Cinch! A Book Review

I'm not sure where to begin when writing a review on a book about weight loss. Was that an un-PC way of categorizing this book? Am I suppose to say these types of books are "guides" to a "new way of eating"? Or an "innovative" way to adapt to a new "healthy lifestyle"? Well, for better or worse, my style of communication has never EVER been described as subtle or nuanced. Remind me to tell you about the time in college when Anna came home and told all of us roommates that the Extreme song, "More Than Words" didn't actually mean organizing a church service project or adopting a highway. It was subtle. It was nuanced. It was lost on me.

But there are reasons that I am so bi-polar conflicted about diet books. And there, I said it. Diet Book. And speaking of categories, in the realm of scales and BMIs, I'm in the category of Obese. And I have four very dear friends who struggle with Bulimia and Anorexia. My friends have happy tales in that they are in recovery, by the way. Most have kids; all live healthy normal lives.

And yes, that juxtaposition was deliberate because all five of us have one glaring thing in common: We have the exact same relationship with food. We think about it, talk about it, post about it, and eat it. The love and the hate, the obsession and the guilt, the push and the pull, the give and the take, the tomato and the tomahto! Oh, wait . . .

Anyway, it can be exhausting. And discouraging. And depressing!

But that right there is the main reason I enjoyed reading Cinch! Cynthia Sass requires you to look honestly at your emotions while taking care of your body.

The Cinch! plan has two parts. The first 5 days is the "5-Day, 5-Food Fast Forward" plan. Sass gives you quite wonderful recipes that are made up of some mix or match variation of 5 ingredients: spinach, almonds, low-fat plain yogurt, raspberries, and eggs or tofu. And not for nothin', I would highly recommend the Greek Yogurt, Raspberry smoothie with 2 Tablespoons of Almond butter and cinnamon. Delicious. (Almond butter? Spread a layer of raw, unsalted Almonds on a cookie sheet and put in 350 degree oven for about 10 min or until brown. Swirl in food processor with a tad bit of olive oil if it gets clumpy. YUM).

She then lists countless amounts of spices to add to the mix of ingredients, including my staple, Balsamic Vinegar. Thank you, Sass! And who knew you were named after the Slimming And Satiating Seasonings you so highly recommend in your book! Kidding. She even uses her awesome name as an acronym and, also, as an adjective of how one might feel after following her plan. Lucky, Cynthia. All I could think of for my name was: Rage Against Garage Openers and Romping Among Green Onions. Which probably explains why I'm writing a book review instead of an actual book.

The second part of the plan is the Cinch! Core. Sass then gives us meal guidelines, which consists of a whole grain, lean protein, plant-based fat, and a SASS, of course. Um, and chocolate chips are actually included in the plant-based fat section of your diet. Just for this bonus alone, I think the book should be re-titled SCORE!

But most importantly, she makes you Spill Your Guts! (a close second to Score!) by journaling after each meal about your physical and emotional experiences with food. She seems to especially focus on helping the reader/participant focus on the emotional core issues with the food that you just ate. Each day she asks a couple of different questions, always ending with "What are you learning about your relationship with food?" Which felt especially refreshing to me because she seemed to take a more holistic approach to weight loss. YAY! (that would be short for Young Amish Yodelers).

All that said, I have decided to start this diet/wayofeating/newlifestyle the day after Martin Luther King Day on January 18^th. A new year and an inspiring man who overcame the seemingly impossible. Eating right and journaling honestly. I can do this. And I think you should join me!!

All opinions of this book are my very own. I was not paid to read this book, but was given a copy to write this review.

#Mamavation Monday: Where I Go to Work . . . .

I've fallen and I can't get up.  What's worse: this happens to me a lot.  I'm a Monday morning quarterback when it comes to dieting and I usually give up come the next day.  Now. I could either keep up this cycle (which doesn't seem as destructive as, say, 5 years ago) or I can change.  But I think the most important thing I need to change is my mind.  How do I get my brain to stop sabotaging itself (or my body, or me)?

