Yummy Things To Eat That Are Core
As per a request in the comments, here are some things that I've been eating during the last few days, as I try out the Core plan. I've already found lots of food ideas through other people who are more on the ball about healthy eating than I am.

Linda's Smoothie contains skim milk, nonfat plain yogurt, Splenda, and the fruit or fruits of your choice. I made mine with half a banana, frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries, so it was nice and cold which somehow makes it all the better. Delicious!

Ian's Porridge is possibly just ordinary porridge, but he has a specific method and I don't know his secret. I know it's made with whole oats, not instant oats. (I don't know if that's the difference between oatmeal and porridge, or if the name porridge is just cuter.) With some Splenda and a banana mixed in (or blueberries, which we tried this morning when we ran out of banana) it is delicious.

Also brought to you courtesy of Ian is the stir fry that we have been making for dinner. It contains chunks of tofu and pineapple, lots of stir-fry veggies, some type of hot sauce, teriyaki or soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and garlic. Served over brown rice it is delicious and EXTREMELY filling. I might have made it up to OT 5 the last time I had it. (That is a combined Scientology and Weight Watchers joke and I doubt anyone understood it.)

Other things I have been eating:

A big salad from the deli down the street with some or all of the following: a hard-boiled egg, avocado, tofu, hot roasted turkey, mixed greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, dried cranberry, and balsamic vinegar. (Normally when I got this salad I would only get one of the first four items because they all cost points. And then I would get hungry two hours later and overeat, whereas if I had just eaten a decent damn lunch in the first place, I would have been fine. It only took me two years to figure this one out. Hooray for the learning curve.

Tuna salad made with fat-free mayo, some mustard and lemon juice, and some chopped-up pickles. Surprisingly satisfying, that tuna salad.

Every morning: a nonfat cafe au lait. (What would I do without them?)

Air popped popcorn. (Do you need an air popper? No you do not. You need a paper lunch bag and some popcorn. Put it in the microwave and pop. You could also melt some butter or faux butter and add some salt. Of course, 94% fat-free popcorn is also core, but I am weird and prefer plain, unadulterated popcorn much better.)

Fresh fruit. (It is nice to walk around the Farmer's Market trying a little bit of EVERYTHING and not worrying about how many points worth of free samples it is.)

Kashi Go Lean cereal. (I compared the label of this stuff with the label of Shredded Wheat, which is Core, and noted that it has fewer calories, more fiber and more protein. I don't know if it's "officially" Core, but I am pretending it is. I still haven't figured out the answer to the question of whether you can have your one alotted bowl of cold cereal PLUS hot cereal on the same day. The Weight Watchers people did not seem to know the answer to this.)

I have also heard tell of a great bean salad, but I don't care for beans, so I don't think that's the option for me.

So far that's all I've tried. If you have more recipes and ideas for Core eating, please hit those comments!

P.S. For more thoughts on Core (and modifying Core) check out what Christina has to say.
- posted by mo @ 9:22 AM

 
I Love Skinnykat
For posting the best picture of me I have ever seen. (Note, it is not the one of me with Weetabix where we look ridiculously drunk. It is farther down on the page.) (Also, please tell me those are my fishnet legs because if so, I think Kat's camera is magical.)
- posted by mo @ 11:17 AM

 
The Gospel of Core
I have only eaten on the Core plan for one and a half days, and I already have so much to say about it. I've already learned so much! I want to spread the word! I am filled with the spirit! I'm starting to scare myself again!

First things first: I went to my meeting on Saturday and I weighed in at 219.2 pounds. I re-set my stats (see the sidebar) and am considering this a new beginning. This is eight pounds or so above my lowest previous weight.

I am excited about this, more motivated than I have been in ages and ages. Because I've been hovering within the same ten-pound range for a year, and I haven't been ready to push through that barrier for whatever reason, and now I am. I am totally ready for it. And I'm not that far away, either. My first goal, 209 pounds, a very long-standing goal, is totally achievable.

The meeting itself was not particularly good. The leader did a poor job of explaining things, possibly because Core is complicated in the first place. One woman thought that Core meant you could eat all the Chinese food you wanted, because chicken and oil are both Core foods. Not quite.

(Two days and it's already Core This and Core That and That Is So Totally Core and you are going to get really sick of that word by the time this post is over and for this I apologize in advance. Maybe I should replace the word "Core" with the word "Scientology" for all future posts.)

