Upper West (Columbus and 97th). While Whole Foods figures out their distribution nonsense, you can try the protein power from the Jay Robb brand. Ariane recommended this to us so I know it's good. I find it a bit sweet and thicker than the WF brand, but it's good to tide you over. Available at Vitamin Shoppe and Whole Foods.

Small switches: Peanut Butter

2010-02-18T00:57:00.002-05:00

Overhauling the way you eat is overwhelming. When you find out everything you eat is pretty much crap, where do you even begin? My answer is "with small things". Today, we do peanut butter.

Why peanut butter? Because it's actually reasonably good for you and is an acceptable snack food. It's filling, high in protein and has good fat. I use it in my protein shake and sometimes as an after-dinner snack on apples. Stick to just ONE big tablespoon a day. It actually goes a long way.

Turns out the popular brands like Skippy, Peter Pan, Reese's and my personal fave, Jiff, even the reduced fat versions, are rubbish compared to natural peanut butter. My friend Patty has been trying to get me to switch to what she calls "real" peanut butter from Whole Foods for a while. I could only imagine what it would taste like and had no inclination to pay what I thought might be exorbitant for peanut butter. But the other night, I found the "real stuff" at Trader Joe's in Union Square, priced just the same as regular and thought, why not?

Before I even get into the taste, there's something you need to see to believe: The Ingredients in 'regular' peanut butter.

Here's Jiffy's reduced fat PB:.
You know that all ingredients are listed in order of their percentage in the product right? Look at the second-highest ingredient: Corn syrup solids. Which is nothing but SUGAR. The short story: Corn starch is separated from corn. That starch is heated with hydrochloric acid. Which breaks it down and converts it to sugar. The longer it's processed, the sweeter the corn syrup. Why use corn syrup instead of regular table sugar? Because it's cheaper, it's sweeter and who cares if it isn't healthy - it's subsidized by the government! Besides this, most corn syrup in the U.S. is made from genetically modified corn. Which is its own creepy story. (Did you know corn syrup is also used to “provide an acceptable taste to sealable envelopes, stamps, and aspirins.” Here's the long story on all of this.)

But wait - this post is about peanut butter, dammit!

See what's in Trader Joe's natural PB:
That's right. Dry roasted peanuts and salt. That's it. Kinda makes sense for peanut butter, huh?

As for the TASTE! To be honest, I actually had to go back and nibble on Jiff's to really remember what the difference was. That's a good thing. Both are yummy. Jiff definitely tastes sweeter - but abnormally so, now that I've been eating the natural stuff. Trader Joe's peanut butter tastes more like peanuts. The texture is a bit stickier, which I kind of like, but you don't notice that unless you eat it plain. Unlike Jiff's, TJ's needs to be refrigerated (as normal food does).

Make the switch, peeps! It's one very easy way to eat healthier. Besides providing the same amount of protein while avoiding the corn syrup solids and fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, natural peanut butter:
+ has less than HALF the quantity of carbs, 7g vs. 15g!
+ has 3 times the fiber (this comes from 'unblanched' peanuts which, possibly oversimplified, means with the skin on)
+ has just a quarter of the sugar, 1g vs. 4g

Now, natural PB does have a little more fat - 4g more per serving - but remember, I'm comparing it to Jiff's reduced fat PB. See for yourself:

Jiff's Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter

Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Peanut Butter (with Unblanched Peanuts)

NOTE: The above nutrition info is for one serving, which is is two tablespoons. Do not have two tablespoons. Have ONE. That's three whole teaspoons and I promise you, it goes a long way.

Trader Joe's at Union Square
142 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10003-4170
(212) 529-4612

P.S. Trader Joe's is making its way to the Upper West Side on Bdwy and 72nd!

Follow Me Caffe – Eating out sans deprivation

2010-02-16T12:28:00.011-05:00

One of my goals here is to find places in Manhattan where I can incorporate this lifestyle change business without feeling punished. Here’s my first.

Follow Me Caffe is a cozy, adorable, reasonably priced little place you’d expect to find in the East Village. Surprisingly, it’s closer to home for me on the Upper East Side. The food is fresh, almost always cooked with olive oil instead of butter and absolutely delicious.

I went with my friends Sarah and Sheeba. We started with the carrot ginger soup which was refreshingly simple, healthy and deelish (carrot, ginger, chicken stock, spices and seasoning) and then went for the hummus plate which I would normally find boring - but this one was spicy and came with chopped kalamata olives that livened it up no end. It was served with strips of focaccia bread and I treated (and limited) myself to one skinny piece. The best way to enjoy this is to make sure you’re eating hummus with a little bread and not bread with hummus. There’s a difference. Also consider requesting a plate of vegetables to go with it.

