02.27 - Cheese Confession

I was in a lecture last night and brought an individually wrapped piece of string cheese with me to tide me over. The cheese was still cold from the refrigerated case at the store but I told myself that I had to wait until it was room temperature or warmer (because that's when string cheese-- or cheese in general-- tastes the best). I was a bit impatient, so I held the plastic in my hand and did my best to warm up the cheese but, alas, my hands were a bit cool.

So I quickly slid the cheese into my shirt sleeve and kept it against my arm for about ten minutes. Then I slyly passed the cheese from one sleeve to the next and kept it against my other arm for another ten minutes. When I finally pulled it out for consumption, the girl next to me noticed but I ignored her, peeled away the plastic, and bit into my wonderfully soft cheese as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

02.25 - Give Up, Give Back

I grew up Catholic and was taught to give up something for Lent every year. But after I fulfilled my Catholic Saturday school requirements, I pretty much dropped the practice and only did it around my dad to make him happy. :\ In recent years, though, I've picked up the ritual again . . . but only when I make the sincere effort to struggle and to think about the meaning behind it.

So . . . this year, I'm going to give up meat again (everyday and not just on Fridays, like last year). It was unbelievably hard to do last year, but when Easter finally came around, it was good to know I was able to get over myself for that period of time. And if you know me, you know meat is very nearly my best friend. ;) Anyway, I debated on also giving up cheese this year, but I honestly think I would have an emotional breakdown because so many vegetarian options involve cheese. *dorky smile* Still, in addition to fasting, I want to do something more than I did last year. Luckily, my dear friend HLY gave me this great idea to practically spend time with God daily (something I often forget to do :\). It's sad that it sometimes seems easier for me to take away something I love than to give my time to something I love . . . but I look forward to the days ahead.

02.20 to 02.22 - Active Member of the Clean Plate Club

I realized this weekend why I'm inclined to eat so much. I'm pretty sure it's because my dear parents instilled this "clean plate" mentality in me that I can't seem to get rid of. I just absolutely hate to see good food still left on a plate if I know it's going to get thrown out. It's so bad that I'll force myself to eat four plates of French cheese that smell (and taste) like feet because the three others I'm having dinner with refuse to eat it. It's so bad that I'll eat a party of fourteen's leftover sushi (that even the males at the table will willingly pass to me). It's so bad that I'll take my godchildren's plates and eat the chewed-up and nibbled-on pieces of food that they are suddenly too full to eat. And it's so bad that I'll eat a party of nineteen's excessive amount of leftover pizza (but thank goodness for my buddy PK-- haha).

*sigh* It's a problem, but I feel like it's something I'll probably always have to deal with. So when I end up 500 lbs. with hypertension and high cholesterol, you'll know who to blame. ;) The best part of the clean plate club, though, are the reactions. Haha. Some people are really supportive, some people will help me out (though this is rare), and others will just flat-out tell me to stop because I disgust them. Haha. The latter are the best. :}




These are just two of the five pizzas from this weekend that started off as my friends and nearly ended up my enemies. Ha.

02.19 - Pink Shoe Scandal

I actually motivated myself enough yesterday to go back to the gym the second day in a row. That in itself is an accomplishment, so I absolutely had to go! There was one slight obstacle, though. I forgot to bring sneakers. :\

So I ended up just going down to the gym with a tentative plan to do weights or floor exercises in my socks. But when I saw the calorie-burning elliptical machine, my heart lurched and I just "needed" to do cardio. So . . . I did something I would not wish for anyone else. *sigh* I walked into the girls' locker room where there happens to be a random collection of used gym shoes on top of the lockers, and I nervously (and quickly) took the cleanest pair that was closest to my size and put those puppies on. Haha. They were light pink shoes about a size too large, but they definitely did the job. Haha. The entire time I was on the elliptical machine, I kept looking at the door, praying that my shoes' owner wouldn't walk in. *sheepish look* On the plus side, I burned about 150 calories! Woohoo. :}

