Going shopping

I was equal parts looking forward to and dreading week two - grocery shopping. During this session the therapist and I toured the local Schnucks to look at the tons of products that fit a low-fat model of eating, and to talk about some pitfalls (read: peanut butter!). The dread came only from the idea of onlookers and passersby. Ridiculous really - I am not the sort of person to care much what others think - but I felt particularly self conscious.

It was a really helpful exercise and I learned a bunch of things that I was able to implement immediately. That said, as I was walking to my car this 60-something year old woman stopped me to say that she overheard much of the conversation I had been having in the store and she was glad I was taking positive steps to improve my life. I mean, I know she was not being malicious, but really? I said something unintelligible but kind sounding and rushed off to my car. What I wanted to say was "do you need help loading that carton of cigarettes into your trunk?

Here is a somewhat crude listing of the tips I picked up on this trip:

• Boars Head lunch meats – lower fat – including roast beef, turkey and ham. Great way to add protein to breakfast.
• Wedge cheese – many flavors. Laughing Cow and Sonoma Jack.
• Hummus – traditional vs. black bean hummus – Black bean is much better (1.5g v 5g!)!
• Salsa is much better than guacamole as a dip, but guacamole is a great spread.
• Pretzel thins - great harm reduction food (10g of fat in the entire bag – still 700 calories) – Bang for the buck!
• Laughing cow – french onion, queso, blue cheese, etc .
• (2 servings of pretzels and 2 wedges of cheese – 6g of fat 300 calorie snack)
• Fat free Feta, low-fat feta. Baybel
• USE A FINE GRATER TO GRATE CHEESE
• Buy the smallest fruit available. 90 calories is regular banana, 130 in larger
• Use fillers – peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.
• COLORS MATTER. Each of them has their own antioxidants and biochemical. Eat across the color spectrum
• Veggie turkey, boca burgers, etc.
• Seafood – white fish or salmon. Start with Tilapia.
• PB2 peanut butter – try it? – dehydrated and added butter. 1tbls is 1.5 g of fat; very low calories – also make it in chocolate.
• Bagels – mini bagels are the size regular bagels in the past. The minis come in pretzel, too!
• Bread – Sara Lee 45 calorie, though the bread we buy is fine. Avg. bread is 100 calories per slice.
• Hormel 98% fat free chili (over a baked potato)
• Tuna creations (little bit of a light mayo)
• Dressings: Kraft light dressings & Hendricks
• Prepared frozen? Fish
• Side –make without oil and butter. Tastes just as good
• Use lots of spice packets – gillers, crockpots, etc. Use the oil as directed, tenderizes the meat
• Tacos – anything is fine in moderation. Tortillas – buy the smaller!
• Chef Boyardee – 98% fat free
• Boboli pizza crusts – pepperoni – turkey! Not refrigerated.
• Soups, clearer the better.
• Lunch = 10-15g of fat
• Beans – will not bother you if you rinse them first. Black beans, kidney beans.
• Kansas city steak seasoning
• Low-fat baking: 2 egg whites = one egg (there is 5 grams of fat in each egg yolk, so you really get a savings); use applesauce instead of oil; with chocolate and spice cake – use one can of Libby’s pumpkin and a half of cup of water and back as directed. Make cupcakes, freeze them, warm in the microwave.
• Cereal – need fiber, sugar not the first ingredient, Try Fiber One raisan; Special K; more than 20 carbs is bad. Great grains – even if there is a lot of fat there is a trade-off because of the great nutrition
• Bars: oats & chocolate; Oats and peanut butter. You won’t really overeat them. If you do over do it, switch Fiber-one bar and then an apple, over and over. Chocolate brownie Fiber one and a piece of fruit is a great snack.
• Syrup – light, but compare.
• Buy 100 calorie pack, pringles experiment
• Buy smart mix of small chip bags for kids. Baked Cheetos, etc.
• Crackers – Special K wheat crackers. Laughing cow cheese and that is a great snack
• Use a Luna bar to determine if a bar is a candy bar or a protein bar. Start with Luna bars!
• Buy candy at the register. Eat it and be done with it. Peppermint patties, three musketeer bars, better options.
• Popcorn – 100 calorie pack. Better off buying smart pop, adding butter at home. Parmesan cheese.
• Nuts – non-salted, small packs.
• Ice cream – single serving slow churned, or slow churned; skinny cow ice cream bars – chocolate drizzle;
• WATCH FOR THINGS THAT SAY NO TRANS FAT - they are hiding something.
• Frozen fruit
• The redder the meat the lower the fat – get LOINS, stay away from chucks – loins and rounds: a lot less fat
• Breakfast sandwiches – Jimmy Dean Delights. 
• Spicy black bean burgers – morning star
• Frozen french fries are not as bad as you think.
• Lean Cuisine – paninis; bbq chicken pizza; marghetrita pizza
• Lloyds – on pizza? With smashed black beans; people rave about all of them.
• Dairy – yogurt, they make smaller sizes than the ones I wanted.
• Ultra thin cheese slices – one slice is okay, such low fat; 2% cheese is a great option
• Fat free cheese does not melt well, but low fat does. Fat free is great in salads.
• Pudding snack pack
• Sleep better it you have a little carbohydrate before better
• Butter – smart balance light.
• Spray butter is great for baked potatoes.
• Egg whites, egg beaters.

If I forget, someone remind me to tell you the 3 stories: the one about poison ivy, the one about arm-wrestling, and the one about Pringles.

Summary of the first week: met goals, felt good, felt satisfied

Weight loss: 4 lbs