Comfort Foods - 02.08.08 - D18P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 166.4
Today - 166.0
0.4 lb LOSS Overnight
9.4 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
18.4 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
84.8 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I am going to discuss in detail what I ate yesterday further below, but for the interest of continuity, I am going to post it here as well. Cottage Cheese and Strawberries with Cinnamon for breakfast, lunch was Green Beans, Tomato Sauces, Ground Beef and a bit of Molly McButter Cheese Flavoring, half a grapefruit for midafternoon snack, for dinner I had some Broccoli with a bit of Molly McButter and more Cottage Cheese and Strawberries.

A total of around 493 calories divided this way: 10 Fat, 54 Carbs, 51 Protein

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Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Thanks goes to Kat Lee for filling out the FAQ yesterday! I will leave this up until Monday! This time we are going to focus in on Phase 3 - Please help out if you can!

Phase 3 - The Stabilizing Period

An Experiment in Green Beans

SCORE! I can have my green beans, so you know what I am having for lunch again today doncha???

You know? Seriously, I could probably be losing better, but I am having fun testing the limits. And I know you all appreciate someone ELSE doing the testing! ROFL

Here are the numbers for those keeping track:

Day 17 (Complete) - Round 4 = 9.98% Body Weight Loss
Day 17 (Complete) - Round 3 = 8.49% Body Weight Loss
Day 17 (Complete) - Round 2 = 7.28% Body Weight Loss
Day 17 (Complete) - Round 1 = 6.94% Body Weight Loss

The gap is closing!

Comfort Foods

We all know about comfort foods. We all have that little something we have that brings back warm and fuzzy memories. It's your little security blanket, something that makes you feel all toasty - usually it's something hot, savory, or creamy, seldom is it sweet. Isn't that interesting.

Anyhoo, it usually brings back pleasant memories of early childhood - something we generally turn to when we need that familiar sense of well being and security.

Interesting in doing some research that comfort foods seem to be regional in nature. In the southeast, casseroles seem to dominate the list, where as in the northeast Pizza and Hoagies take that place. People in the southwest seem to prefer enchiladas or burritos, and then up in the northwest people seem to prefer some sort of potato something. Midwesterners often focus on the hearty stews.

Wherever we may live, we have something that if eaten makes us feel better.

Nothing wrong with comfort foods. Usually comfort foods are reminiscent of a time when care was taken to the cooking of something. Generally, fresh and natural ingredients were used - instead of the processed garbage that infiltrates our life now. They were actually quite healthy.

My mother used to make Portuguese Bean Soup when I was growing up. This soup literally had everything but the kitchen sink in it. I remember her spending hours on this soup, first with the Ham Hock, then with the careful adding of veggies and beans and finally the noodles at the end. It wasn't something she just opened a can and put it in a bowl and served. You knew she spent time on it, you felt it when you ate it. I miss that.

What Is Your Comfort Food?

Yesterday, in the interest of 'research' I decided to try one of my comfort foods. Green beans. My mom used to open the can of green beans, pour it in a bowl and she said this would be a snack for me. To this day I love eating them out of a can. Back in my early 20's, when I was married the first time, there was a period of time were money wasn't plentiful and green beans were a staple in my home. I would mix green beans, hamburger (back when hamburger was CHEAP) and tomato sauce and Viola! I had a savory meal.

I did that yesterday for lunch, and I have to tell you it was nummy. It brought back memories of no pressure - no cell phones, no internet, no HDTV, no blue tooth, no webcams, no dvd's, no gas guzzlin SUV's, no PDA's, no iPods - today we live in a constant state of going, going, going, it's no wonder so many people turn to food for security. Are we truly searching for a quieter, more peaceful time? Research shows that the country as a whole turned to comfort foods after 9/11 - this in itself shows you the power of comfort foods.

I have several comfort foods. Meatloaf, Mashed Potatos and Green Beans is one. My mothers Portuguese Bean Soup another. My sister makes this dish called Pork and Beans and Rice. My mom also makes this macaroni, potato, cabbage salad that is to die for.

What is YOUR comfort food?

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Monica - I sure hear ya. If you only have one or two rounds, then why mess with a proven thing? But those of us with multiple rounds, and HUNDREDS of pounds to lose? Well, I'm just saying. ROFL

Shelly - Have you tried the NO SALT tomatoes? If I do just the regular diced tomatoes with all that salt it will stall me something fierce. Yeah, the noodles weren't all that.

Lili - the texture isn't there. It really isn't. But I am not a "pasta" person either, I can take it or leave it no problem. Now I do enjoy LeMein and stuff like that so maybe that is what I need to delve into ... hmmmmm.

Mary - HA! Yeah, you were one of the old timers weren't you? LOL - that was a time eh?

Crystal - I am glad I could provide some entertainment! LOL - stay true to the protocol and it will stay true to you!

Ed & Jenn - And doncha know, I wanted 165something this morning and I only got 166even! ROFL - what do I want out of life? At least I got a loss!!!

Wendy - OMG! I totally forgot that the "Sunshine and Rainbows" came from that! How utterly forgetful I am! HA! How could I possibly forget my namesake??? LOL - Anyhoo, I see you peaked in on a new forum??? I like totally went BALLISTIC!!! You will have fun there my partner in crime!

Liz - congrats on the start! WTG - yeah, the loading can freak you out a bit, but it's an important part of the process, and it will be a good thing for you to load properly! Keep a running journal of your progress ok? Have you considered starting a blog? The more the merrier!

EweWho - HA! Who loves you baby???

Tracey - OMG! It's about stinking time! I will mosey on to your blog later on this morning! I can't wait to see an update!

Miz Biz Whiz