11.30 - Big Belly

A sweet lady coworker came over to me late in the afternoon and held out a Snickers bar. I quickly shook my head. She jokingly said, "Don't be rude to your elders! Take it." I moved the scarf off of my belly and showed her what had been hidden beneath it. "Stop doing that," she whispered fiercely, eyes glued to my stomach. I shook my head sadly, told her I couldn't. Then, in a serious tone, she asked me if I had gained "that big belly" from working here. I told her no—it had happened at lunch. She walked away laughing buuut I think the laughter may have been a cover-up. I don't think she'll be offering me anymore Snickers bars anytime soon . . .

FRIDAY, November 30th

Breakfast
+ bowl of Autumn Harvest shredded whole wheat cereal with skim milk
+ tall grande vanilla non-fat latte
Lunch
+ whole mess of Indian food (it was a buffet...I had several helpings...)

+ very small scoop of flan
+ two small mango-flavored ice cream cubes (yum)
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ small piece of a gingerbread cookie
+ small cup of DQ vanilla ice cream with oreo topping
Dinner
+ small bowl of leftover ramen noodle soup

FATTIE RATING: 3.5

11.29 - "Do you wanna die at 40?!"

Apparently, my buddy here at work who is just as mentally fat as I am thinks a burrito for breakfast and a donut shortly after isn't sensible eating for someone who wants to live past the age of forty. So I very maturely listened to his advice and then . . . went right ahead and had a bowl of stew made with 75% cheese for lunch. *sheepish look* Blah. I guess I either have to start eating better or I have to get married, have children, and fulfill all my lifelong dreams in the next 14 years. Damn. This is going to be hard.

THURSDAY, November 29th
Breakfast
+ McSkillet Burrito (I just wanted to try it! It was decent.)
+ cup of cranberry zing tea
Mid-morning Snack
+ glazed donut (mmmm)
+ small cup of black coffee (to offset the sweetness)
Lunch
+ cup of wild mushroom chicken brie stew (oh man, soo good)
+ small piece of bread with butter
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ two slices of Usinger salami sausage (yum yum)
+ two small pieces of habanero jack cheese (ooohwee-- hot but good)
+ small piece of gouda
+ three crackers
Dinner
+ three eggs (over-medium) mixed into a small bowl of brown rice (yum)
+ 3 oz. hot apple cider

FATTIE RATING: 3.75

11.28 - Eh Wednesday

WEDNESDAY, November 28th
Breakfast
+ blueberry bagel (broken up and dipped into plain cream cheese)
+ grande non-fat caramel macchiato
Lunch
+ 1/2 cup of loaded potato soup (so rich I couldn't finish it-- weird, huh?)
+ 1/2 grilled ham and swiss panini
Dinner
+ small plate of leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy

FATTIE RATING: 3.25

11.27 - No Ordinary Tuesday

I had a banana for breakfast. I had a Potbelly's Italian sub smothered with oily hot peppers for lunch. I had delicious sushi off the deck of a boat for dinner.

On the non-food front, my baby brother left for LA. And I had a nice reunion with three very good friends from a past life.

Quite a Tuesday. :\

TUESDAY, November 27th
Breakfast
+ bowl of cinnamon roll oatmeal
+ yellow banana
+ cup of red rooibus tea
Mid-morning Snack
+ 6 butter crackers
Lunch
+ Italian sub from Potbelly's with very oily hot peppers (yum)
+ small red apple
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ 1/4 rice krispies treat
Pre-dinner Snack
+ scoop of garlic fried rice
+ forkful of baked salmon
Dinner
+ glass of green tea
+ salad with asian-style vinaigrette
+ miso soup (mm)
+ 1/4 of a boat (literally) of sushi (soooo good)


