It’s a slow cooker recipe, which is convenient since I have a crock pot that I rarely use (and consequently, I also have unused-kitchen-gadget-guilt!). However, if you don’t have a slow cooker, I expect you could probably convert this to a stove top recipe pretty easily.

Italian Lentil and Barley Soup

1 cup lentils
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 cup carrots (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup onions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups broth
2 1/2 cups water
14 1/4 ounces Italian-style tomatoes or regular stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (optional)

1. Sort through lentils to remove debris and shriveled beans, then rinse.
2. Add lentils to crock pot, along with barley, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, dried herbs and bay leaf.
3. Pour in broth, water, and tomatoes.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 12 to 14 hours, or on high heat for 5 to 6 hours.
5. Discard bay leaf and just before serving stir in parsley and vinegar (if using).

Based on some of the previous reviews, I increased the garlic to three very large cloves. I also left out the parsley and cider vinegar, not having either on hand. My food processor made quick work of the veggies, so the active time on this recipe was very reasonable.

The result? Very tasty! Daniel loved it (and loved the fact that we had enough for several leftover lunches) and has declared this recipe a permanent addition to our recipe box.

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I’d never been to Vegas before, but I tried to do my research ahead of time. I booked a room near the convention center so that I could walk, and scoped out the local restaurants on Google Maps to see what was to be seen.

This worked so-so; I found out about many options but some of those that were missing would have been nice to know about (for instance, eGo in the hotel right next to the convention center).

Based on my prior research, I knew there was a McDonald’s about a quarter-mile south of my motel. Now, McDonald’s wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice for healthy eating, but despite (or probably because of) all the bad press about their nutritional choices, there are actually some very good choices.

McDonald’s is also the exception to many restaurants in that they actually post their nutritional information online, and in a location that’s easy to find.

Being the geek that I am, I turned this into a spreadsheet so I could sort it by my preferences (I deleted the items that weren’t appealing to me, and then did some crude math to find the healthiest choices).

I also had the brilliant idea of packing some food to guarantee that I would always have a healthy option, at least for meals where I was close to my motel. I packed some pre-measured bags of oatmeal (having read the observation somewhere that the in-room coffee maker is ideal for such a purpose), a bag of protein drink powder (counting on finding milk at McDonald’s), and two apples for each day I’d be there.

This strategy generally worked well (though you really shouldn’t underestimate the brutality of the baggage handlers; my extremely cushy packing around my apples was no match for acts of luggage violence, apparently, but I mostly just ate around the bruises).

I wasn’t sure what my food options would be at the convention center itself, but I asked a knowledgeable employee and she pointed me to a cafeteria-style restaurant where I was able to build a killer salad. I also carried some PowerBar Harvest snack bars to keep me from plunging into desperate hunger in a pinch.

My general routine was an apple and protein shake in the morning (it turns out my coffee maker was busted, but I’m too much a coffee novice to have figured that out right away; I just thought I was doing something wrong), a salad for lunch, a snack bar during the afternoon, and something reasonable at McDonald’s for dinner.

My bodybugg was a tremendous help. I logged all my foods for four out of the five days I was there, and closely watched my calorie deficit, and ended each day I tracked with my target 1000-calorie deficit. You could definitely do this without the bodybugg, but it sure made it easier.

Honestly, the only hitch in my plan was the parties. There were two big parties, both at night clubs, both at dinner time, both serving a wide array of high-calorie foods.

The first party, the food was actually so “creative” that most of it didn’t appeal to me anyway. They did have a chocolate fountain, though, and that’s a big weakness of mine. Happily, I spotted some fruit that was designed for the fountain, and helped myself to a plate of strawberries and pineapple. This worked great because it satisfied my sweet tooth, and more importantly, gave me something to do with my hands (have I mentioned I’m socially awkward? and that I don’t drink?).

