Sunday, I had it all planned out. I had 2 recipes I was going to make: some pork chops and some broccoli cheese soup (which is known as Broccoli Love by the forum members). I get to the store and there are no uncooked pork chops! There was a big gaping hole where the pork chops should have been. The only thing they had was precooked Paula Deen ones that had some wacky sauce packets with high fructose corn syrup. No thank you! So after milling around the meat department for what seemed like hours, I finally picked up some frozen turkey meatballs that I ended up cooking with some leftover spaghetti sauce. *sigh*

Hopefully, if the pork chops are not missing in action, I’ll have a pork chop video soon. For dinner last night I made the broccoli cheese soup. I sauteed a small chunk of chopped onion, added the broccoli, some leftover chicken breast, and some boxed chicken broth and simmered that until the broccoli was bright green and looked softer. I added a little cream to my Magic Bullet blender, a handful of shredded cheddar, and then dumped the soup into the blender too. Then, I blended it a few times (only takes a few pushes with the Magic Bullet) and it was done! I did end up topping it with a little more cheese and some pepper. It’s soooo good especially on a day like yesterday when I had the headache that wouldn’t quit.

I blame my recent quitting of the coffee for the headache. I was completely off coffee by last Friday and felt fine but then I couldn’t escape the lure of the Pumpkin Spice Latte on Saturday. My body is now screaming for coffee again! I might go back to just 1 cup a day because I sort of don’t feel like me when I don’t drink coffee…too mellow, not as focused - although maybe that would change if I could quit the coffee for longer than a few days! Either way, I’m happy I was able to wean myself off it if only to prove that I could. But I seriously don’t know why I have headaches this week and not last week!

I’m finally starting my pre-holiday weight loss push. I just couldn’t be bothered for the last few months and my weight has been steady mid-140s forever it seems, eating all kinds of good and bad foods so I’ve been living it up and enjoying it for the moment. But the holidays for me are notorious weight gain times so I want to give myself a holiday cushion just in case. It’s not even like I’m eating christmas cookies day after day. I just think it’s all the events and holiday parties, you end up eating more often than you should! I weighed in at 146 today so here we go!

I posted recently on someone elses blog about how I don’t really feel like I’m a part of the low carb community anymore. I’ve felt this way for some time and it seems weird to me because the “low” in eating low was originally for “low carb.” I just find lately I don’t seem to have anything in common with my fellow low carbers. I firmly believe low carb is what helped me lose my weight. However, it’s not a lifestyle for me. I used it to lose my weight and then transitioned to eating more carbs (although I do try to watch my carbs, I don’t really aim for a set limit). For me, low carb was a tool to lose the weight and it has also taught me that I don’t NEED to eat carbs all day, every day. I definitely am more aware of the types of carbs I do eat and I  often ask myself if I really need the extra carbs. I don’t live a low carb lifestyle as much as I live an aware lifestyle - aware of the choices I’m making, aware of what I’m putting in my mouth, etc.

I do read other low carb sites and I guess I’m sort of surprised at the types of eating I see. I worry that people aren’t learning how to eat for life - they are learning how to eat a certain way - but that way doesn’t seem very sustainable for the long term. And if they are sustaining it long-term, is that really how they want to live? Is that how they want their children to see them eat? Would they let their child eat that way?

I feel like I’m in this weird netherworld where I do believe in low carb for weight loss, but not necessarily for life. A lot of the low carb recipes I see are full of fat and fake stuff that are substituting for the carbs. You’ve just traded one vice in for the other without dealing with the real issue.

And I just shake my head at the meat and water idea. You’re not learning how to sustain your weight loss - you are learning to exist on a diet of meat and water. I find it odd that people were all over the Magic Chicken Diet lady for her all chicken diet, yet only now are people starting to freak out about the hamburger and water thing and only because of a column a fellow lower carber wrote asking what people thought about pregnant/nursing people doing 0 carb (to which I say - and I quote someone else’s comment - why would you risk it? It’s a baby!). Why would you even consider doing meat and water/0 carb during pregnancy? Are you that vain that you can’t put the life inside you ahead of your own need to be thin? If you have some health concern that requires a modified diet during pregnancy you should be under a doctor’s watch anyway and I doubt they would recommend meat and water for ANY medical condition during pregnancy. So, if someone can give me a valid reason for doing this (besides the good ole - well, the Inuits did it) I’m all ears. Since I’m pretty sure 99.99999% of the people reading this AREN’T Inuits or live an Inuit lifestyle, that argument just isn’t making much sense. It’s sort of like saying we’re going to use medieval medical practices because it worked for them (nevermind, that we’re in the modern age now).