FATTIE RATING: 3.75

11.26 - Deconstruction

I'm not sure what it is, but I love to eat my food deconstructed. People look at me crazy and have often told me how weird that is or how awkward it is to eat out with me, but . . . I find that food often tastes better that way. I don't do it all the time, but I definitely like to. Maybe it's because I like simple flavor but also a variety of tastes. When food is all jumbled together, you sometimes can't tell what's what. But when it's deconstructed or compartmentalized, it's quite a different experience. This is why I like to eat sandwiches open-faced (like with the lox) and why I like to make sure there's enough potato pieces to go with beef pieces (like with the stew) and why I generally don't like sauce with my chicken nuggets and why I like Breyer's vanilla bean ice cream just by itself (and I don't care if people think that says anything about me) and also why I eat a cheeseburger in parts (lettuce first, tomato next, then cheese/patty/bottom piece of bun last). Ha. Yeah, yeah. I'm special.

MONDAY, November 26th
Breakfast
+ lox, tomato, and cream cheese on pumpernickel
+ medium coffee with cream and two sugars
Lunch
+ turkey, bacon, swiss wrap
+ 1/4 brownie
Mid-day Snack
+ 1/2 vanilla cupcake, with most of the frosting scraped off
Dinner
+ 1 and 1/2 cheese quesadilla (it was a wheat tortilla!)
+ scoop of beef and vegetable stew
+ scoop and a half of brown/white/sticky rice concoction
+ scoop of spaghetti sauce over the rice with chihuahua cheese sprinkled on top (it was quite delicious)
+ cup of green tea with lemon and honey
+ very small piece of Affy Tapple
Late-night Snack
+ slice of turkey
+ scoop of mashed potatoes with gravy
+ scoop of fresh herb stuffing
+ scoop of mashed sweet potatoes
+ little scoop of cranberry relish

FATTIE RATING: 3.75

11.24 & 25 - Busy Busy Weekend

The last two days—and the entire four-day weekend, in general—has been jam-packed with parties and activities. Regardless of my lack of sleep, though, it's been fun. This can be deduced from the consumed evidence below. Mess of Korean food + champagne = beautiful wedding. Double dog + fries = sustenance after night out. Turkey + fixings = withdrawal due to end of holiday weekend. Second helping of turkey + fixings = withdrawal turned into contentment. ;) Oh, Monday. Please don't come yet.

SATURDAY, November 24th
Breakfast
+ 3 eggs, over-medium
+ 3 pieces of sweet filipino bread
Lunch
+ whole mess of Korean food
+ few small glasses of champagne
Mid-evening Snack
+ two handfuls of lime-flavored Tostitos
+ one Mike's hard lemonade
Late Dinner
+ 1 and 1/3 slices of Lou Malnati's sausage pizza (mmmmm...)
After-Dinner Drink
+ lemon drop shot
Late-night Snack
+ 4-5 fries
+ double dog with mustard
+ bite of a porkchop sandwich with cheese (yum)
+ 1/6 of a cheeseburger (just eh)
+ bite of a Maxwell Street polish

FATTIE RATING: 4.25
_______________________________________________

SUNDAY, November 25th
Lunch
+ several slices of turkey (roasted just that morning, and it was soooo good)
+ scoop of mac and cheese
+ scoop of fresh herb stuffing
+ scoop of mashed potatoes with gravy
+ scoop of mashed sweet potatoes
+ small scoop of cranberry relish
+ several spoonfuls of Mom's pancit (filipino noodles)
Lunch II
+ several slices of turkey (still good)
+ scoop of mac and cheese
+ scoop of fresh herb stuffing
+ scoop of mashed potatoes with gravy
+ scoop of mashed sweet potatoes
+ small scoop of cranberry relish
+ one freshly baked coconut macaroon (yummy!)
Dinner
+ handful of McDonald's fries
+ one McD's apple pie
+ several sips of lemonade

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.23 - Black Friday, Bland Friday

I didn't do the whole Black Friday thing today, although I did have to do some shopping in preparation for my cousin's 18th birthday party/cotillion tonight. Luckily, due to the busyness of running errands all day, I didn't eat too much. Eating normally is my version of fattie detox. Ha.