The second party didn’t go quite as well from a diet perspective. It was my last night in Vegas, I’d been spectacularly good on my diet, and I was tired (and tired of apples). So when they offered me such yummy looking fried things, I took them. Not all of them, mind you (I’m still a picky eater, after all!), but probably more than I should have (”fried” being a helpful clue). That was the day I didn’t track my food.

However, when I got home, I had a slight loss, and I can’t say that’s ever happened to me while on vacation before. And I’ve continued to lose at a steady pace since I’ve been home, so I’m definitely counting this a victory.

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Along the same lines, one of the things that regularly frustrated me was my kitchen scale. It wasn’t annoying enough to motivate me to actual action, but it was one of those nagging frustrations, and every time I used it, I made a mental note to replace it.

It’s not that the scale was that bad; it just wasn’t very good. It was an old-school spring loaded beastie that constantly had me questioning its accuracy; consecutive weighings produced wildly different numbers, and trying to “zero” it (or “tare,” as I now know that function is properly called) was counter-intuitive and subject to the same accuracy concerns.

I’d been annoyed by the scale pretty much as long as I’ve had this blog (it didn’t matter before I started using it for dieting!), so when a guy by the name of William Geronimo wrote to me and offered to let me review a new “nutritional scale,” you can bet I jumped at the chance.

I’d heard of nutritional scales before and knew the general premise (it has a built-in database and tells you the nutritional content of the food you weigh) but had never played with one. When the EatSmart Nutritional Scale arrived, I spent quite a bit of time testing out different foods, entering in their codes, and comparing the results to other calorie data (it looks like most everyone uses the USDA database as a starting point).

As it turns out, after several weeks of using the scale, it’s not the food database that I’ve found most helpful, but the general ability to get accurate information easily with just one tool. First, the scale itself seems to be very accurate in that it produces repeatable results and makes it easy to tare (compensate for the weight of the container).

Beyond the accuracy of the scale itself and the nutritional database, it also has several features I find particularly helpful. First, it’s dead easy to switch between grams and ounces. This is great because most foods’ nutritional label show the serving sizes in grams, but for things like beverages, ounces are more common.

Second, it has a built-in calculator feature where you can put in the serving size (as determined by the nutritional label) and then the nutritional label value of the nutrient or measurement you want to know. For instance, if I have a can of apricots, I enter 122 as the serving size (that’s what’s listed on the label, in grams) and then enter 60 (the number of calories in an official serving). If my serving is more or less than 122 grams, the scale tells me how many calories are in my actual serving. This is immensely helpful for the real world where we don’t always follow the exact serving size.

Now in both cases, you could use your computer to do the same thing. A quick Google calculation will convert grams to ounces and vice versa. A basic calculator can help you adjust your numbers for a different-sized serving. But the beauty of it is that you don’t have to use yet another tool; it’s all built in! One of my biggest dieting complaints is that there are so many steps, so many things to keep track of. This scale is both helping me get better information, and it’s simplifying my dieting process. I’m a big fan!

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There have been three “very bad” weekends this summer, meaning significant and uncharacteristic weight gain.  All three have been camping weekends.

All three weekends have involved significant exercise of the biking persuasion, and I try to plan for good eating, but it just doesn’t happen.  I bring healthful snacks but end up stuffing myself silly on roasted marshmallows (one of the great joys in life!).  Cravings go out of control and I eat anything crunchy/salty/sweet I can get my mitts on.

I always hope that I’ll have lost weight or at least maintained due to the exercise, but so far, that’s not what’s happened.  I end up about five pounds up, several of which fall away (probably because of all the salty foods and sporadic hydration), but it takes me the better part of a week each time to get back on track.

How do you think I should handle this?  Should I get stricter with myself and beg Daniel (in advance!) to limit me to just four marshmallows and keep me from all snacky foods offered by others?  Or should I just quit whining, enjoy the weekend, and plan on the “recovery” week?

