Livin' on the Edge

As part of the 'pre-training' phase of the marathon, we've been trying to keep running consistently in this sauna as well as eat better in order to lay a good base for the fall.

On my 3.5 hour trek last week, I listened to a good portion of In Defense of Food.

Most of the book can be summarized on the front cover: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Maybe I'm easily amazed, but I was amazed at what the government, food lobbies and 'nutritionism' (his term, not mine) had done to the average American diet. We obsess more about what we eat than any other country, yet we are still some of the most overweight and sickest people in the world.

Rather than getting our nutrients from fresh foods, we settle for processed foods with the same nutrients added in at processing. Instead of getting fiber from apples, we get fiber from cereal bars with added fiber.

It really made me think differently about the way I eat, and isn't that the purpose of books on tape, to make you think?

Enter grocery shopping and the farmers market. We made more of an effort this week to shop the edges of the store, where all the fresh food makes its home, and bought a good amount of vegetables at the farmers market this weekend.

Last night's dinner- baked eggplant, roasted broccoli, pole beans and mashed potatoes.

The roasted broccoli changed me.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not tossing out the ghiradelli brownies, pizza and snickers bars with the bathwater. Everything in moderation, including moderation. Life's too short to go without Snickers.

Pollan wrote a follow up book "Food Rules" that's a very short read that encompasses a lot of the lessons of the first book. I HIGHLY recommend it. Here's a few favorites:

1. Eat foods that will eventually rot.


2. It's not food if it has the same name in all languages (thing Big Mac and Cheetos)

3. Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

4.. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third‐grader cannot pronounce.

5. Finally, break the rules once in a while. Obsessing over food rules is bad for your happiness, and probably for your health, too. There will be special occasions when you will want to throw these rules out the window. All will not be lost. What matters is not the special occasion, but the everyday practice - the default habits that govern your eating on a typical day.

See? I didn't totally make that part up about the Snickers.

How Does the Old Saying Go?

They say its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. I guess this is true, since I have a good sized dog, who doesn't seem to have much fight. Either that, or I'd hate to see the other dog.

He'll be fine with some TLC, anti-biotics and prednisone.

We, on the other hand, are a little heartbroken to see him hurt and moping around.

It's been a long week. I'll hopefully report back with some good news and less graphic images.

On the Road Again...

Rise and Shine.

That's about as good as it got this morning. Namath got dropped off at daycare while we are spending the week traveling for work.

After 14 hours of flight delays yesterday, I'm sure MS is over the week already. I, on the other hand, am just getting started. No reason the drive can't be educational. Minus the chic lit.

I'm venturing into the world of books on tape. Step back, 1997.



I'm sure by the time I get to south Alabama (I lead a glamorous life), I'll never want processed food again. Let's all laugh together.

Registered

I kind of feel like I'm going to throw up. That's normal, right?

Wordless Wednesday - Pumped Up Kicks

Branching out...

Grizz Light

We've been plugging along on the high fiber diet at our house.

Plugged is the last thing Namath is, but I digress.

10 weeks into the diet, 35 lbs of prescription dog food later, it was time for a new bag and a weigh in.

Starting weight: 71.3

Current weight: 66.8

Lost: 4.5 lbs

About half a pound a week. Shooting to lose fat, not muscle. Key when you're in the security business.

Notice the loose collar.

The emergence of a waistline.

The overall handsomeness.

Good job Grizz! You couldn't have done it without us.

We celebrated with some treats. For us not him. He still has a good 10 lbs to go.

Why am I not surprised he took it on himself to pee on our bedroom floor?

Eastbound and Down

This weekend I traveled over to Atlanta to visit my old roomie, who has since moved to bigger and better things.


Alternate post title: Eating and drinking my way through Atlanta.

Even though I was able to leave work a little early, by hour two of Oprah radio on XM, this girl needed a little boost.

By the end of Atlanta traffic, another drink was in order. I've been wanting to try the Barefoot Bubbly for a while, since I'm a fan of their wine. Granted, I haven't met a bubbly I didn't like, and this one hit the spot.

Yes, I took a picture of the sign in the restaurant bathroom. It was funny. Or maybe that was the bubbly talking.

I had some delicious fish tacos for dinner, but since we were with Laura's cousin and I didn't want to be the weird girl who takes pictures of her food, you'll have to use your imagination. I think I'm last to jump on the fish taco bandwagon, but consider me on board.

After dinner, we headed to Sweet Water for a charity event. $20, one glass, and all the beer you wanted. Not sure who benefitted more, the charity or us.

Apparently it was a luau theme. At least we had on bright colors??

After an unsuccesful attempt to spend some money on clothes, we spent some money on the next best thing. Fried food.

South City Kitchen brought the heat via fried green tomatoes in a cream based marinara sauce.

Fried chicken, greens and mashed potatoes for the win.

I can think of nothing better to follow some southern cooking than a nap. Well, maybe a run, but who does that?

We opted for a lighter dinner. Is there a better light dinner than sushi with salmon and avocado? It's a healthy fat. Words that make my heart sing.

In between bites, we managed to catch up on the past few months, analyze life and the Casey Anthony verdict with no threats and jam out to a cover of Justin Bieber. I came back to Birmingham full, tired and wanting all new beauty products.

Thanks for a good weekend friend!