FRIDAY, November 23rd
Breakfast
+ leftover baked mac-and-cheese
+ slice of homemade apple pie
Dinner
+ piece of pretzel bread with butter
+ cup of cream of brocolli (the most sinful soup I've ever tasted)
+ house salad (no dressing-- mainly to cleanse my palate!)
+ sliced beef with gravy
+ steamed vegetables
+ mashed potatoes
Dessert
+ slice of neopolitan ice cream cake
+ rice krispies treat
+ cup of coffee with cream and Splenda
Late-night Snack
+ five White Castle burgers (two without the top piece of bread, three without both pieces of bread)

NOTE: I think White Castle burgers are disgusting and not made of real meat, but I was drawn in by the cheese-to-patty ratio. *sigh* Yes, I am a sad and pitiful individual.

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.22 - The Extremes of Gluttony

I ate so much today, I don't think I can even accurately remember all of it. Sadly, I didn't actually eat due to hunger. I mainly ate because of the warm feelings associated with the holiday, because of my desire to taste everything, and because it helped fill my void. Ha. What void, you ask? Well, Thanksgiving was a lot more low-key than most of us had expected it to be, and there was food for at least five times the number of people at our family gathering. I think a part of me felt that stuffing my face would make up for the lack of people-- but, in actuality, I really really just regretted it at the end of the night. And not only was I still left with the void-- but I was left with a pretty uncomfortable tummy ache as well. Ha. Still, there was a lot to be thankful for. *tired smile*

THURSDAY, November 22nd
Breakfast
+ piece of bread with butter
+ coffee with french vanilla cream
Lunch
+ plate of pan-fried skirt steak with brown rice
+ piece of homemade apple pie (yum yum)
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ one or two pieces of Mom's eggrolls (mmm)
Dinner
+ slice of turkey with gravy
+ slice of honey-baked ham
+ spicy pork tamale (ha, our Thanksgiving cuisine is all-encompassing)
+ scoop of broccoli salad
+ scoop of baked mac-n-cheese with bacon topping (sadly, it was disappointing)
+ scoop of mashed potatoes with gravy
+ piece of broiled beef with piece of roasted potato
+ cranberry relish
+ cranberry jelly with almonds, cranberries, apples, etc.
+ stir-fried vegetable medley

Dessert
+ slice of apple pie
+ slice of homemade pumpkin pie (mmm, it came out good)
+ two dollops of whipped cream

Dessert II
+ 1 and 1/2 slices cassava cake
+ cup of coffee with creme brulee creamer
Dinner II
+ spicy pork tamale
+ corn bake thingamajigger
+ little scoop of broccoli salad
+ slice of ham
+ slice of turkey with gravy
+ cranberry jelly
+ one of Mom's eggrolls
+ little scoop of mac-n-cheese
+ cup of coffee with creme brulee creamer

Midnight Snack
+ 2 Pepto Bismol tablets (argghh...)

FATTIE RATING: 5!!!

11.21 - Bring on the Leftovers

It's not even Black Friday yet, and I've already started on the leftovers. Remember that corned beef/pastrami sandwich I had yesterday? Today, I had that for breakfast AND lunch. *groan* And, in addition to that, my coworker was going to throw away a perfectly good half of his sandwich and I couldn't watch that happen so I was forced to eat that as well. I wouldn't be surprised if I went to sleep Thursday night and didn't wake up. I am just asking for a heart attack. I can't wait for tomorrow. Yay!

