You Are What You Eat

With Christmas now a big box of fond memories to store away, you are probably right there with me with all your new stored Real Estate.  Talking tummy and hiney, here.  

Every year we spend Christmas at the beach, and tradition demands that I gather these ingredients from our local beach grocery:

You can see the Real Estate

accretion products piled up

here on my counter top 

overlooking the 

Intracoastal Waterway.

As the oven heats up, I am mixing like mad,

doubling up on the chocolate chips

and the walnuts, of course.

Love walnuts.

The best part

about all this work

is

you get to lick the extra dough

off your fingers when it piles up

on the spoon 

and you have to scrape it off.

Heaven.

The wait while they bake is excruciating...

And then, out of the oven

comes this loveliness.

I like to eat them while the

chocolate is still warm

and gooey

and fragrant.

And then I have another.

Because I can.

There are always paybacks for too much of a good thing, and it's now time to start paying...

because my bathroom scale has Nuclear Alerts going off when I just pass by it...

I don't even have to step on it to hear the sirens going off.

So, this is what I'll do to soothe the scales and zip my pants up again:

It's back to Brazil...this time for their Dietary Guidelines, not for Fajas.

1.  Eat Fresh, never processed Veggies and Fruits.

Include some dried beans, in moderation.

2.  Eat Fresh Fish that comes from a reputable source.

Eat roasted, grilled, or boiled chicken, made at home.

3.  Drink lots of clear clean water.

4.  Walk.  A lot.  Climb stairs.  Stretch and pull and twist and shout.

5.  Cook At Home so I can keep my food additives under control.

6.  Don't eat anything out of a box or bag - no processed foods.

7.  Eat Apple Slices, Celery Sticks, Carrot Sticks, Citrus Fruits for snacks.

If you want to take a look (and you should) at Brazil's down-to-earth guidelines,

you can view them HERE.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing recipes and tips 

with you to rope in that Extra Real Estate

without using a Faja!

Weight Loss Without Diets and Gyms

I have learned so much in the past 8 weeks about weight loss with no stress, no hunger.  What I am carving in stone is this:  As Long As You eat Fresh Veggies, Fresh Fruits, Fish, Chicken, drink Water, and Get Tons of Outdoor Exercise...you will lose weight.  Period.  Simple, so simple.  No diet plans, no gym.  Just common sense.

Walking up Kennesaw Mountain - photo Atlanta Outdoor Club.

After spending a couple of weeks on the road, I realized how hard it is to maintain a sensible eating plan at fast food joints.  But I figured out, early on, to just order the burger or whatever sandwich in the drive through - with NO MAYO -  and before digging in you just ditch the buns.  That means you are left with meat, lettuce, tomato, pickles and cheese.  Washed down with a crisp unsweetened tea or water

 (NO DIET SODA or ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED DRINKS...ARE YOU CRAZY?)

 and small fries, you are happy to pull away and back onto the Interstate.  You have had french fries, for goodness sakes!

If you get the munchies, have a bag of crisp celery sticks or baby carrots at hand, and gobble them down.  They're crunchy, good for you, and almost calorie-free.

And you know that when you get to your destination, you will be presented with, or cook something like this:

Seared Salmon on a bed of spinach - photo courtesy Whole Foods

and this:

courtesy Honey and Spice

And This:

Photo: Grgich Hills.

With all this yummy goodness to be had, guilt-free, why would you eat any other way?


Here are (again) the Secret Instructions to avoid having to wear a Faja:

Drink a lot of  good clean water.

Avoid highly processed foods.  That means no Lean Cuisine, for instance.  Pack your refrigerator and Counter Top Baskets with Fresh Vegetables and Fruits.

Eat Fish or Chicken, and very little red meat.  A boiled egg three times a week.


Keep dried fruit and pungent cheese on hand to punch up your salads or for a snack. 


Never Drink Sodas or Artificially Flavored Drinks of Any Kind.


Get outside and get active.  Challenge yourself physically. 


Be aware of what you are putting in your mouth - you know what I mean.


Get yourself some digital scales -$10.00 at CVS- and weigh yourself every morning.


You will LOVE how your new body feels, and since you have been so sensible about it all, go buy yourself some new shoes and paint your toenails...

My new favorite shoes...


                               Yellow Box Shoes

got 'em On Sale at Belk's...$21.00!  And yes,     you know I got more than one pair...

Happy Weekend!

Weight Loss, Your New Body, and Fajas

See This?

And This?

And Her?

What all these images have in common, besides hair extensions and gorgeous good looks are Fajas.

In case you don't already know, a Faja is a support garment that was initially manufactured and worn after liposuction or other plastic surgery in South America - potentially the plastic surgery capital of the world.   According to the NY Times this morning, Fajas have started creeping out of South America and are becoming explosively popular in America, especially among Latino women.  And Caucasian women.  And Asian women.  And so on.  One of the major manufacturers out of Columbia said their exports increased 47% last year.

Why am I showing you this?  Because, when you loose weight rather rapidly, and you are over ...ahem... 50, let's say, you are left with loose skin.  Especially in your tummy region.  So while you are doing your sit-ups every morning, and walking Every Day to tighten and tone your New Body, you may be getting impatient with how your previously stretched skin isn't snapping back quickly enough for you.

Enter the Faja.

A Faja is like Spanx on steriods.  Take a look at this one, recommended for after pregnancy:

It includes a derriere enhancer, so you can look like J Lo.  You have to source out the hair extensions yourself...I hear they are very uncomfortable to install.

In case you want to shop around, here is a link to a Faja Boutique in Miami...

Happy Shopping!  They have a sale running right now, and I may run into you there...

All photos, except for Jennifer Lopez, came from their website.