MOLLY'S DIET RANTS! (ranting, raving, motivating & more)

RANTING BURNS CALORIES!

This is an open, ongoing, support-encourage-motivational-RANTING thread. Feel free to skip to the end, or spend days reading through all of this ...

* * *

I have decided that "Diet" is a 4-letter word.

I find myself muttering and uttering the word around my house these days with loathing and vehemence previously reserved only for comments directed toward liberal politicians. In fact, I seem to be talking to myself a lot more these days .... sort of a running, sarcastic commentary on all the foods I can't eat, or on various other related topics. I wonder if there is a link between calorie-deprivation and Tourettes Syndrome? Grrrrrrrrr.....

I am now on Day 8 of the dreaded D-word. This is already the longest period of time that I have ever successfully remained on a diet. And I seem to be growing grouchier and feistier each day..... at least when I am alone and no one is around to hear my running rants. (My wonderful DH has heard some of my more memorable rants on the subject of broccolli and reports that I am hysterically funny when I am hungry!) I am counting carbs. I am counting calories. I am counting fat grams. Sheesh ... now my math anxiety is about to kick-in!

Mini Rant #1 .... what masochist decided that the serving size of cereal was anything less than 2 cups? Have you ever measured out 2/3 a cup of cereal? Or even a full cup? And placed it in a bowl? Those few little flakes and pieces just sit forlornly at the bottom of the bowl, shivering and lonely, even when we dribble on a few meager droplets of skim milk! Sheesh. Well, I can tell you that there is simply no way that my oversized body is going to be happy with that tiny amount of cereal ... so I have been eating TWO servings for breakfast. SIGH. And while the side of the box says that I can supplement the cereal with some fruit, they probably don't mean eat 45 cherries with your cereal -- much less 1/2 a watermelon, huh?

Mini Rant #2 .... Things NOT to say to someone who has told you that they have just started on a diet:

1.Good, you sure needed it.
2. It's about time.
3. Really? It doesn't look like it.
4. Again? Haven't we heard this before?
5. Gosh, how much weight do you need to lose?
6. What do you weigh? I've always wondered.
7. I never need to diet, I have a fast metabolism.
8. Really? I can eat all I want and never gain weight.
9. Is THAT why you are so grouchy?
10. I sure hope you plan to exercise a lot more.

AAAUGGH! All of these responses are just the thing to make me even grouchier .... so just smile and say something encouraging and supportive, ok? I will let you know how it is going.

_____

=^..^=  Molly 

WELCOME TO MOLLY'S MOTIVATIONAL RANT / CHAT THREAD ... FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR RANTS, TOO!  YOU CAN EITHER READ FROM THE BEGINNING OR JUST JUMP ON IN ON THE LAST PAGE ... JOIN US! 

OK, we visited three different hispanic/mexican grocery stores and I still can't find the spice blend I've been looking for! Guess I will look online.

=^..^= MOLLY

  SUNDAY: SHOPPING, SAGE & SQUASH

Today was a scenic shopping day for us as we went off on a quest for new spices at various local ethnic grocery stores. I did find some great deals on minced onion, garlic, turkish bay leaves, almond extract and sage! In fact, I now have so many spices taking over my pantry shelves that my wonderful DH took me to Bed, Bath & Beyond and we bought TWO hanging spice racks which are now filled with fantastic aromas and flavors! Since I've given up on just sprinkling salt on practically everything I eat, (and started this new healthier eating lifestyle), I've really grown a new appreciation for vegetables, flavors and spices! (And my pantry -- and paycheck -- reflect that! LOL!)

Anyway, today's breakfast was pretty typical for me (hummus on english muffins); lunch was pastrami and cheese on an english muffin, plus healthy chips and fresh veggies. My afternoon snack was a 100-calorie Curves bar, and dinner is grilled sirloin strips, roasted acorn squash, herbed quinoa, and a crunchy salad. My after-dinner snack will be an orange creamsicle-flavored protein shake. Here's the breakdown ....