02.18 - Walking Oxymoron

I finally decided to go back to the gym at work after about a two-month break! As I headed downstairs, I felt so good about myself and I even got my coworker friend to join me, so I was feeling really motivated . . . until she pointed out that my gym bag is a big plastic Dunkin Donuts bag. *sigh* Who am I kidding? :\

02.17 - Three Plate Minimum

So . . . I'm very determined to begin a lifestyle of healthy eating and working out . . . but this past weekend gave me a bit of a setback-- especially on Sunday. I went to good ol' Old Country Buffet with a couple friends-- and if you've ever been to a buffet with me in the past, you'd know that I have a three plate minimum requirement. It's a way to get my money's worth as well as my stomach's worth. ;) In addition, comfort food is my weakness. :\ So yeah . . . my three plates at OCB were surprisingly delicious and it thoroughly messed with my mind and made me want to forget about my health and GI system. *sigh* I have issues and no one to hold me accountable. Wahhh.



Eatery Info: Old Country Buffet, 6125 N Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60659

02.13 - Reality Check

Recently, several people close to me have acquired gastrointestinal problems that have changed their diets dramatically and have even caused some to shed a lot of weight. After initially hearing about these problems, I felt bad and silently thanked God that I didn't have to deal with them myself. One friend actually teased me and said that I should hope for a GI problem because it would help me stop eating so badly. I laughed it off.

But after continuing to hear about the lifestyle changes that are necessary to treat and deal with GI problems, I'm actually starting to become a bit afraid. The thought of having to give up just one of my fave foods makes me nervous, so I can't imagine incorporating even more drastic changes in diet and eating habits.

These stories hit so close to home that I'm starting to realize (dun dun dun) that I can't take my health for granted. At the rate I'm going, I'm pretty much guaranteed a GI problem in the next year or so. And who knows what more. So . . . I dunno. I think I'm going to try incorporating a bit more good stuff into my diet and reducing some of the bad stuff. I'm not going to go completely crazy on a health kick (because this is me we're talking about) . . . but I'm definitely going to make some gradual changes. Better that I do this stuff now on my own than later by necessity. :\

02.12 - This Is Why I'm Fat

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

That's the link my so-called friend sent me yesterday afternoon. He randomly likes to remind me that I'm a pudgy dumpling who will die of a heart attack one day. Unfortunately, the site did not deter me from fattening foods, but instead made me incredibly hungry. That's how twisted my taste buds are. :\ Some of the pictures that made my mouth water were the corn dog pizza, the double bacon hamburger fatty melt, the mega pizza, the spaghetti meatball on a stick, the 60 pound rice krispie treat, and . . . the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburgers!!

I am such a taste addict because, even though I wasn't hungry, I began craving the taste of glazed donuts and cheeseburgers like crazy. So, in a moment of pure impulsivity that I could not talk myself out of, I walked to Dunkin Donuts for two glazed donuts and then to McDonald's for a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I then walked quickly to the office lunchroom to put the delicious concoction together. :\


The McD's QP is perfect for this because it comes with TWO slices of cheese for one quarter lb. patty! Mmmm.


After eating one half of the "donut cheeseburger," I decided that the donuts were overpowering the cheeseburger-- so I opted to eat them separately instead, alternating between donuts bites and cheeseburger bites. In conclusion, I do like the tastes together...but not at the same time. :)

02.11 - The Giving Coworker

I have this sweet 40-something year old coworker who some might say is an older version of me (because our appetites are so similar and her general outlook on life is that food is happiness), and she loves to share her food with me. I know it's because she sees a kindred eater in me, but sometimes it's a bit over the top.

Especially since I've been under the weather, she's been giving me an excessive amount of food that has sometimes been a struggle to eat (considering my subpar appetite). Last week it was her half of a chorizo burrito for breakfast, the other day it was some of her cabbage and beef leftovers for lunch, yesterday was half of an onion and potato omelette for breakfast, and today was half of a ginormous polish sausage for breakfast.