A couple of important things that came up at the meeting that might be worth repeating for those of you playing along at home. The first is the logic behind the categorization of a food as Core or non-Core. The foods that are considered Core are foods that don't have what they call "abuse potential." If low-fat yogurt was Core (this was the example) people would overindulge. Whereas the type of yogurt that IS core (non-fat plain) is not likely to lead to overindulgence. Makes total sense to me.

The second thing is the distinction between need vs. want. When I said something about "all the oatmeal I want" the leader gently said, "you mean need." And it was one of many lightbulbs that went off. That hunger scale (where you assess your level of hunger before and after you eat) is invaluable. I thought I might not be able to do it, but I am.

I am learning to trust my body to know what I need instead of figuring out what I "can get away with eating" because I want it.

It's fucking scary. I have never learned to trust my body before. I have never realistically assessed my hunger and eaten accordingly. It occurred to me (lightbulb) that this is how thin people eat. From the basic group of Core foods with the occasional indulgence in a glass of wine or a slice of cake. And I'm finding the Core foods to be delicious and satisfying, and maybe bread isn't all that, after all.

Talk to me again on day seven, or week five, or month three. But for now, I feel like this might change the way I eat for the rest of my life.
- posted by mo @ 10:25 AM

 
Official Policy
I know this like my eighteenth post today, but this must be said.

You wonderful people keep mentioning COTTAGE CHEESE in the comments. Let me tell you how I feel about that.

Not only can I not eat it, or watch others eat it, or even look at it, I can't even THINK about it or I will vomit. I am not kidding. THAT STUFF grosses me out utterly. I can't even talk about it anymore or I will be sick. And I don't mean that in a metaphorical way.

So for the love of all that is holy, please keep in mind my affliction. I am a princess and cottage cheese is my pea. (If that made any sense at all, it would be a great analogy.) So, right, THAT STUFF. Let us never speak of it again.

Please?
- posted by mo @ 3:10 PM

 
P.S.
I am working on a post for the other blog that I am cheating on Ointy with, and I found this quote:

"It's all about balance. The misconception people have about health and fitness is that it's all or nothing. It's not. That doesn't work because it's too hard to keep up the momentum."

It is not all or nothing. I am going to do my absolute best to stick with the plan this week, and I certainly hope to succeed 100%, but I have to remember that one slip-up or one bad choice or one moment of weakness is not going to end my efforts forever. I can keep trying and striving for balance. Because it is not all or nothing.

That helps.
- posted by mo @ 11:28 AM

 
More Pre-Core
Some random thoughts about the new program:

I am having a core food day so far, sort of by accident. I skipped the muffin today and then I had this panicked realization that THIS WILL BE MY LAST MUFFIN OPPORTUNITY FOR A WEEK PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE A BAGEL NOW AAAAH!

But I can live without bread for a week. I can, I totally can. I had a bowl of cereal (which I hope is core, it's Kashi cereal) and calmed down.

Can I really have one bowl of cold cereal plus unlimited bowls of hot cereal? I have been enjoying plain oatmeal. Can I have that as a snack?

I wonder if it is possible to do core without counting points in my head. Ideally, I would be eating within my points according to this plan. But what if I don't? What if I eat too many grapes or something? (I am getting a little hysterical about the idea of unlimited fruit eating.)

This is why the "learning to stop when you're full" part of the plan is so important and yet for me, so fucking scary. Sometimes I feel like I'm peering into the bottomless pit of my hunger and could just keep eating all the points in the world. Of course my hunger is not really a bottomless pit, but it can sure feel that way.

This plan really does have the potential to fundamentally change my relationship with food. It's not a negotiation process (what can I "get away with" and still be within points) but learning to listen to my body's needs and nourish them. That is awesome.

I am already trying to decide how to spend my 35 extra points. Those precious 5 points a day. Not enough for a muffin, but enough for some cookie crisps and a glass of wine.

I have to eat all my hot dogs this weekend because they are not core foods and neither are the high-fiber enriched buns.

Grocery shopping this weekend is going to be an adventure! Anyone have any good products and brands that fit into the program that I should get? (Linda, I've already written down "Boca sausages.")
- posted by mo @ 10:52 AM

 
Core Thoughts
We won't talk about precisely how this came about, but I have in my hands a copy of the "Core Foods" list from the new Weight Watchers plan. And I have to tell you: I'm a little nervous.

I've already decided that I'm going to try it for a week, come hell or high water. I'm going to start on Monday for real (although my meeting is on Saturday, I am having a point-killing day of wine tasting and a dinner party on Sunday, and I can't start the week without any banked points). Anyway, Monday is the big day.