WEDNESDAY, November 21st
Breakfast
+ 1 and 1/2 scoops scrambled eggs mixed with 1/3 of the corned beef/pastrami filling from yesterday (yum)
+ medium lite turtle latte
Lunch
+ half of yesterday's corned beef/pastrami sandwich with 1/3 less filling (not so yum anymore)
+ half a curry ham and chicken club on poppy seed bread (would have been yummier had I not eaten already)
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ apple martini (way too strong-- ugh)
Dinner
+ salad with balsamic vinaigrette
+ 1 and 1/2 pieces of warm bread with butter
+ half rack of ribs (yum)
+ two crab legs drenched in melted butter
+ 1/2 small plate of potatoes au gratin

FATTIE RATING: 4.25

11.20 - Tubby Tuesday

Ugh. I ate a lot today. I started Thanksgiving early. *labored sigh*

TUESDAY, November 20th

Breakfast

+ lox, tomato, and cream cheese on a toasted pumpernickel bagel
+ cup of hazelnut coffee with cream and three sugars

Lunch

+ 1/2 Mad Moscow (corned beef, pastrami, mustard, and swiss on rye-- so disgustingly huge that it was a struggle to finish even half)

+ canned orange-y drink

Dinner

+ plate of arugula with asian-style vinaigrette

+ small bowl of rice

+ three spicy tuna maki rolls

+ 1/2 mongolian beef entree

+ 1/2 yellowtail in ginger/scallion sauce entree

+ 1/2 mango mochi ball and two blueberries

+ small pot of blueberry-flavored green tea

FATTIE RATING: 4.5

11.19 - Short-week Monday

This Monday was especially relaxing. I didn't dread coming into work because I knew I'll be leaving early Wednesday afternoon for a four-day weekend. That's a great feeling. So I celebrated by treating a coworker and myself to burrito suizos (the kind with cheese melted on top). As if regular burritos aren't bad enough. Ha. Oh-- and we also had Coke straight from glass bottles. All this while watching Judge Judy in the breakroom. Now that's the good life. ;)

MONDAY, November 19th
Breakfast
+ macadamia gingerbread biscotti
+ grande non-fat gingerbread latte
Early-afternoon Snack
+ 1/2 bag of peanut M&Ms
Lunch
+ chicken burrito suizo (with lettuce, sour cream, cheese, red and green salsa, and melted cheese on top)
+ Coke (in a bottle straight from Mexico-- cool!)

Dinner
+ sausage links omelette (mmmm...)
+ 6 oz. Vitamin Water "Formula 50"
+ 1 and 1/2 chocolate walnut cookie (I keep eating these because I baked them myself and they're yummy)

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.17 & 18 - I Love Naps

I had a pretty good weekend. I hung out with friends and family Friday night through Sunday night, so that was nice. I also ate a lot, so that's always nice. The highlight of my weekend, though, was finding a kindred spirit. Please see my note below. :}

SATURDAY, November 17th

Breakfast

+ fried chicken omelette (these really are amazingly good-- haha, serious)

+ 8 oz. Vitamin Water "Energy"

Lunch

+ 1/2 oatmeal apple cookie

+ 2 chocolate walnut cookies

+ cup of coffee with French vanilla creamer

Dinner

+ 3-4 fried Korean dumplings (mandu)
+ seafood tofu soup

+ several spoonfuls of dumpling stew

+ random Korean sides

+ small portion of rice cake stew (tteokbokki)

+ small portion of white rice dry

+ small portion of white rice wet

+ glass of hot barley tea

FATTIE RATING: 4
_________________________________________________

SUNDAY, November 18th

Breakfast

+ 4-5 sausage links
+ two eggs, over-medium
+ piece of baked french bread with olive oil spread

+ one chocolate walnut cookie

Linner

+ two handfuls of nacho cheese-flavored Doritos

+ 4-5 spicy buffalo wings

+ two pieces reduced-fat pepperoni and vegetable wheat pizza (surprisingly delicious)

+ 2 carrots sticks, 2 celery sticks, 6 cherry tomatoes, 2 peapods

Dinner

+ three honey wings

+ one small pumpkin scone

+ cup of coffee with peppermint lactose-free cream

Late-night Snack

+ seafood ramen with 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

+ small piece of baked salmon

+ small piece of steak

+ 1 and 1/2 chocolate walnut cookies

+ 4 oz. Vitamin Water "Energy"

FATTIE RATING: 5

NOTE: My metabolism takes up so much of my body's energy that I always get sleepy after eating. For some reason, between linner and dinner, it hit me so fast that I had to immediately stop watching the Bears game and take a nap in my cousin's spare bedroom. His wife knows I adore their chug (or pugahuahua) Jager, so she put him in bed with me. Oh...my...gosh...that dog is my perfect companion. He could fall asleep anywhere anytime. I adorrrre him.

