Day 4 summary.

I had a fierce wine craving after dinner, so I got an iced coffee. I dined at Caputo's (who has a killer wine list, BTW) and Carlucci's is right next door with the fabulous iced coffee cubes. I felt proud that I only drank 1/2 of it, which seemed to satisfy. That's what I have been doing lately and found that I'm either afraid of or don't need 16 oz at a time. I was probably afraid because I don't want the anxiety too much cafe gives me.

I love you and you are one of my favorite people, Tony Caputo, but I did get another puffy stomach tonight. It's not your fault, your food is the best! I will say this about Tony's new dinner project Tipica which is open at night Wednesdays through Saturdays, they have their portions just right. My risotto was about 1 cup (which I ate 1/2) and the salmon was about 4 oz. Most American restaurant meals have 3 times the amount than european cafes. If this happens to you, be smart and eat 1/2 or less of that meal and save the rest for later.

It could be that I was underestimating my stomach during dinner. However I felt back to normal after 30 minutes and peed a lot, so maybe the liquids I drank had an impact. I also ate before 7 again, 5:30 this time and I am not hungry now at 9:12 pm. Just before and at dinner I had a lot of water, (which is actually a good diet aid to feel fuller faster) and a Teechino. I had the navel orange and olive tapenade salad, (a must have at Caputo's Tipica) which I scarfed too quickly so I had to wait a little longer for my scrumptious sockeye salmon over carrot risotto to come out, which was also almost swallowed whole. If I just had the salmon alone, I would have felt better both physically and mentally. I think there was some cream in the risotto, and I wasn't being a good little sleuth, even though my server said it was the leanest dish on the menu. Yeah, I've got to ask my server more questions in the future. I know better, to be lean, I need to skip anything 'cream' or 'creamy sauce'. I went vegan for lent three years ago with a friend (even though both of us aren't religious) and I lost 10 pounds in two weeks! Before that, I only ate fish veggies, so I thought going vegan would be easy, but I was used to eating too much dairy apparently. When I ate out during lent I had to be a non-dairy and non-meat Nazi. Sure, a few waiters wanted to kill me, but I compensated with more-than generous tips. I remember having to send a server back six times at Dodo. I'm just happy that "Smobergirl's Head" is not served on their menu.

Here are some other sneaky restaurant terms to avoid for your health:

"Golden" or "Crispy"- FRIED

"Au Gratin"- Drowning in melted cheese

"shoestring"- Fried

"Duck"- For a bird, the duckies have a lot of fatties

"Marbling"- Animal fat, usually beef or pork

"Bisque"- Cream soup

I know better, and it is hard not to take out my withdrawal emotions out on food. This blog is also about me experimenting on the food-mood-body connection, and I shouldn't be here telling you, "Oh I caved and ate three pounds of bacon, felt shitty afterwards, got bloated from all the salt and nitrates, and my eyes were dark and puffy the next morning." ;) You may be thinking, how do I expect to quit my vices and eat like a rabbit and not go crazy? That's what the coffee initially is for now. And I have been eating non-dairy sweets in small portions. Maybe I can save dessert for dinner. If I had the orange-olive salad and a piece of grilled salmon, then a scoop of sorbet with berries or a frozen soy desert or a 1/4 of a vegan brownie, I probably would have been emotionally and physically satisfied. I was 20 pounds lighter this time last year, and I did eat a lot. My secret was eating a lot of fiber and water-based whole food (fruits and veg), raw or 'naked' fish, and vegan fake meats. But I ate smaller portions about every 3 hours. I even ate bread! I'll say it again, the goal is to find a healthy and satisfying lifestyle; being happy, looking great, and not feeling that something is missing. I am on the hunt to find this for all of us. I've only been through four days, and I did go through a couple of road bumps. Overall though, I ain't doing too shabby I think.

Workout:

30 sit-ups in bed this morning

20 minutes power yoga

20 minutes of Total Body Sculpt With Gilad

Walking up The Gateway escalators for 10 minutes.

30 minute easy stroll downtown.

Thank you for still reading and supporting my journey, and I hope I have influenced you in the last 1/2 week.

Love,

Smobergirl

4 days smober