I had the Moroccan Spice Chicken Crepe – grilled chicken marinated in Moroccan spices with lots of grilled veggies wrapped in a crepe and topped with tomato paste and mozzarella cheese. Salad greens on the side. Majorly yummy. Lots of protein in the chicken and cheese. Only good carbs and vitamins in the vegetables. Now the only not-so-weight-loss-friendly option here was the crepe. It’s cooked with butter and I guess the crepe itself would count as having simple carbs. But this is not about cutting out simple carbs entirely. Just as much as possible. My answer to enjoying this here? SHARING.

My friend Sheeba is a champion sharer. And she went halves with me on the crepe and the Coriander Encrusted Seared Yellow Fin Tuna Salad with mango pico de gallo and lemon dill caper vinaigrette dressing. The tuna was done just right and the mango added happy bits of sweetness to it. The dressing combined olive oil, lemon, dill and was made creamy with yogurt added in. Such a great idea to make other salad dressings creamy! This dish provided a great amount of protein and was delicious with no downsides.

Now I did skip out on dessert. Sheeba and Sarah chowed down on the chocolate brownie with icecream. It looked incredible but both informed me that it was simply “disgusting”. As they licked their plates. Such a sweet attempt to keep me honest.

Other great things I’d recommend on the Follow Me Caffe menu:
- Cumin Seared Diver Sea Scallops And Chick Peas with red pepper tahini vinaigrette dressing.
- Tiger Shrimp Salad with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, onions, chick peas & avocado.
- Alaskan Wild Caught Salmon with Grilled Black Olives with three pepper relish, lemon dill vinaigrette dressing

This does not include all the crepes. Go and share if you’re doing one of those. It’s definitely worth it. Click for menu.

Neighborhood: Upper East
145 E 62nd St
(between 3rd Ave & Lex)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 832-9772

NOTE: The restaurant is tiny. Make reservations when you go. They don’t accept Amex here.

Ariane, Patron Saint of Boot Camp

2010-02-15T11:06:00.010-05:00

By now, any number of you have heard me go on about boot camp. It's been my answer to everything.

How do you exercise? Boot camp.
What are you doing tonight? Boot camp.
What are you doing tomorrow? Boot camp.
What do you love? Boot camp.
What do you hate? Boot camp.

You get the picture (right?). It's called the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp. It's a one-hour workout. And if you live in NYC, or visit, it's absolutely something you must try. Our trainer is Ariane Hundt, the genius behind this concept. I love this lady to death. I can't say enough about her. She's one of those people that absolutely radiates good energy. She looks at your fat like it's completely burnable and has a great sense of humor while doing so. The woman actually jokes and smiles throughout our grueling workout and you don't feel like punching her. I think it's because she really lives this stuff and imparts her knowledge (she has a Master's in nutrition) so matter-of-factly. Like you can pick it all up in a heartbeat, with no problems. And it actually makes sense. It has seriously changed the way I look at everything. It also helps that she allows you to hate the exercise. One of the best things she keeps telling us is that it doesn't matter if we can't stand doing it. Just concentrate on how we're going to feel after the workout. That, I can do.

The program I'm doing right now is called 'Slim & Strong'. It's a month long indoor class - three times a week, plus a nutrition class that Ariane conducts where we get our nutrition allowances (mine are in my last post) and we're taught how to stay within them. This is my third month (not consecutive, and falling off the wagon in between) of this class. The funny thing is that Ariane keeps telling us not to keep signing up. Her approach is the whole teaching us how to fish thing. She's taught us how to eat, how to exercise, goes to the lengths of writing out the entire workout and emailing it to us so we're good to go on our own. And then sees all the same faces signed up at the next month's program anyway. And it isn't cheap. That's how good she is.

What I can't wait for, are the outdoor classes. These are the ones that are actually on the bridge. They start in April and it's what I'm going to continue with to maintain the fat, once my Slim & Strong class is done. The workout:

We start in Manhattan, at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Ariane has us warm up with stretches, push-ups and other stuff against the railings and benches. And then we're off, running to Brooklyn.

The first part of the bridge is hell because it's ever so subtly uphill. My first time, I almost turned around and went home after 5 minutes of running. I thought I was going to faint. I did make it to the first tower, where we start lunges and more exercise. Run to the second tower. Work out with resistance bands (which, by the way, are cheap, portable and a great way to get your arms and back in shape. More about that in another post). From the second tower, we run to Brooklyn. Ariane has us run up and down the stairs that get you off the bridge. Sprinting, skipping stairs, jumping. Like mad people. Then, it's back across the bridge to Manhattan, same drill, different exercises.

As much as I hate exercise, I love this workout. If there's ever a way to put you in the Empire State of Mind, this is it. There's nowhere else in the world that I can be distracted from this horrendous exercising necessity with so much awe that is New York - the skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty. Huffing and puffing along, swearing each time I'm never going to do this again, when I come running back to Manhattan, I'm like a tourist. I can't get over NYC.

[For those interested, Ariane is offering 10 classes for $100 right now. Normally they're $20 a class. Today is the last day. And no, sadly, I get no kickbacks for announcing it. I just think it's an awesome deal.]

It’s 80% nutrition.