11.16 - TGIF

There's nothing like pigging out in Chinatown after Friday night fun and drinks . . . and then knocking out right after. ;)

FRIDAY, November 16th
Breakfast
+ lox, cream cheese, and tomato on a pumpernickel bagel (mmm, I missed this)
+ grande caramel apple spice
Lunch
+ 1/2 chicken pomodori
+ cup of butternut squash bisque
+ 5 potato chips
+ 1/2 dream bar (chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut, walnuts, oh my!)
Evening Snack
+ two apple martinis
Late-night Dinner
+ two small bowls of wonton soup
+ large scoop of salt and pepper porkchops
+ scoop of white rice
+ small scoop of Hong Kong style fried rice
+ scoop of beef chow fun
+ small scoop of five spice beef stew

FATTIE RATING: 4.25

11.15 - Chilly Thursday

It was quite cold today. I failed to go to the gym-- though I was still able to exercise my stomach muscles.

THURSDAY, November 15th
Breakfast
+ bowl of cinnamon roll-flavored oatmeal
+ tall vanilla non-fat latte
Mid-morning Snack
+ two generic HandiSnacks (one is simply not enough)
Lunch
+ Chipotle barbacoa burrito (easy on the rice, w/o sour cream, but w/cheese and green tomatillo)
+ handful of chips with guacamole
Dinner
+ McD's double cheeseburger (perfect cheese to patty ratio!)
+ 4-5 French fries
+ 8 oz. Vitamin Water "Formula 50"

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.14 - Fooling Myself

All day I thought I was making fairly healthy choices-- but, looking back on it now . . . I pretty much negated the little bit of healthy with an even greater amount of fattie. *shrug* It's okay. I'll just walk extra briskly at the gym tomorrow. :\

WEDNESDAY, November 14th
Breakfast
+ Krispy Kreme donut (yeah, so??)
+ grande coffee with cream and Splenda
Lunch
+ turkey burger on rye patty melt (sooooo good-- and, um, sort of healthy)
+ 5 fries drenched in Louisiana hot sauce
+ black and white milkshake
+ two mini butter cookies
Dinner
+ two KFC drumsticks (mmm, yummy)
+ scoop of sauteed cabbage
+ a scoop and a half of brown rice (good fiber source!-- ha)

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.13 - If Tired, Then Eat

I had a little less than four hours of sleep last night, so I was pretty much in a weird fog all day. I also realized that it is a given for me to turn to unhealthy comfort foods when I am sleep-deprived. I can't help it. I feel bad for exhausting myself, so I make up for it with food. Ha. I'm going to make a horrible parent one day.

TUESDAY, November 13th
Breakfast
+ two McD’s breakfast burritos
+ medium cup of coffee with two creams, three sugars
+ two Frango mints (mmm—it’s good with coffee)
Lunch
+ steak, egg, and cheese bagel (I saved it from breakfast—yum!)
Early-evening Snack
+ two generic HandiSnacks (brought back such nice memories)
+ 1/2 bottle Vitamin Water “Energy”
Late-evening Snack
+ small scoop of chicken with broccoli and green peppers
+ 4 oz. Vitamin Water “Formula 50”
+ macaroni and cheese omelet with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes (I thought combining two loves would work—but this was not as good as I had hoped)