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Where it gets complicated is in actual practice (shocker, right?). To start with, it’s hard to regularly maintain a calorie deficit. It takes work, and it’s usually not much fun. We also tend to get carried away with following trivial advice (like eating this week’s darling food of the diet world). Add to that the conflicting advice and sales-motivated explanations, and it’s no wonder people get frustrated.

Some well-meant advice can also be discouraging to dieters. One of the questions that comes up a lot is, “Can I just work off the calories I eat?” Most answers I’ve seen are along the lines of, “Yes, in theory, but it’s easier to reduce the number of calories you eat than to work them off.”

They go on to point out just how much exercise you’d have to do to burn the amount of calories in a given food. One book I’m looking at says “1 4-oz. M&M cookie = 1.1 hours of canoeing” and “3 mini-quiches = 1 hour of washing and waxing your car + 42 minutes of vacuuming”.

This is definitely a valid point. It’s pretty depressing to realize that just one donut means hours of exercise. But I’d argue that you still can achieve better long-term success by adding exercise than through extreme calorie restriction. Why do I think that?

Compare how you feel when you cut calories to how you feel when you’ve finished exercising. I don’t know about you, but when I try to cut way back on yummy food for any length of time, I feel virtuous for a little while, but then mostly just deprived and resentful. On the other hand, when I exercise, I feel strong and powerful, like I can really accomplish something meaningful.

Which way would you rather feel?

Now, reality check, I’m not saying, “Go ahead, eat anything and everything you want, you can exercise it off!” The experts have a very good point; it takes a lot of work to burn off some dietary indiscretions. It’s also very time consuming, and you have to find the time (and the motivation) to actually do the exercise. There are definitely limits; I find that I can burn about 500 calories extra on weekdays if I need to cancel out something I ate… but I still have to maintain my 1000 calorie/day deficit, so it definitely takes some effort.

What I am saying is this: if you’re generally making healthy food choices and maintaining a good calorie deficit on a regular basis, and you’re faced with some food that you’d really like to eat, doing a little extra exercise is a valid option. If you can do enough exercise to maintain your desired calorie deficit, you’ll lose weight.

How does this work in my everyday life? I might play Dance Dance Revolution at a challenging level for 45 minutes so that I can have a small ice cream cone. I might also decide the ice cream cone isn’t worth the time or the effort, and just opt not to eat it.

This method works for me, and if you genuinely follow it (i.e. you have time and don’t overdo the food), it will work for you.

One thing to be careful of: exercise will only be psychologically “easier” if you actually get positive feelings during or afterwards.  If you start thinking of exercise as “punishment” for eating poorly, it’ll be less fun to do.  It’s not supposed to be punishment, but rather, balance.

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I don’t remember how I first heard about this book, but it was probably one of many that I find while playing on Amazon (I know, some people play cards, and I play on Amazon…). My general Amazon policy (central to me actually retaining some of my income) is that I only buy books that aren’t available at the library. In this case, it meant I waited on hold for this book for a month or two, and that I need to decide whether to buy it or not in the next few days, since I have to return it on July 5th.

The premise of the book is straightforward: it’s difficult or impossible to maintain the healthy behaviors that result in weight loss if you don’t change the way you think. Dr. Beck’s father is also the father of the Cognitive Therapy school of thought, and this book is essentially Cognitive Therapy applied to weight loss.

The Beck Diet Solution is made up of six weeks’ worth of daily exercises. The first two weeks are focused on preparing to diet. I’m already dieting, but Dr. Beck says it’s incredibly important to do those, regardless of current dieting status. That makes sense because those weeks are about establishing the habits and knowledge that help with actually sticking to a diet.

Week three is about understanding your body while dieting—learning to accurately interpret its signals and be realistic about progress. Week four deals with sabotaging thoughts (a major focus of the book, based on the introductory chapters), while week five tackles various challenges that can ruin a diet (food pushers, eating out, traveling, and emotional eating, among others). Finally, week six is about fine-tuning your dieting skills for the long haul.

