The 80/20 Rule Put to the Test!

I had the BEST time last night!  My 80/20 rule possibly turned into a 50/50 rule, but it was just one night, so what the heck!  I went to my first Monday Night Football game.....

...and this was no ordinary "going to the game."  First of all, a limo picked me up (and took me home; that would stink if a limo just picked you up and then left you wearing Dallas Cowboy's blue in the middle of Raider Nation!), with fruit, cheese, baguettes, champagne and wine waiting inside.  Then at the coliseum, we walked into our luxury box with the best view and more food than I have ever seen (or eaten!).

Our generous and lovely host knew that there were two "natural chefs" in the house, so there was a careful balance of healthy and not-so-healthy options.  First, let's look at the menu for the evening, and then we'll play a little game of "What Did Suzanne Eat?"  I'll let you in on a little secret....when I'm a bad girl, I'm a very bad girl.

That's a whole lotta' food!

So let's see how the night went down and figure out what I ate

 (tip: more like what I DIDN'T eat!)

When we entered the room it was set up with "snacks"...

This is a chilled chicken teriyaki with wonton cups and slaw, Mediterranean sampler,  chips and salsa and guac, and a Caesar salad.  What's your guess?  What did I eat? Well, if you guessed the salad and the Mediterranean fruit, nuts and cheese, you'd be wrong (ok, maybe some cheese!).  But chips and salsa were in!

Then  there was the "hot bar"....

Hot dogs!  When you first step foot into the stadium, all you can smell is hot dogs.  And it's just like popcorn; when you smell it, you must have it.  Even though I think it's probably the most disgusting thing "created" from who-knows-what , did I have one??  We are given the choice of beef or veggie hot dogs...I want a real one, but where the heck is the catering guy to tell me which is which?  I chose wrongly.  Sooooo, I had to go back and have a "real" one.  And so it continues. (Truth, I only had half of one the second time, just sayin'.)

Next to the hot dogs are....please help me....SLIDERS!

I haven't had red meat in I don't even KNOW how long, but come on!  They're sliders!!  So cute; how can you say" no."  Now my "certified natural chef" friend, Jennifer, and I just looked at them, then each other and by mental telepathy said , "Can we eat these in front of everyone?  Will it ruin our Natural Chef cred?"  Luckily, about this time we were invited to come down to the field.  With our whole suite down there I began to worry that I had left my purse and my laptop in the suite (don't ask, I thought I might have time to do some work), so I said to Jennifer "maybe we should head back up." And she mischievously laughed and said, "Yeah, let's get back up there and eat some hot dogs and sliders before anyone notices!"  So we did.....

I know, not my best look!  Then we got busted and, bummer, had to pose for another picture eating yet another one....oh, come on they're tiny!

Ooooh, that one made me do the leg kick, like in the movies when the girl gets a really hot kiss!  Yep, it was almost that good (but not quite).

For us "healthy eaters" we were also offered grilled portobello sandwiches.  Did I eat one?  Hmmmm, really wanted to, but I was all full-up with hot dogs and sliders. I managed, however. to put a few cornichons in my head (I'm half French, so I had to)...

Are we done yet?  Nooooooo.... now it's half time (yes, just half time), and there's pizza!  Four different kinds of pizza, all gluten free.  And I was amazed at how good that dough was, nice and crispy (bet they put gluten in it!).  So as full as I was, I had to have a slice.  This wasn't it though... no peperoni on mine, just a classic tomato basil.....

So by now I think I've gained back all the weight I lost in that last couple months, AND I think I might explode, and here comes catering guy again with dessert!  First it's just cookies.  That's innocent enough.

... that should be enough, right?  (Yes, I ate a quarter of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.)

Then that evil catering guy came back with more trays....

Chocolate fondue with all kinds of dippers: fruit, cookies, pretzels, cream puffs, marshmallows, angel food cake, scones....oh, I'm sure there was more, but isn't that enough???  Did I have the fruit?? Nope.  Cream puffs, my friend.  Is the game over yet?  I'm afraid of what's going to come in the door next!

Oh yeah, this was sitting on the buffet, replenished all night; a beautiful fresh fruit platter,  Did I eat any?...

I think I ate one strawberry!

OK, so it wasn't my most healthy day.  Heck, it wasn't anywhere NEAR a healthy day.  But I had a ball!!  Oh sure, I felt terrible later that night; my body had no idea what assault had just been forced onto it, and I ate nothing but veggies today, but that's the beauty of it.....be bad, have fun, and then get back to your life.  Don't beat yourself up; it was one day.  And it was a great one!!

Am I wrong???

Yum it up!

A New Me.....

A little while back I went on the "Rip Your Heart Out Diet."  Not heard of it?  Keep an eye out for my cookbook, coming soon.....it's a lot of empty pages- quick read!.  I've always heard women say "the best way to lose 10 pounds is to get the flu or get your heart broken."  I would've preferred the flu, but you get what you get.  So my heart was broken, and for the first time in my life, I couldn't eat.  Certainly don't recommend it; didn't intend for it to happen.  I just felt sick to my stomach and had absolutely no appetite.  Somehow, however, I managed to find the strength to work out- something as surprising to me as not eating!

I figured I may as well capitalize on the weight loss thing, and get back to my regular work out schedule.  As my appetite returned, I also decided it was time to get back to what I refer to as "mindful eating."

Mindful eating for me just means being equally aware of my wants and my needs when it comes to fueling my body, and focusing more on the "needs" part of the equation.  Yes, that's a glass of wine in front of me (I needed it!).  I haven't completely lost my mind!...my 80/20 rule still applies.  But when I cook for myself and my clients or when I'm teaching my cooking classes, I am re-focused on what we really need to fuel ourselves and to be healthy.  That's food's original purpose: give us the energy to do the things we need to do to survive (think hunter/gatherer days).  But often we turn it into an Olymic sport of over-eating huge portions of calorie-rich and nutrient-poor meals.  Pharmaceutical companies love this!  Me, not so much.

"Mindful eating"  in no way means that I still don't cook delicious meals.  You know I do!  My mission statement is "Teaching people that 'delicious' and 'nutritious' are not mutually exclusive."   It's possible to wow your taste buds and keep your body healthy and happy, too. 

In the past six weeks, I've dropped down to a size 6, something I haven't been since my college days (so I guess I can thank the heart-breaker for something), and the workouts have helped turn back the clock..... I taught a business development class today at Bauman College and shared my marketing materials with them.  One of the students said of a picture I have on my website and my marketing cards, "You need to update that picture; you look older in it than you do now."  I'll take that as a huge compliment, since that picture was taken only a year ago.

I'll be 48 next month, and I hear so many of my friends lament about how hard it is to stay in shape, or to get in shape (why do we wait so long to take care of ourselves?).  I see so many women my age give up and give into that idea.  I think they're wrong.  Granted, I started this weight loss in an unconventional way, but I believe that we can change and reshape our bodies through a combination of strength training and cardio, and mindful eating.  That's what I've been doing and it seems to be working just fine.

What changes have I made, you ask.  Well hold onto your seats for this one.... dairy has been extremely reduced (I KNOW, can you believe it???!  But me and a yummy Caprese Salad will never break up completely).  And I am focusing again  on more plant-based meals, with animal proteins used in limited quantities.  This is the best season to give that a try, by the way...such an abundance of delicious fresh fruits and veggies! Read The China Study or watch Forks over Knives, and you'll know why I like this path.  And keep reading my blog for some tasty reasons to believe that nutritious and delicious are NOT mutually exclusive.

We'll still yum it up!