FATTIE RATING: 4.5

11.12 - Monday Monday

MONDAY, November 12th
Breakfast
+ piece of baked French bread with ICBINB olive oil spread
+ scrambled eggs
+ small yellow-green banana
+ cup of coffee with French vanilla creamer
Mid-morning Snack
+ grande non-fat eggnog latte (it was kinda gross so I added a packet of Splenda)
Lunch
+ Jimmy John’s “Vito” (without onions)
+ small bag of SunChips, cheddar flavor
Dinner
+ medium scoop of pancit
+ 1.5 oz. of broiled steak (yeah, there is way too much steak in the house—blech)

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.10 & 11 - Lover of Food

I'll pretty much eat or try anything—as long as it doesn't involve weird animal parts, underdeveloped duck embryo, pig blood soup, raw onions or garlic, cow stomach, exceptionally moldy or feet-smelling cheese, or cicadas. If I had a more refined palette, I would have been a taste tester or food critic. Unfortunately, I love plastic-wrapped American cheese singles just as much as mussels in white wine sauce. I have no standards or shame when it comes to eating. But that's fine because I prove to be a very useful companion for the light or finicky eater. I should put that on my resume.

SATURDAY, November 10th
Breakfast
+ scrambled eggs
+ beef fried rice
Lunch
+ small plate of pork adobo (eh)
+ two Filipino-style Chinese eggrolls (bleh)
+ 4 oz. light citrus punch
Dinner
+ one fried chicken drumstick
+ scoop of cheesy chicken and broccoli
+ scoop of penne with meat sauce
+ 10 pieces of shrimp (cocktail)
+ bite-sized mint brownie
+ bite-sized regular fudge brownie
+ three sips of Michelob Ultra
+ one sip of Coors Light
Late-night Snack
+ one double Chicago dog with grilled onions that I took off and replaced with mustard (my first time—and it was deelish!)

+ handful of French fries
+ bite of a pork chop with cheese sandwich

FATTIE RATING: 5
____________________________________________

SUNDAY, November 11th
Breakfast
+ scrambled eggs
+ piece of Italian bread with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter olive oil spread
+ cup of coffee with French vanilla and Irish cream creamer
Lunch
+ 2 oz. of steak
+ 2 oz. of light citrus punch
Dinner
+ 2 Hooters spicy chicken wings
Evening Snack
+ 6 more Hooters chicken wings (2 spicy, 4 mild)
+ 2 Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting (good frosting!)
+ few sips of ginger ale
+ cup of coffee with French vanilla creamer
+ few sips of Vitamin Water “Formula 50”

FATTIE RATING: 4.25

11.09 - Back to Normal

I'm pleased to say I ate a decent amount today, and I had no apprehensions. It feels good to be back. :)

FRIDAY, November 9th
Breakfast
+ ham and swiss omelet (greasy but delicious)
+ 7-8 potato squares
+ sip of orange juice
+ 1/4 slice of wheat toast with blueberry and strawberry jam
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ handful of salt and vinegar chips (mmm)
+ 1/4 bottle Vitamin Water "Power-C"
Dinner
+ bistro burger on challah with bacon, brie, and grilled onions (yum)
+ handful of shoestring fries (daintily delicious!)
+ few forkfuls of mediterranean chicken pasta
+ a piece of cantaloupe and a piece of pineapple
+ glass of red wine (to help the heart a bit, you know)
Late-evening Snack
+ another handful of salt and vinegar chips
+ 2 sour gummy bugs and 3 gummy worms
+ the rest of my Vitamin Water

FATTIE RATING: 4.5

11.08 - Regaining the Appetite

THURSDAY, November 8th
Breakfast
+ 1/4 bacon, egg, and cheese (with tomato) sub
+ 6 oz. Gatorade Rain
Lunch
+ 6 scoops of peppery macaroni and cheese (super yummy)
+ 1/2 tuna melt
+ small Jamoca Oreo sundae with hot fudge and nuts
Dinner
+ 2 Chicago-style hot dogs (with everything)
+ 2 oz. ginger ale