Whatever happened to people using their common sense and some self control instead of relying on “magic” foods. The food is not the problem…people’s eating habits are! You can eat meat and water til you are blue in the face (and yes, you will lose some weight doing), but if you don’t address the reasons you gained weight (be it medical, emotional eating, etc.), you aren’t solving the problem - you are just putting a big meat band-aid on it. And when you are faced with real world challenges (you forgot your meat one day or you’re at goal and ready to start maintaining) will you know how to deal with them? Or will you return to old habits, gain the weight back, and then go back on the meat/water thing, repeating the cycle for the rest of your life?

Where is everyone’s common sense? The extreme sort of viewpoints I’m seeing lately do not make sense to me. I know people can spout facts and figures proving their point left and right. It seems there are people out there who would rather let others drown them with quotes and facts than use their own common sense to ask themselves - is this healthy? Is this something I personally can sustain? Is this going to help me and teach me how to eat so when I get to goal I can keep my weight off for good?

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that there is NO one size fits all diet. What works for me may not work for you. It’s a very personal journey to figure out exactly what works for you and sadly, most people chose not to take that journey and instead, hop on whatever the latest hot, new thing is just because it worked for one person.

So I’m not sure where that leaves me. And I guess in the long run, it doesn’t really matter. I know how I feel and I know what works for me and to each his own. I guess for too long, I’ve stayed quiet because I’ve felt like there wasn’t anyone out there representing MY way of eating (and perhaps there isn’t) but maybe that’s precisely why I need to NOT be quiet now so at least there is another view added to the mix. After all, if 0 carb, and meat and water and pork rinds have a place out there in the low carb world, why can’t “low carb for the sake of weight loss combined with changing the habits that got you fat in the first place” have a place too? (ok so it’s not as catchy!)

Here I go again! I’ve had a minor disaster with my favorite shirt that I had planned on wearing - I got oil splashed on it - that will teach me not to actually wear my favorite shirts while cooking. Even an apron wouldn’t have saved me because the oil spots are on the shoulder (WTF!)! So, I found a replacement shirt but I may stop at the Target near my house because they had a cute outfit I liked but all the wrong sizes at the one I stopped in earlier (shirt too small, pants too big LOL). So I will be wearing something…just not sure what yet! I’ve got to finish getting all my stuff together tonight but I’m mostly done. Callbacks are Saturday so this time I’ll know right away, which is good because I’m bad at waiting LOL. Anyways, I’ll keep everyone posted!

I finally got eatingwithamy.com set up the way I want it! It’s anything and everything food-related: product reviews, gadgets, food news, etc. I’ll have recipes up there too (but not all will be low carb so eat with caution LOL). Anyways, take a peek!

Here’s the video from the Ask Aida episode on Food Network where I ask a question about steak!

Ok so it’s only for 1 minute, but I’ll be on the Ask Aida show on Food Network this Saturday at 12:30pm Eastern asking a question about steak!

I cooked a turkey last night. Madness ensued!

I just checked the Food Network calendar. Ask Aida debuts August 2 at 12:30pm with the Hot Off the Grill episode. I think the episode my question is on will air August 9 (the Steak and Potato episode). I’m supposed to drive to the beach that day so I may not even get to see my own Food Network debut! Wah! Somebody tape it for me! LOL either that or I’m going to have to pull over somewhere in NC and knock on someone’s door and beg to watch food network!

I didn’t go anywhere but my friend was in town this weekend so I was barely online. I got a new TV to replace the one that died. I had been watching tv on my old college TV - it was tiny! So it’s nice to have a new one! I also got the Martha Stewart kitchen island from K-mart (yes, K-mart!). I love it! We put it together last night and remarkably it’s still standing!

I had a great time this weekend so now I’m going to get back into the swing of things. I’ve got a beach trip next month so that will be the next big event! I’ll probably take a day or two to recuperate and then I’ll try to get the cookbook finished up ASAP!

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned on here (I’ve talked about it in the forums) but I’m also going to have a product that goes along with the cookbook and ties into the cookbook! I just got myself all organized and official so I’m currently working on the label. I’m keeping it a surprise, but I do need people’s help picking colors! From what I’ve seen so far, I think the options that work best for everyone appear to be:

• Black outside/red inside with a black and white or red and white label
• Blue outside/light blue inside with a brown and white label (or other color and white)

Some of the other choices are pink with pink, purple with bright multicolors, and dark blue with dark multicolors. While the pink with a black (or even brown) label looks awesome, it’s probably a bit too Barbie (not to mention, I doubt guys would want a pink one)!

I’m sort of limited in the options I can have, but let me know what colors you like best! (and i know it’s hard offering an opinion on a mystery product but try anyway LOL)