First of all, I think I procrastinate working out and fail to plan healthy meals because of fear.  While not fully conscious of it, I think I fear change. Of having to take responsibility for my health and translate theory (the ideas to enable consistency in healthy eating and fitness) to practice.  I also think I fear trusting myself.  What if I actually followed through with my plans and . . . they worked!  I'm afraid of losing that entertaining cynicism about dieting. This might be confusing but as a woman, like many women I know, I use self-deprecating humor to connect to other people.  What if I couldn't make fun of myself as a way to connect with others?  If I love myself, will I be fun to be around?  Lots of questions here and no answers.  But I'm going to believe I'm on my way to change because I'm starting to isolate my reasons to not lose weight and . . . .

I've started thinking about when I've been successful.  Not as a way to whine and say, "I've done this and this and this.  Why can't I lose the weight?"  More as a way to say, "How did I accomplish something in these other areas of my life?"  And I think I came up with my answer: When I think of a set of duties as a job, I follow through.

I've only been fired in my life from one job--as a hostess at a sit-down restaurant.  I deserved to be fired.  I was bad at it.  But I've kept every other job I've had and I've been consistently praised within that context.  Also, I managed to collect three degrees.  For the last one (and the hardest one), I managed to get someone else to pay me on a regular basis to complete that program.  In all of these instances, I approached them as jobs.  I have this irritating habit of going to work and supporting the mission of my employer--even through sickness and pregnancy.  I come from immigrant pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps ideology on one side of my family and ethnic/cultural difference which drives us to prove how fabulous we are on the other side.  And work is often the context in which I get significant external validation.  Of course work is important.  And the areas in which I consistently struggle are the areas which I do not define as my job.  For example, if I thought of keeping my house clean as a job, I would schedule cleaning and organizing more than I do.  If I look at this blog as an enjoyable hobby, I would probably fail to work on it with any consistency.  But as soon as I tell myself, "Self, this blog is your small business," I sit up a little straighter, answer emails, network on twitter and pound out blog entries (all of which I enjoy, by the way, but *&%$ its a job!).

So . . . if I reframe how I think of healthifying my life as my job, then I'm more likely to do it, right?  That is what I'm doing.  It is a job that will pay me back in better mental attitude, healthier body, modeling activity and longevity for my daughters.  Win-win, people!

And I gotta say that every time I go to SUBWAY and see that image of Jared huffing and puffing his way to running a marathon, I get motivated.  Yeah, he doesn't look like he's enjoying himself but he's not letting himself be paralyzed by fear.  He is a role model.

• So, for this week, reframe-ing my attitude.  Taking care of this body and this life is a job.  As such, I will work on our meal plan tonight for the whole week
• treat working out like a job (I'll be starting as an intern so baby steps)
• put aside time each day to visualize job success
• stop eating and reading/computing at the same time (would I multi-task like that if my job is eating mindfully?  Noooooo.)

From Nutrisystem Updates to Mamavation Mondays

I missed my last Nutrisystem update.  My total loss for a month was 9lbs and I was feeling good even though I was more than a little worried about what would happen when I go back to meal prep on my own.  Combine the end of the Nutrisystem gravy train with the hub heading out of town for the second time in a month--for over a week each time.  I can usually get through the first few days of being a single parent before I realize how hard it is and beg the hub to come back pronto. 

Both of those currents running through my life led to The Weekend of Crappy Eating--which I've just now pulled my head out of (complete with crappy food hangover headache).  I'm back on my home-made plan with consists of me eyeballing the number of calories and grams of protein in the Nutrisystem servings and matching up regular ole supermarket equivalents.  I'm also stuffing the same amount of veggies and fruits down every day.  When I'm not feeling mentally drained from single parenting, this pseudo Nutrisystem works well.