BREAKFAST

two toasted Thomas' light multigrain english muffins (200 calories)

four tablespoons of Oasis brand spinach-hummus (64 calories)

one small tomato, sliced (on top of the hummus (16 calories)

three cubes, Laughing Cow Light Gourmet Cheese bites (20 calories)

LUNCH

one toasted Thomas' light multigrain english muffin (100 calories)

one serving (7 slices) Hillshire Farms lean pastrami (60 calories)

one slice, Kraft Fat Free Singles Sharp Cheddar (30 calories)

one serving (28 chips) Eating Right Cheddar Potato Crisps (110 calories)

3 servings (90z) of steamed, herbed fresh spinach (59 calories)

2 servings (8oz) of sauteed garlic-curry mushrooms (50 calories)

SNACK

one Curves Chocolate Peanut granola bar (100 calories)

DINNER

one serving of grilled sirloin strips, fajita-seasoned (200 calories)

one serving of herbed red inca quinoa (160 calories)

one-half a roasted acorn squash with cinnamon-nutmeg glaze (86 calories)

one medium cucumber, peeled, diced (24 calories)

one small tomato, diced (16 calories)

one cup of sliced radishes (19 calories)

Walden Farms Zero Calorie Bacon-Ranch Dressing (0 calories)

AFTER-DINNER SNACK

one Worldwide Vanilla Creme Protein shake, blended with 12 ice cubes and some orange extract to make it Creamsicle flavored

TOTAL FOR THE DAY: 1416 (may have one additional snack)

VEGETABLE SERVINGS: 10 SERVINGS

FIBER INTAKE: 51 GRAMS

RANT: my 17 year old body building stepson (who's only goal in life right now is to get 'BIG!') keeps eating mass quatities of the foods I buy in low cal form! Argh! I'm careful to keep the regular forms around as well but when he goes into grazing mode he just clears the shelf from front to back! I sort of think I should make a shelf of stuff just for me but that just seems SO EVIL STEPMOM-like.

Do it Chris.  We have to ... I have a 16-year-old boy who is not a bodybuilder, but one of those lanky eat-everything-and-never-gain-weight types.  Plus a 13 year old girl and a 9 year old girl.  Their step-dad is diabetic, so everytime we go shopping, we make sure to point out what is for them and what is for us grownups - so they don't eat up all the reduced-sugar and sugar-free stuff and leave us with stuff we shouldn't eat.

Molly, I am so glad you survived the spider attack. Thanks for sharing the story...I laughed so hard I woke up the cat!

Swimsuits??? My legs look so awful I haven't worn a swimsuit in years. I simply don't swim. (I know...I need to get over the fear of exposure and join the water aerobics class at the gym.) My swimsuits usually did OK even with pool water because I washed them immediately with Woolite and let them drip-dry. I only lost one suit to poor care when my then newly-married DH washed and dried my favorite 12-year-old bathing suit in the machines. Little bits of elastic broke and stuck out of the material. I was devastated...it was a great suit...but I forgave him. I wish I still had that suit and the body that went with it!!!

My rant...I just found out that Prozac might contribute to weight gain! Did anyone else know about this? I've been on Prozac for over 19 years and done nothing but gain weight or struggle mightily to lose a few pounds over these past two decades. I ran across a post on this site last week on this topic and did a web-search for information on SSRI's and weight gain. I was floored...when I first started Prozac they were saying it could cause weight loss! Now I learn that my sloth-like metabolism and belly fat may be related to Prozac!!! How come no one told me about this??? Like my MD, for example??? Needless to say, I am miffed. In all fairness, the med saved me at a very difficult time but now I'm going to try going off it since the main stressors are (thank God) no longer in my life. Now, if I can only get the MD's office to return my call regarding a med step-down plan...

Prozac - during the brief period last year when I took Prozac,  I lost weight.  It acted as rather a mild appetite-suppressant for me.  But then again, I tend to be a stress-eater, so maybe as the medicine helped me cope a little better, I didn't feel as compelled to comfort myself with food.

 

Public Service Announcement ... please read my Journal Today (11-5-07) and send me a holiday card, pretty please with a cherry on top. (A sugar-free, fat-free, low-carb cherry, of course!)