I’ll have more feedback as I go through the book, but my first impression is good. As I mentioned, I’ve got some issues with food and taste, so I hope that working through this book will not only help me see food more accurately but will also help me want to make changes for the better.

The Amazon reviews for this book are very encouraging. Reviewer after reviewer reports success, and many of them are the “I tried everything, nothing worked, and then I found this” type. I also like that the book is compatible with any diet (since I like to try them all!) and develops lifetime skills. I’ll be working through some of the exercises here on the blog (when it makes sense to do them that way) so you’ll be able to see if the book might be helpful for you as well.

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The book itself is a quick read: it’s 158 narrow pages of loosely-spaced text (the designer in me loved the unusual format!), so it was easy to breeze through during “found moments”. The conversational writing style helped, too.

The premise of the Shangri-La Diet

This book and theory have two basic tenets:

1. Each person has an individual weight “set point,” a specific weight that the body attempts to maintain by increasing or suppressing hunger, depending on the current distance from the set point.
2. There are techniques that can lower your set point, causing your body to want to eat less to reach that point.
3. The taste of a food is strongly associated with its calorie content, and we tend to like the taste of foods that contain many calories.

There seem to be folks who will argue with these conclusions, but the author, Seth Roberts, Ph.D., has valid scientific reasons for these claims (in my non-science-trained opinion, so take it with a grain of salt). These three points are drawn from rat studies and, more significantly to me, personal experience. I know, scientists would rather have human studies and lots of them, but short of that, my bent toward experimentation likes the overwhelming anecdotal success reported with Shangri-La on blogs and forums.

If you accept those three assumptions, though, you’ll find Seth’s resulting conclusion interesting: eating foods with no flavor but high calorie content lowers your set point and suppresses your appetite.

For this reason, Seth recommends drinking two to four tablespoons of flavorless oil every day, and not worrying about what else you eat. This sounds absurd to most dieters, who know that oil is pure fat and high-calorie. However, the reported result is that those 240-480 “extra” calories make you less hungry for other things (because the oil moves your set point down), causing your calories to drop even with the oil calories figured in, resulting in weight loss.

One important note: to avoid associating the calories with a flavor and undoing your effort, the diet requires that you have your oil at least an hour (in both directions) from anything else that has a flavor (food, toothpaste, everything).

The Shangri-La Diet in practice

One of the nice things about this diet is that it can easily be used in conjunction with other diets (well, except for the alli drug!). I decided to give it a go and see how it works for me.

I started last week with some olive oil we have around the house. Unfortunately, it’s extra virgin olive oil, the strongest tasting of the olive oil bunch, so I had to hold my nose while drinking it to get the taste-free experience that is central to the diet. It still had a bit of an aftertaste, so I drank lots of water afterwards.

The first time I tried just drinking a tablespoon of it straight. Uggh. Based on my current weight and my weight loss goal, I’m doing two tablespoons a day (at separate times to keep the tummy happy), and I really wasn’t excited to do the second “dose.”

One of the other options on the diet is to use white sugar instead. However, it’s not ideal to consume a tablespoon of sugar in one go, because it messes with the blood sugar and insulin response and all that. I read the suggestion to put the tablespoon of sugar in a quart of water and sip it for a while. I like sugar, I like water, so it sounded like a good idea.

It really, really wasn’t. Obviously some people like it just fine, but I thought it was worse than straight oil, because at least I was done with that quickly. The barely-sugared water tasted like a diet soda gone horribly wrong (and I think diet sodas are nasty to start with), and after realizing that in my first drink, I still had 28 ounces to go. I finished it (eventually!), but I wasn’t happy about it.