I think it's going to be really hard. Like I-can't-do-it hard. So many of the things I have found to fit into my life (the Skinny Cow sandwiches and whatnot) aren't part of the core foods. (Wait, there are no nuts, either. What about "nuts are so good for you"?) I am going to go shopping this weekend (farmer's market, here I come) and blog in excruciating detail every meal I have. But it seems like it would get very boring very quickly.

You know, that paragraph is like a prime example of Negative Self Talk. I am not going to do that to myself. But it seems like another "challenge" is going to be not counting points. How can I lose weight and not count? And still eat until I am full? It's inconceivable! And can I really eat all I want of this stuff? I can have free tofu stir-fry? Really?

I guess exercise is really going to be the key, but I am not used to eating my activity points either. I am going to exercise every day, even if it is just yoga, starting on Monday. I am going to try my very best to stick with the core plan for a week. And I am definitely going to walk into that Weight Watchers meeting and cringe and step on that scale and prepare to find out I've gained weight. Because I am brave and I can handle it. Because I can move forward and lose whatever I have to lose.

And mostly because my boyfriend makes a mean tofu stir fry.
- posted by mo @ 4:21 PM

 
The Next Step
I've been hearing about the new WW "Core Plan" and reading what Linda had to say about it and thinking about the South Beach aspects of it and pondering the next step on my Journey of Discovery (tm) and have decided something.

I haven't lost weight since I've left Weight Watchers. (Well I have but then I've gained it and lost it and gained and lost...) and more importantly I don't think I've quite worked out a healthy, normal way to eat and exercise. It's all been sort of haphazard. So I think I'm going to start anew, go back to Weight Watchers (the horrifying meetings with the clapping and everything) and see what happens.

I may not post a lot this week, but look for new stats and my thoughts on the core plan to go up on Saturday.
- posted by mo @ 8:36 AM

 
Back!
I will have to write more about Journalcon in agonizing detail, but here is a post so we can all gossip in the comments section. I was on a panel with three of the most wonderful, gorgeous women out there (and I am not exaggerating about the gorgeous): Skinnykat, Juju, and Juliekins.

I feel like the panel was a little disorganized-- clearly it should have been three times as long, because everyone (including the audience and the moderator) seemed to have things to say. Anyway, more later, plus pictures! (I think I have a picture of our three green-dot panelists. (Green dot = pictures okay.)

Also I should add how much fun it was to meet everyone!
- posted by mo @ 9:57 AM

 
Off To D.C.
Sorry for the lack of posts this week! It's been a busy and tiring week, and I haven't had anything to say, really. I planned to lose all this weight for Journalcon but that totally did not happen. I've done pretty well overall, I am still holding steady at this weight, and if I am the fattest person on the diet blog panel then so be it! Heh.

I hope those of you who are going will come and find me and say hello. My favorite part of Journalcon is meeting all the wonderful people and making new friends and then coming home and going, "Shit, I totally did not get to spend any time with _____ at all. Oh well! Next year!" It's going to be crazy, and I'm leaving tonight on the red eye, and I'm not packed, and my frog has no crickets, so I've gotta run. See you there!

[Oh yeah, one more thing: I will try and find some interesting links to post at BFD before I go. In the meantime, there's an interesting debate about food and income happening in the comments here.]
- posted by mo @ 9:03 AM

 
Protein Update
Apparently I need between 40 and 80 grams of protein per day, depending on who you're talking to. So this week I've been working on upping my protein.

One night for dinner we made macaroni and cheese (the kind with half the butter and nonfat milk) and threw a can of tuna in there. It was like 20 grams of protein right there. I've been eating Kashi GoLean cereal with milk for breakfast. It's not as good as the Special K, but it's not bad either and it has a lot of fiber and protein. One bowl plus a cafe au lait is five points and 22 grams of protein.

So far I've been making it to 40 grams a day, barely, but not nearly up to 75. I don't feel any less hungry than I did before, and that's the truth. Maybe (as someone in the comments said) I need to make it all the way up to that magical 75 gram mark in order to notice the difference.

For lunch I'm having a turkey dog. It's only 5g protein, but the fortified bun has 6g more. I'll be up to 33g of protein and 10 points for the day. Then if I have two pieces of (fortified) bread for a snack (with lavender-peach preserves I got from slam in Portland) that's 8g protein for 41g protein and 13 points total.

