Curiosity got the best of me this morning so I climbed up onto the scale. 159.5 lbs! Yippee! It does work. That is a 4 lb loss from what I weighed on Friday or Saturday last week. Unfortunately, I did not write it down. I remember 163.5, but I can't remember which day it was. I am just happy to be under 160. I sure did learn a lot this past week. Especially about eating the right portions. I don't have that stuffed feeling after I eat dinner that I use to have either. Tonight we went to TGI Friday's. I planned out what I would have before we left the house and I stuck to it. I especially used to overeat at restaurants because they give you such large portions. Well, I really noticed that when I finished eating what I wanted, that I didn't feel so full. It is a good thing. Interestingly, I feel somewhat lighter, but not skinnier. Well, while it is amazing that I lost those 4 lbs, I'm not overly impressed by it. I mean, I am glad that I lost it and it was a really great start. I certainly don't expect to lose this weight too fast. I just mean that I can see my weight fluctuating 4 or 5 lbs for no reason at all. What I am really looking forward to seeing is 10 lbs come off. Not at once, but a total of 10 lbs. Then it will seem real to me. I just think that if I could lose 4 lbs in one week, I could just as easily gain 4 lbs in one week. I'm skeptical of my ability to stick with it, I guess. Or maybe I just have a teensy bit of doubt that it is really due to the changes I made.

You'll find conflicting data on coconut oil in the diet. Lots of claims for it and against it. It's pretty well established that heavily hydrogenated tropical oils, including coconut (such as what you'd find in commercial baked snacks--they hydrogenate the fat to increase shelf life) are bad actors, but that's likely due to the hydrogenation process and not the oil itself. Coconut oil is a mid-chain mostly saturated fat. It may well be metabolized differently than other saturated fats. There was a study some years ago about a bunch of Sri Lankans who were convinced by Western doctors to switch from their traditional coconut oil in the diet to vegetable oil. The rate of heart disease went UP, ha ha. Now I don't know if they did other Western habits like smoking Marlboros while sitting on their hineys watching 'Baywatch', but I thought that was interesting. I have used coconut oil for 'buttering' potatoes. I've also used coconut oil as the poaching fat in making duck confit (wowza, was that good!). There is a difference in the quality of coconut oil. I can get some fragrant organic coconut oil from the Dekalb Farmers Market in the Atlanta area--it's wonderful. The local supermarket has Lou-Ana coconut oil--okay, but not spectacular. You'll also find that there are some claims made by people trying to sell you the stuff--"if you don't buy this particular brand of coconut oil harvested by sincere vegetarians who are kind to kittens, you're gonna miss out on all the benefits"--you just need to try to separate the hype from the fact. Hard to do sometimes.