FATTIE RATING: 3

11.07 - Attack of the Evil Gremlin

I wanted to start the day out carefully (considering I didn't want to have any bathroom episodes at work), so I got a very plain wheat bagel and toasted it, broke it up into pieces, and ate it with no spreads of any sort. About a half hour after eating, I felt the most excruciating pain. I can only equate it to feeling like I was giving birth to an evil gremlin. The reason why I say that is because I happened to watch a bit of Gremlins over the weekend and there's a scene where they're growing in these slimy cocoons and breaking out of them with their pointy, yucky hands—and that's what it felt like. It felt like a gremlin was trying to claw its way out of my tummy. Ha. Anyway, I left work early, went home, took a nap, ate chicken wings (mmmm!!), and then took it easy for the rest of the day. Needless to say, there is no more gremlin and I feel better. Thank goodness! By the way, today was a very sad display of eating. *sigh*

WEDNESDAY, November 7th
Breakfast
+ 2/3 toasted wheat bagel (broken up into bite-size pieces)
+ 11 oz. Gatorade Rain
Lunch
+ 6 honey chicken wings
+ 6 spicy chicken wings
Mid-evening Snack
+ 6 Premium saltine crackers
+ 18 oz. ginger ale

FATTIE RATING: 2.75

11.06 - Punishment?

Am I being punished for trying to be healthy? I don't understand. I'm not sure if it's the oatmeal/coffee breakfasts or if it's something I ate, but I had some pretty unsettling bathroom visits today. Don't worry, I won't go into detail. But yeah. Despite my struggles, I went to the gym tonight and feel fairly decent. Let's hope this doesn't continue.

TUESDAY, November 6th
Breakfast
+ bowl of oatmeal with dried cranberries and packet of Splenda
+ grande coffee with half-and-half and two Splendas
Lunch
+ TBM (tomato, basil, mozarella) on wheat flatbread (yummy and comforting)
+ 2/3 bag of potato chips
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ three Whoppers pieces
Late-night Snack
+ 3 oz. grilled steak
+ 1/2 plain bagel with cream cheese

FATTIE RATING: 3

11.05 - New Breakfast Regimen

So, after my "fattie intervention" on Saturday night, I decided that I should try to take baby steps (at least) in the right direction. My first baby step is to drastically cut back on the number of indulgent breakfasts I have a week. Instead of 5-6 mornings a week, I'll limit it to two mornings a week (pretty much just on the weekend). So in place of indulgence, we have healthy and practical:



Oatmeal has been shown to lower cholesterol and it is an excellent source of fiber. So yeah. I was content with it this morning, but I may have negated it at lunch. *shrug* At least I'm trying, right!? :\ Let's see how long this lasts . . .

MONDAY, November 5th
Breakfast
+ small bowl of oatmeal with dried cranberries and one packet of Splenda
+ medium toasted almond coffee with skim milk and two Splendas
Lunch
+ Italian beef with sweet peppers (Iovvveee me!!)
+ bite of Chicago hot dog with everything on it
+ bite of fish sandwich with cheese and tartar sauce
+ 10 oz. Diet Pepsi
Dinner
+ medium bowl of chicken soup
+ small plate of pork adobo
+ 3/4 leftover iced Halloween sugar cookie (not bad)

FATTIE RATING: 3.75

11.03 & 04 - Reality Check

I went out to dinner with some friends Saturday night, and they pretty much called me out on my eating habits. It was quite sobering, actually—and they helped me realize that I'm somewhat gluttonous. Is it really wrong to like food that much? :\ Like a lot of people, am I just using food as a source of comfort? I think psychologists call it "emotional or comfort eating"—and, I hate to admit it, but I am pretty darn emotional. So yeah. Maybe I am overdoing the whole emotion/food connection thing. With this in mind, I've decided that I'm going to gradually try to separate the two.

And, in honor of this decision, I have written a poem in the style of Ogden Nash's The Cow:

Food is no lover of your heart;
It comes out poo or stinky fart.