She's unbelievably sweet for taking care of me in that way, but I'm almost afraid to see what she'll come up with tomorrow-- especially since she will not take "no" for an answer. Let's all just hope it won't be the sardines she brought one morning and shamelessly heated up in the communal microwave. :\

02.06 - Absence of Hunger

So this cold has pretty much consisted of a sore throat and an annoying cough—and, for some reason, I haven’t felt that hungry. I actually skipped dinner two days in a row and am thinking of nixing lunch today. Is it twisted that my lack of hunger is exciting to me? I never don’t feel hungry. This is seriously awesome! I can feel the pounds melting away. Haha. I wonder how long this will last . . .

P.S. On an unhappier note, another thing that's made me lose my appetite is the realization that if you received a stimulus check last year, it's coming off of your tax refund this year. Umm . . . I have no idea how that's supposed to help our economy in any way considering that so many people who had jobs last year and received those checks might not have a job this year. Ugh. I was so upset, I wrote President Obama. :\ There goes my dinner for tonight.

02.05 - Clean Out The Germs

When I cleaned up my condiment drawer the other day, I found a couple herbal teabags that I don’t remember ever having. And since I seem to have developed a cold of some sort, I decided to make myself some hot tea this morning. As my tea bag was steeping, I felt excited at my find and decided to read the front of the tea bag wrapper to see what these wonderful herbs were going to do for me. The wrapper said Detox Tea: Cleansing & Revitalizing – Made with over 20 potent Chinese purification herbs. I thought, “Wow, that’s gotta be really good for my cold—it’s gonna get rid of all my germs and revitalize me right up!” So while I was waiting, I went to check on my toast . . . and suddenly, as the fog in my head started to clear, I remembered my friend who is doing detox and the frequent bathroom visits she mentioned having to make . . . and then I realized the meaning of “cleansing” . . . so I lunged for the wrapper, turned it over, and read the very last line: “Drink this tea along with Triple Leaf Herbal Laxative Tea, or any of our diet teas, for additional support in cleansing.” With horrification, I grabbed my cup and dumped it into the sink. Yeahhhh . . . no detoxifying at work for me, thank you. :\

02.03 - Office Pack Rat

I was so annoyed with my condiment drawer today because I was looking for honey but kept coming up with ketchup packets. So I decided to do a little organizational cleaning. I am pleased by the outcome.

01.31 to 02.02 - The Hunt For Red Meat & Red Mango

I tried to be healthy this weekend. I started off Saturday morning pretty well, but things went a bit downhill from there. My buddy A and I decided to indulge ourselves (or just me—since he was supposed to be on a diet) by getting some burgers! If you know me, you’ll know that once I have my mind set on something, it’s pretty difficult to deter me or change my mind. That was definitely the case on Saturday. :\

We had boigahs! Two lahge, delicious boigahs. Haha. Pardon my horrible NY-accent. Anyway, we picked up the bleepin’ Blago burger as well as another gigantic monstrosity with gouda, red pepper, and bacon. You’d think that would have been enough for us . . . but no. I started craving mango bubble tea, and then A started craving frozen yogurt, so I started craving frozen yogurt too . . . and we ended up driving aimlessly around the city, google texting and chacha texting up a storm, trying to find the latter as if our lives depended on it. We drove around for nearly an hour within a 5-mile radius but to no avail—and it was already late into the night. We wanted to give up, but we had been driving around for so long that we just couldn’t. So, in a moment of genius and desperation, I called a friend who had visited a random yogurt place with me months before that is usually open late . . . and, like a glimmer of hope, we found out this place was only a short drive down A’s street (ugghhh—go figure!). And suddenly, wonderfully, joyfully, amazingly, there…it…was.

A and I were sooooo happy that we jumped around like school girls. Or maybe just I did. ;) We had our large Styrofoam containers packed with as much frozen yogurt and delicious toppings as possible and went home in a state of pure euphoria. It was a good night in the food department. A good (a.k.a. horribly indulgent) night.



hello, Mr. Blagojevich


one mama of a burger


a beacon of light in a cold, dark city (ha)


if there had been XLs, we probably would've gotten those instead ;)

Eatery Info: Kuma's Corner, 2900 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Eatery Info II: Yoberri, 2814 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657