It's hard, though, all these high-protein meals. I really don't want to resort to protein shakes and bars. I know it works for people, but it doesn't seem like getting the correct amount of protein, especially when I am making good choices for every single meal, should need supplements like that. All that chemical, processed stuff wigs me out. I enjoy the feeling of eating more natural, organic foods.
- posted by mo @ 11:55 AM

 
Another Journal Quote of the Day
Today's jolt of recognition comes from Harmony over at the fabulous group weblog Pair Up/Pare Down:

"[S]ometimes I wish I could just eat food without thinking about the points, or the fat, or the carbs, or the allergy symptoms. I remember eating like that when I was a kid. It’s fun. Now, even when I am trying to just allow myself to enjoy my meal, there’s always the little voice that says 'Don’t eat too much' or 'You already did eat too much, you should stop' or 'Don’t be such a fucking pig, put your spoon down.' Most of the time I appreciate that voice for keeping me from just shoveling in the food, but sometimes I hate it, because that voice doesn’t seem to like me very much."

- posted by mo @ 2:28 PM

 
The Legend of Protein
We're going to gloss over the events of the weekend, shall we, and just move forward into a beautiful future. How about that?

I went shopping yesterday and bought many high-protein items. (Although quite frankly I don't know what "high-protein" really is. How many grams of protein do I need to consume in order to give me this mythical feeling of sustenance?) Anyway like an idiot, I forgot to bring my groceries to work today. Breakfast is cereal remnants and milk. (Cereal: 2g protein. Milk: 4g protein. Cafe au lait this morning: 9g protein.)

Oh, I bought new cereal, this Kashi stuff that looks like it could be very hippie-tasting (and not in a good way) but is fortified with protein. That's got 11g per cup or something. Is that enough? Is that a lot? I have no idea.

I was noticing that a cup of milk has more protein than a turkey dog. To go with my turkey dogs, I bought fortified whole-wheat bread, and that has more protein than a cup of milk. I don't quite understand the protein thing. I got some almonds too, but the nuts have less protein than the turkey dog. I am not sure this protein thing makes any sense whatsoever.

- posted by mo @ 10:23 AM

 
Phase 126
I wish I had a big chart where I could track the fluctuations of my eating habits. It would probably be very informative. I can tell I am hormonal right now because I feel extra-lumpy (despite the fact that I've been eating well and exercising) and a desire to eat the world.

On the off chance that I have been hungry because my breakfast of fruit and bread hasn't been doing the trick, I switched it up today and had some cereal with milk. (Which I have been counting as 4 points but is really 3 points, oops. Still, if you're going to screw it up, that's the direction to go.) Yesterday I went over by 3 points, although I did earn at least 5 activity points. Still, I don't like to eat my activity points. Eating steadily more than my target, even by a couple of points, is no good for me. I have to eat at or under target most of the time, and then one or two days of using FlexPoints and eating a lot, to keep my metabolism guessing. This has always been the Ointy Way.

Maybe I need more food since I've been exercising more, I don't know.

Yesterday I had an iced coffee, bananas on bread, a peach, cherry tomatoes, a box lunch, a diet pepsi, cookie crisps, sliced strawberries with sugar, a bowl of cereal with milk, a hot chocolate, a tuna sandwich, a can of C2, and not one but two ice cream sandwiches. I think that comes to 29 points, although I may have overestimated points on a couple of things, which would bring me down to 27. Anyway, that's pretty good. I'd like to be right on target today, though.

Also all I did yesterday was the upper body workout. Which means today it's back to cardio, abs and yoga. Woo! Go team! (I am trying to pump myself up for this.)
- posted by mo @ 11:11 AM

 
More Boring Stats!
But see how the exclamation point jazzes it all up somewhat?

I finished out the week going to a party where I consumed 19 points worth of alcohol. My First Beer Bong. Aww. But after counting all the points, I realized I had gone over for the day by the exact right amount, using all of my remaining FlexPoints but not going over. Then on Sunday I went out a lot; I lost track of points, so I decided to start all over again on Monday.

Which was yesterday! I had a can of C2, a banana on bread, an iced coffee, a peach, two apricots, a caramel macchiatto, strawberries on bread, a fig, cookie crisps, a pluot, a hot chocolate, a chicken wrap, and an ice-cream sandwich. I was VERY hungry yesterday, also cranky and hormonal. I ended up at 27 points, which was great, considering how hungry I felt. I also did a cardio workout, an abs workout (well I did most of it, until my back spasmed up) and then some yoga (to alleviate the back spasm thing).

So an excellent first day for the week. I've been weighing myself sort of erratically, and I don't think I've lost any significant amount. But I can feel my body changing because of all the exercise! So I'm going to continue to focus on that, rather than the numbers on the scale.
- posted by mo @ 9:51 AM