2010-02-13T00:05:00.003-05:00

Last night I went to the New York Flamenco Festival at City Center (which, by the way, is going on all weekend – I’d HIGHLY recommend seeing a performance with Rocio Molina – the woman brought me to tears). The energy those dancers have is seriously amazing. One thing that absolutely threw me, though, is that one of them was overweight. Which seemed impossible for the amount of energy and stamina she had.

It reminded me of the number of people I see literally running circles around me in Central Park but are still overweight. Or at the very least, weigh more than I do. I always think, if I could run that fast and that hard, I’d be thin as a rail.

What I’m learning is that it’s likely to be all about their nutrition. The most unexpected thing I was told in my nutrition class was this:

About 80% of weight loss is achieved by consistent nutritional changes. And that I could exercise from now till kingdom come, and see hardly any results if I don’t change the way I eat.

I can’t even begin to tell you how crushed I was to hear this. One of my dreams was at some point to get into the perfect rhythm of some kind of exercise (I’ve already accepted that exercise is no longer an option) and travel around the world eating whatever and however I pleased. In all seriousness, I don’t want to give up my passion for good food. Or how insanely happy and lucky I feel when I try something delectable. I know it’s over the top, but at those moments, I’m in a place where absolutely everything is right with the world.

I mean, one of my favorite moments is the first time I bit into a real Belgian waffle in Brussels. (By the way, what parades around in the U.S. as the same, is a complete scam). The Belgians actually use dough in the waffle iron instead of batter so the waffle is ever so slightly chewy. And that dough has little globules of melty sugar that surprise your tongue in teeny tiny bursts. And that was without the dark Belgian chocolate atop it. Was like a kiss of welcome on our first morning there.

So where was I? Oh yeah. Nutrition. So with my height, weight, age and body fat taken into consideration, here’s what was determined to be ideal for me as a daily allowance:

Protein – 100g
Carbs – 135 g
Fat – 45 g

(And that would be about 1320 calories total. Ideally split over 5 meals. I do 3 meals and 2 snacks.)

My nutrition then consists of the above, plus cutting out or at least drastically reducing white rice, white bread, pasta, cereals and sugar. I was so at a loss for what to eat in my first week of this, I only ate eggs. I have to say, though, with the allowance of 2 “cheat meals” per week, it has been more and more doable. I’m still not thrilled though. But am getting better at it. Will post later on what I have figured out I actually can eat. I will admit that health-wise, I feel phenomenally better these days.

Cosi Signature Salad - Aaaargh!

2010-02-12T01:32:00.005-05:00

So here I am, thinking I'm eating healthy for lunch. Making sure I get the low-fat, non-creamy dressing (so I'm making no rookie mistakes). And what do I find?

21 grams of freakin' fat. Worse still, 40 grams of carbs. And this, my peeps, is WITHOUT the dressing. The only saving grace is the 15 grams of protein. I feel ill. I really thought I was doing well. I would have much rather had a grilled cheese sandwich. Ugh. I got this info from dietfacts.com. Awesome website for nutrition info on chains. Check out the rest of the damage on that dumbass salad.

By the way, I don't really count calories. I've learned that it's a perfectly useless practice. For example, a low-fat blueberry muffin at Starbucks is only 280 calories. But it has 56g of carbs - 45g of those carbs come from sugar (sugar is a carb - and no, I didn't even remember that before my nutrition class).

Any guesses on what 45g of sugar looks like? It's more than 11 teaspoons of sugar. ELEVEN.

My point - 280 calories from a muffin cannot be compared to 280 calories from, say, a grilled chicken salad (unless it's from Cosi, of course, so beware). I wish all these places would stop merely displaying the calorie count and give me the breakdown of fats, carbs and protein.

I'm going to bed. It's late. And I feel ill.

Just so you know...

2010-02-11T15:37:00.009-05:00

I really wanted to describe this as "a food-worshipper's guide to getting and staying skinny in the city". The food-worshipping part is accurate. But I guess "guide" could be juuust a bit pre-mature. At present, it's still more of an attempt.

I'm still 10 pounds overweight.
Still feeling my way around eating out in Manhattan and not ballooning.
I don't have a personal trainer.
I hate exercise.
Hate gyms. (Paid for one for 6 months without setting foot in it.)
Hate water. (Bo-ring!)
Couldn't really tell you what "simple carbs" were till a couple of months back.
Can no longer stand holding my stomach in.
Can no longer stomach a meal with Spanx on.
Dread giving up my martini.
Am a Cancerian. (That explains the paunch, in case you're wondering.)

Off to a great start, no?

Well, I have signed up for an exercise class that is not a part of any gym membership (much more about that later). As a part of that class, I've taken a nutrition course, that's made me hyper-aware of the way I eat, and soon that knowledge, among other things, will be hyper-applied to everything in this city and shared with you. And if you begin to lose any weight, eat smarter or exercise more, do let me know. I'll take the credit, thank you very much.