SATURDAY, November 3rd
Breakfast
+ 2 scrambled eggs
+ 4 pieces of bacon
+ 1/2 blueberry bagel, room temperature with cream cheese
+ 1/2 sesame bagel, toasted with cream cheese
+ small cup of coffee with Irish cream creamer
Lunch
+ small plate of chicken adobo (yummy Filipino dish)
+ 4 oz. light tangerine juice
Pre-dinner Snack
+ glass of blueberry ale
Dinner
+ 10 oz. slow roasted prime rib with au jus
+ baked mac & cheese (yummm)
+ small bite each of BBQ baby back ribs and loaded baked potato
+ bottle of Miller Lite
+ 3-4 forkfuls of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

FATTIE RATING: 4.5 (bad, but not too bad)
__________________________________________

SUNDAY, November 4th
Breakfast
+ bacon omelette (oh man, this was good)
+ small slice of french apple cream cheese pie
Lunch
+ medium plate of brown rice and chicken adobo
+ 4 oz. light lemonade
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ whole wheat cracker snack thingamajigger (it tastes like Smacks cereal-- pretty darn good)
Dinner
+ bacon omelette (I'm sorry, but it was that good-- I couldn't help myself)
+ four pieces of green papaya and one piece of green pepper from homemade chicken soup (these were my vegetables for the day-- ha)
+ whole wheat cracker snack

FATTIE RATING: 4

11.02 - Achy Friday

Today, I'm achy for all sorts of reasons (including my 40-minute stint at the gym last night), so my appetite was just eh today. I didn't really enjoy anything I ate except for the salami sandwich at lunch, which I conveniently bought from the deli across the street. I love salami. I'd have to say that it's another childhood comfort food that I actually didn't realize was a comfort food until today. I think it goes back to the time that my dad randomly came home with a roll of salami. I can't quite remember where he got it from, but that roll of salami lasted about a week or so, and it was wonderful. One whole week of yummy salami goodness that I will always cherish. Haha. Alright. I'll stop here.

FRIDAY, November 2nd
Breakfast
+ grande coffee (with half-and-half and 2.5 Splendas)
+ piece of wheat bread with Country Crock spread
Lunch
+ salami on rye with spicy mustard, lettuce, and tomato (apparently, this makes me Jewish-- but I like to think I'm a very well-rounded person who accepts all ethnic cuisines-- ha)
+ large bowl of beef and barley soup
+ 1/4 frozen yogurt vanilla/chocolate twist
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ fun-size Snickers bar
Late-night Snack

+ 1/2 can of Campbell's Double Noodle
+ slice of french apple cream cheese pie
+ 4 oz. cold apple cider

FATTIE RATING: 3.75

11.01 - Time for the Gym

I didn't eat particularly well today-- so, finally (after nearly four months), I decided to go to the gym. I didn't do too bad for my first time in a long while. I was actually able to jog consistently for five minutes straight. That may not seem like much, but when you have a belly used to scrambled eggs and cheeseburgers, that's pretty darn impressive. ;) So I'm going to at least try to go once a week . . . and we'll hopefully increase the number of trips from there. Wish me luck.

THURSDAY, November 1st
Breakfast
+ scrambled eggs with seasoned salt
+ 1/4 egg white omelette with veggies and cheese
+ 1 baked buttery biscuit
Lunch
+ 1/2 quarter pounder with cheese (I love that they use two slices of cheese!)
+ 1/2 double quarter pounder with cheese (I don't like that they only use two slices of cheese-- it should be two per patty, darnit!)
+ 7 french fries
+ 3 oz. Diet Pepsi
Mid-afternoon Snack
+ small piece of white cake with strawberries and whipped cream
+ 6 strawberry halves
+ 1 sesame poppy seed cracker
+ sliver of gouda
+ sliver of cheddar
+ sliver of swiss
Late-night Snack
+ 1/4 falafel sandwich (in pita bread)
+ 1/2 beef shawarma sandwich (also in pita bread)
+ 5 french fries sprinkled with seasoned salt

FATTIE RATING: 4.25