Being on Nutrisystem helped me to realize the importance of portion control.  It was a useful month-long experiment.  I'm now pledging the Mamavation sistahood which is kind of like a sorority only cooler and without the annual dues.  So, to the Sistahood, I want in, ladies! I will support other Mamavation sistas on Twitter, on Mamavation TV and the network of sista blogs.  Because when I support you, I receive support as well--whether its a virtual pat on the back from a sista or whether its just getting inspired by the fabulousness of moms doing it for themselves.

At this point in my life (my early 40s and the heaviest I've ever been), I would love some cheer-leading.  I've dieted in secret for many years.  I don't know how secret it was--not like my size is a secret.  But to admit my problem to others was to admit my weakness so I wasn't hip to that groove.  In the meantime, because of work and family stress, I got bigger.  I'm ready to admit that I have a problem and that I want to do what it takes to solve it.

My big challenge is getting myself to be more active.  I know I need to do it but something in my brain is holding me back.  I need the sistas to talk me through this block.  I've taken the mini-van away from myself starting today when I rode the bike to work (and got rained on, mahalo sky!).  Everything I need is within walking/riding distance so I'm moving my body to get to work and to the store.

I have no idea how the Sistahood keeps track of weekly inch loss and/or weight loss so I hope any sista stopping by can tell me.  I also don't know the guidelines for eating and/or moving.  I do know I need a community in which I feel supported and can return that support to others.  I hope I've found it.

Nutrisystem Update #2

After 2 weeks and 2 days on Nutrisystem, I'm down over 6 lbs--and this after one off-plan day this week and in the face of "monthly womanhood".  Usually I'm a lot crankier during this time and unable to stay on any kind of eating plan.  While I feel hungrier than usual, I'm eating extra veggies (craving pickles--no, no pregger cravings) and drinking more water.

And I love not having to cook! The hub has been gone for the past week so dinners for the kids have been mostly sandwiches or Taco Bell.  Makes it easy for me to stay on plan with my food.  I think it will still be easy to eat Nutrisystem even when the hub is back tomorrow but its been nice to have the break from meal planning and prep.

So here's to the last two weeks of my accidental Nutrisystem experiment and to talking the hub into buying another month of it.  Cross your fingers and everything else for me!

Nutrisystem Breaking News!

Omigosh! I just tried the Nutrisystem Nutrichocolates.  They're a dessert item that are kind of like Hershey's kisses without all the bothersome foil.

They are so good!  Really good! Like not-on-a-diet good.  I'm going to have to write to Nutrisystem and ask them to add what's in the Nutrichocolates to the Fudge Brownies.  Yum and with 8g of protein even!

Nutrisystem Update #1

I've been on Nutrisystem for over a week now and I've lost over 3 lbs!  I feel good and I'm hardly ever hungry.  I love not having to think at length about what I'm going to eat.  I pick an entry for whatever meal is coming and group it with whatever veggie and/or fruit I have on hand.  My two dairy/protein stand-bys have been skim milk and lowfat cottage cheese.  The food is portable so I don't have to eat off-plan (I just take it with me) and I don't feel like I'm missing out at all.  As a result of the ease of this food plan, I spend more time on the things that make me happy (blogging is one!), I have plenty of energy and I don't feel put upon about having to move/exercise more.

Not all has been perfectly perfect. I *allowed* myself to eat off plan for my daughter's birthday.  Twice.  But with Nutrisystem it is easy to climb back on for the next meal.  Also, not all of the meals have been winners for me.  I like food with strong flavor and interesting texture.  As a result, I find myself enjoying most of the Italian entries.  On the other hand, because of the texture, I haven't liked the Asian dishes.  I also don't like the ones with chicken and gravy because the taste is canned-bland (my own term; my own rhyme).