=^..^= MOLLY

I went to my local post office today because I needed to buy regular stamps, festive stamps, and to pick up some flat-rate priority mail boxes so I could send off my secret sister holiday socks/cookie recipe as well as care packages to my friend's husband who is deployed to Iraq.  The Post Office was not at all busy, and I patiently waited in line behind the woman ahead of me who was, it seems, also purchasing stamps.

And I waited. And waited. And waited. It took this woman 18 minutes to just DECIDE which stamps she wanted to buy!! AAAUUUGGGH!  The postal clerk kept asking her to step aside while she decided, so that other customers could be waited on, and she just kept saying that she was ready ... no, wait .... maybe.... oooh! look at those .... wait! AAAUGGH! By the time that I made it to the counter, there were 8 people in line behind me!  Oh well, I tried to use the time wisely by shifting back and forth from one foot to the other, and reading all the posters of postal regulations. Sheesh!

But I now have regular stamps, festive stamps, and plenty of boxes ... yay! Then I popped next door and picked up some cheery cards and (of course) stickers and confetti. (Yes, all mail from MollyMouse comes booby-trapped with confetti!)  Now I am sitting down to a HUGE turkey spinach salad while I contemplate what to do with the ORANGE cauliflower I just bought at Whole Foods.

=^..^= MOLLY

Ugggggh! Regular cauliflower is bad enough.  It comes in ORANGE too?  :)

RANDOM RAMBLES AND MIDNIGHT MUSINGS . . . 

OOooOOooooooooo .... salt n' vinegar -- one of my favorite flavor combinations.  I found some salt/vinegar flavored soy rice cake thingies at Whole Foods ... they are very tart ... but a bit too fake vinegary for me.  What I miss are Salt n Vinegar flavored Kettle Chips but, alas, my potato chip days are behind me ... too much fat. I will be heart-healthy if it kills me! (My DH keeps accusing me of trying to kill him with an overdose of fiber!)

I spent some time tonight looking up the calories in KFC (fried chicken) after seeing a commercial on TV tonight. (sigh). There's more grams of fat in one original recipe thigh than I am now eating for the entire day, somedays. Even their biscuits are full of fat! AAAAAuuuugggghhhh. Why can't someone invent fried chicken that's GOOD for us, pretty please! Don't worry, I'm not wavering in my diet and I'm not planning a run through the KFC drive-through .... but I will admit that I miss the high-fat, highly-tasty food that I used to enjoy too much. Somehow, looking up the calories and fat and seeing just how dreadful it is seems to help me not want it as much.

It's nearly midnight here, Monday night, and I am proscrastinating going to bed because I don't want tomorrow to get here .... that's the day I have to go to the dentist ... EEEK! EEEK! EEEK! (Did I mention I have a HUGE fear of dentists!?!?) I need to get three cavities filled. EEEK! EEK! EEEK!  Of course my wonderful DH Ron is taking time off work to take me. (Can I shriek again? EEEK! EEEK! EEEK!) Then we have a plumber coming at 2pm because we have TWO leaking sinks. (Jeepers, what are the odds of having 2 leaks? After we found the first one under the kitchen sink, paranoid me had my DH check all the other sinks and he found another, smaller leak! YAY FOR PARANOIA!)

(sigh)

EEEK! EEEK! EEEK! EEEK!

=^..^= MOLLY

Molly, I have read that of all the fast food there is, KFC is the WORST for you, nutritionally.  Stay strong!

Ranting today over remote controls!!!

Now how is this related to dieting, one may question? What follows is my story, and I'm stickin' to it....but realize also that it should not be used as a "reason" or excuse to fall off the diet wagon!!

So, after a lovely dinner, I leave for a meeting, stopping at the local ATM to refill my empty wallet. The alarm on the car resets itself while I am pushing buttons and entering PINs. Unfortunately,, it seems the battery in the remote has mysteriously gone DEAD!! I can get into the vehicle (thank goodness, as it's raining and cold out here), but only to set off the screaming alarm. No amount of pushing, squeezing, pinching or poking the remote button will make it stop squealing! Everything I attempt to get myself out of there sets the alarm off again! This goes on for eternity...well, about 15 mins in reality....and suddenly a small beep signifying the alarm has shut off! Relief!! Now far too late to get to my meeting, and with a headache from the noise, I return home.