The next day, I tried another suggestion and put the tablespoon of oil in a cup of cold water. I held my nose and drank it all down, and realized that this was not nearly as gross as I expected. This was a method I could happily use indefinitely, so that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

Because I didn’t like the lingering flavor of the extra virgin olive oil, I stopped in at the local health food co-op when I was in the area on Sunday and picked up a bottle of refined walnut oil and a bottle of canola oil. These both are much lighter in taste (almost no flavor), color (they’re very pretty, actually), and consistency (I feel like less sticks to my lips and more just goes down with the water).

Between the two bottles, there’s 64 tablespoons, so enough to give it an honest try for a month. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m still sticking to my calorie-deficit goals, but adding the oil in as part of my menu. I’m not sure what to expect since I’m already on a low-calorie diet (is it possible that my rather meager portions will actually seem like too much?), but it might help with cravings and general hunger.

I haven’t felt any noticeable difference yet, but it sounds like many people take a week or two to experience a change, so I’ll wait it out and report back.

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The drug is called alli, it’s the low-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical, and as I understand it, it works by basically passing a portion of consumed fat through the body undigested. It sounds like the general effect of this is “loose stools” but if you eat a fat-laden meal, look out.

alli/GSK calls this a “treatment effect” rather than a side effect, because it’s what the drug is designed to do, the central purpose. They’ve done a good job of setting expectations, though, which I think is crucial to their success. With their blog, they’re essentially beating critics to the punch by pointing out potential issues upfront, which is both smart and surprisingly transparent for a big pharma company.

Part of the desired outcome is that alli users would start eating more healthfully as well as taking the drug, and it seems like you’d want to do that just to keep the “treatment effects” under control. Still, I think I’m happy enough with my current progress to keep counting the calories in the pizza I’m eating right now rather than choose between avoiding the pizza or dashing for the bathroom.

Despite its downside, it seems like this could be one more useful weapon in the dieter’s arsenal. Are any of you planning on trying it? If so, what kind of weight loss results are you expecting?

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I’m a pretty picky eater, and sometimes I say that I wished I liked more things (especially vegetables) because it would be more convenient to eat healthfully. But when I stop and think about it, that would probably just mean more things to overeat (does anyone really overeat peas, though?) .

I’ve been reading The Shangri-La Diet and one of the claims of the theory is that it will make you want to eat less. I’ll get more into the specifics of the diet in another post, but one key thing is that you eat a few hundred calories per day of tasteless food, and it cuts back your desire for other foods.

I got to thinking about this, though, and my gut reaction was that I don’t want to not want yummy things. Sure, logically, it would be extremely convenient to just not have interest in scones and French fries and ice cream. But I enjoy those things, and it seems like if I didn’t like them so much, I’d lose some small pleasure in life.

Then again, people on the diet generally say that they still enjoy tasty food, but that their cravings have gone away. They can basically choose whether or not to indulge, rather than being compelled. I don’t know… my brain agrees with that concept, but it just sounds kind of sad somehow.

I guess the bottom-line issue is that I’m using food for pleasure and not just as fuel, and that’s always going to cause some conflicts. The unfortunate part is that I don’t really want to change that perspective, because the “food as fuel” religion just seems too utilitarian and un-fun to me. Somehow I need to change that attitude before I can figure out how to keep food in its rightful place.

Anyone had any luck with this?

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Since we’re running low after all the recent riding, I looked online a week or so ago and ended up buying a small supply at my local bike shop. The shipping from the online places just kills the value, and even when you hit a free shipping sale, the product prices aren’t super-stellar.

Enter Amazon Grocery. I thought I might as well look and see what they offer, and though they don’t have all of my favorite products, I was able to find Carb Boom! for $0.84 per serving, and Clif Shot Bloks (which I love) for$0.60 and $0.64 per serving (for the Lemon Lime and Orange flavors, respectively). Sadly, they don’t have the Piña Colada flavor, which is my favorite, but their great prices inspire forgiveness.

The kicker?  Free Super Saver shipping means those prices are the one’s I’m actually paying.  Sweeet.

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