As for the desserts, most everything has been treat-like except for the fudge brownie (which has me asking, "why, why?").  My kids zeroed in on the brownie when I opened it and were sorely disappointed at the taste.  To me it tasted like artificial sweetener.  But the other desserts don't.  Shrug.  For breakfast, I've been enjoying the scones although nowhere else in the free world would these things be called scones.  Still, they're fab with skim milk.  The snacks with a strong flavor have been good (nacho crisps, honey mustard pretzels).  Some of the others taste like soy.  I'm ok with the ups and downs of how the Nutrisystem food tastes.  Real life eating off-plan is often the same.  At least with Nutrisystem I don't have to worry about gaining when an entree or snack doesn't taste the way I'd like it to.  One last plus: everything is fortified with protein so I'm never feeling weak.

I'll continue to check in regarding my weight on Fridays.  (If you use your imagination, right now is the back end of Friday.)  I'm going to start recording my measurements on Mondays as a way to further inspire myself to keep it up.  One particular moment when I was proud of myself was when we ordered pizza for dinner.  I took out my Nutrisystem pizza and made it for me instead of eating Dominoes.  And my pizza was satisfying enough that I didn't even long for Dominoes.  Who am I?  Fah-reaky!

The Accidental NutriSystem Experiment

A few days ago, when I picked up the hub from work, he told me to drive by our old house.  He had to check if a box had arrived for him there.  Sure enough, after talking to the new people who lived there, he came out with a big box to put in the trunk.  I was like WTH?  He launched into the long story of credit card fraud (committed w/his CC by someone else) and monitoring his account only to find a big charge from NutriSystem. 

When he called them to explain what happened and get them to cancel the charge, the box of umpteen meals and snacks had already been sent.  They wouldn't accept returns even though he hadn't even ordered the stuff.  They told him it had already been delivered to our old address and that he could do what he wanted with the food.  Here is the big box after we plunked it down on the living room floor.

Inside the box we found three trays of Nutrisystem food: breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert items, plus a men's results kit. 

The hub shook his head, apparently speechless.
Both kids: "I wanna try some!"
Me: "Mama's got herself a diet!"

True confessions time: I'm a little pudgy.  Ok, a bit more than a little. But not a ton. But not a little.  I'd call it baby fat but my last baby is eight years old.  This pudge could be the baby of the baby fat though.  I've always wanted to try Nutrisystem or something like it--I like the no-brainer aspect of the food being sent to you.  On the other hand, I like to eat food I can afford and, when possible, food that is fresh.

Now, with a big box of Nutrisystem food in the spare room, I've been eating it for two days and I've lost a pound.  I'm never hungry and, while this stuff isn't cruise line food, its not half bad either.  Most of all, what I'm learning about is portion control.  Non-Nutrisystem portions of food are pretty dang big!  A common misnomer about Nutrisystem is that all you eat is the food that is mailed to you. Not true.  You add veggie (and sometimes fruit) portions as well as a dairy/protein portion to each meal.  This is good in that you eat more and, ultimately, feel more satisfied.  Its bad if you're counting on blowing your whole food budget on Nutrisystem food each month since you'll need to buy extra groceries to supplement with.

So, I'll be checking in and charting my Nutrisystem progress every Friday.  It would be great if I also used pics of myself to chart my progress but I've already had a student who has stalked my blog and then used my body pics in a power point for class.  Yes, that happened. Don't laugh.

In the meantime, I'm plotting as to how I can get another month of Nutrisystem food without dropping $300+ on it.  And without stealing my hub's credit card.  Which I did NOT do to get this month's shipment.

And soon I'll detail my what-I'll-do-to-exercise-when-all-of-my-other-exercise-plans-have-failed plan.

I'll just leave you with the exchange my 8 yr old and I had when I let her have a bite of my Nutrisystem fudge brownie dessert:

Her: Ugh, that tastes like magic marker!

Me: How do you know what magic marker tastes like?

Her: That tastes like what magic marker smells like.

Me (to myself): But at least its fudge magic marker . . .  

And, yes, I ate the whole fudge magic marker brownie.