A nice evening in front of the TV, having sole possession of the remote while DH is out...Aaahhh!.... NOT TO BE!! Now this remote has decided to malfunction also!!! I can't change the channel, adjust the volume or start the DVR!!! ARRRRGGGHHH!!!

Next thing I know, as if in a trance, I'm standing before the open fridge eating leftovers from a bowl!!! GEESH!!

So, the moral of the story...If you want to be successful at dieting, get rid of the remote controls!!!

My rant today is about getting sick.  How come, that now I'm eating more healthily, getting more fruit and veggies and am generally just being "better", I get the worst cold I think I've ever had?  I started to get sick last Sunday, no, not 2 days ago, over a WEEK ago and by Thursday just had to give in and stay at home (I don't get paid for absence either so there's an incentive to drag yourself in!).  I've finally made it back in to work today and still don't feel well.  And just to add to my joy, I'm going on holiday on Saturday and I damn well want to be better by then.  Flying with blocked ears is not something I enjoy, apart from needing energy for my tour around Tunisia. 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AH.

Caro, welcome back to the rants...I've missed your posts.  Tunisia...I am soooo jealous!  Oh to live in England and be able to travel to exotic places.  You traveling from London to Tunisia is probably like me going from Tallahassee to New Jersey...hardly an exotic destination!  I hope you've recovered by then and are able to enjoy the sunshine and wonderful food!

Sue, you and Molly certainly have amazing adventures.  My life is (thankfully) very dull by comparison (I am deathly afraid of spiders).  Have you figured out what happened to the car's alarm?  I hope that doesn't happen again!

My latest rant...perversely, after finding out that Prozac may have contributed to my weight woes I've found myself frequently nibbling the left-over Hallowe'en candy.  Like Sue, when upset I'll suddenly find myself eating something.  I totally understand "coming to" from a trance-like state while stuffing cold leftovers down my throat!  I need some kind of retina scan thingy on the fridge that will check to see if I'm in my right mind before it lets me open the door!

JJ 

 

 

" I need some kind of retina scan thingy on the fridge that will check to see if I'm in my right mind before it lets me open the door!"

Wow, Jane, What a great idea!!! Let's see if we can't event something like that, huh? Could make a fortune!!!

BTW, prozac never did much for my weight problems either!

And that car alarm?? Changed remotes, and sent DH off in quest for replacement batteries!

 

 

Aw, thanks JJ :-)

Careful what you say about NJ though - my sister and brother live there!

Caro

Hey, regarding the retina scan fridge, how about one that you can only open a certain amount of times per day?  So there's a number pad and each person in the house gets issued an id and pin number and you set the number of times each person can open the fridge.  That way, those of us that somehow end up in front of the fridge making unhealthy choices have to plan properly for the 2/3/howevermany times we're allowed to open it, otherwise we don't get dinner cos we've used them all up!  I mean, would you trust a MACHINE to determine your sanity?  Really? ;-)

I can't believe I just came up with all that...

chris1208:  there's nothing wrong in letting your stepson know some foods are low cal, 'just for you'.  Most kids that age are just oblivious to everything and he probably never even thought about it. 

Molly..........needed a smile, so thought I'd check here and yes, your rants are always so adorable.  good luck with the dentist.  Treat yourself afterwards...........not food, but buy yourself something!

caro:  my idea is for a built in scale, level with the floor,  in front of the fridge.........and your weight pops up in flashing numbers as you open the door  (or else a simple scale in the kitchen).  I know it would be a reminder for me!

have a great day everyone!!!!!!!!!!

hey that scale idea could be handy. :)

I LOVE the scale idea! It's ALMOST perfect, I would add a full length mirror on the front of the fridge too. One with x-ray vision that would show me without the fuzzy pink bathrobe would be best.