It's been a cold, rainy day and I've been going through recipes.... BROCCOLI, BACON AND CHEDDAR TOSS (9 g. carb. per 1/2-cup serving) 3 c. broccoli florets 2 oz. (1/2 c.) shredded Cheddar cheese 1/3 c. raisins 1/4 c. chopped red onion DRESSING: 1/2 c. mayonnaise 2 T. sugar [could substitute non-calorie sweetener] 2 t. lemon juice Add-in: 8 slices bacon, crispy cooked, crumbled In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. In small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients; mix well. Pour dressing ingredients; mix well. Pour dressing over salad; toss to combine. Just before serving, stir in bacon. Yield: Nine (1/2-cup) servings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ZUCCHINI CAPONATA (I usually make 1/2 a recipe, which is still a LOT!!! I use it for a vegetarian lunch. Sometimes I'll add a sliced mozzarella cheese stick.) 3 g. carbs per 1/4-cup 1/3 c. olive or vegetable oil (I use 1 T.) 1 c. chopped onions 1/2 c. sliced celery 1/4 c. chopped yellow bell pepper 1/4 c. chopped red bell pepper 3 c. cubed zucchini 2 c. seeded, chopped tomatoes 2 T. chopped fresh basil OR 2 t. dried basil leaves 1 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper 2 T. lemon juice 1/2 c. small pitted ripe olives 2 T. capers, drained (I've never used them) Heat oil in heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and peppers. Cook and stir 5-10 minutes or until tender. Add zucchini, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium; cook 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate 8-12 hours or overnight. Serve with pita bread wedges. Yield: 4-cups. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEMON-PEPPER VEGETABLES (If you want a whole meal add any kind of stir-fried meat.) Makes 6-servings - 5 g. carbohydrate per serving 1 c. 1/4-inch slices yellow squash (about 1-medium) (I also use frozen zucchini/squash in this recipe) 1 small red bell pepper; cut into 1/4-inch strips 1/3 c. diagonal slices celery (about one stalk) 1/3 c. 1-inch pieces green onions with tops (about 3) 1 t. vegetable oil 1 T. lemon juice 1/4 t. lemon pepper seasoning 4 oz. Chinese pea pods Cook squash, bell pepper, celery and onions in oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over med-high heat about 2-minutes, stirring frequently, until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook about 1 minute stirring frequently, until pea pods are hot. 6-servings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GLUTEN-FREE (ALSO LOW-CARB) ZUCCHINI FRITTERS Yield: 4-servings, 4-grams carbs per serving 2 med. zucchini 2 green onions 1/4 c. almond flour 1/4 c. parmesan cheese, freshly grated 2 eggs salt and pepper 2 T. coconut oil (for frying) Grate zucchini and parmesan into a bowl. Add eggs, green onions, almond flour and season with salt. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat waiting for pan to get hot. Spoon mixture into pan and fry until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STEAMED VEGETABLES WITH HERB SAUCE Yield: 6 servings; 11-grams carbohydrates 3 c. cauliflowerets (about 1#) 2 med. zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices 1 med red, green or yellow bell pepper; cut into 1/4-inch strips 1 lemon half Prepare Herb Sauce. Place steamer basket in 1/2 inch water (water should NOT touch bottom of basket). Place cauliflowerets, zucchini and bell pepper in basket. Cover tightly and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Steam about 6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Arrange vegetables on plate. Squeeze lemon over vegetables. Serve with Herb Sauce. HERB SAUCE 3/4 c. plain nonfat yogurt 1 t. honey (or non-calorie sweetener of choice) 3/4 t. chopped fresh or 1/4 t. dried basil leaves 3/4 t. chopped fresh or 1/4 t. dried tarragon leaves 1/4 t. salt 1 clove garlic, crushed Dash of dried dill weed Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2-hours but no longer than 24-hours. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ZUCCHINI NACHOS 1 med. zucchini (7-8-inches long), sliced 1/8 t. onion powder 1/8 t. dried basil leaves, crushed 2 oz. (1/2-cup) shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 c. coarsely chopped pepperoni 1-2 t. grated Parmesan Cheese Microwave Directions: On medium microwave-safe plate, arrange zucchini slices. Sprinkle with onion powder and basil. Top with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and Parmesan cheese. Microwave on HIGH for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 1 serving; 7-grams carbohydrate

If I crave something sweet...I eat whatever it is that I am craving (thinking) about. I just don't eat a lot of it. I have lost weight lately...past year....and did that by not dieting. I eat whatever I can think of that sounds good....but I don't eat a lot of anything. About half of what I would normally eat. From here on out, I eat whatever I want. We stayed several weeks following the flood, with a lady who is anorexic. She ate one or two bites, every other day. She is skin and bones but has an unrealistic view of herself and thinks she is fat. She thinks anyone who eats like a "normal" person is a "hog". I told her, at my age...what do I have to look forward to? Dying? I'm going to eat any danged thing I want, and as much as I want. I have found though that I feel better eating less....so I have cut down on portion size. Love that picture, Nicole! You looked fabulous, and I am sure you still do.