Let's review

I haven't checked the BMI since January when it was 39.9.

Now, it's 37.

Obese
You are above the BMI range of 20-25 considered to be healthy for your height and weight. Losing weight may reduce your risk of health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. It may also help your overall health, well-being, and improve your energy level. Get the motivation and information you’ll need to achieve a healthier BMI with Weight Watchers.

Obese is such an ugly word. Let's get away from it!

What is a healthy weight for me? According to WW:

Your weight range is 139 to 174 pounds.

There's so much work to be done. But it's not impossible. There's a guy at my meeting that celebrated losing 115 pounds last week. And another lady lost 122 pounds...in 80 weeks. Remarkable! Inspirational! I'm thankful for those two.

Oh crap.

What's next for airlines, paying by the pound?

By Christopher ElliottTribune Media Services

Now that Spirit Airlines has done the unthinkable, announcing plans to begin charging for carry-on bags this summer — that's right, carry-on bags — the question everyone seems to be asking is: What's next?

Pay toilets? Too late. Ryanair, the irreverent Irish discount carrier, is reportedly considering the concept. No, the next big idea could be paying by the pound. Seriously.

Airlines have always had a strained relationship with passengers of size, at least the ones in economy class. Fitting into a 17-inch wide seat is a squeeze for the average American, and it's becoming even more of one as the population expands. A Gallup poll found that the average American weighed 13 more pounds in 2007 than in 1990.

Solutions have ranged from Southwest's policy of asking XL passengers to buy a second seat, to the Canadian government's "one person, one fare" rule, which gives disabled and obese passengers a free extra seat on domestic flights. But in the current climate of relatively high fuel prices and an anything-goes attitude toward fees, would anyone be surprised if airlines began charging overweight passengers in the same way that the post office makes you pay more for a heavier parcel?

Making heavy passengers pay more, presumably for a second seat, could help air travelers such as Cricket Moore, who recently had the misfortune of sitting next to an oversize passenger on a flight from Phoenix to Tampa.

"I was pushed against the armrest with my back twisted to avoid contact with my huge seatmate," remembered Moore, a retired civil servant who lives in Falls Church. "I then spent over an hour standing in the galley with the stewards, even when the seatbelt light was on. The worst part was being made to feel as if it was my fault."

Then again, her flight was on Southwest Airlines, which should have charged the jumbo passenger for an extra seat, in accordance with its longstanding policy. When Moore brought the uncomfortable seating arrangements to the airline's attention, it sent her an apology and a voucher for a future flight.

I'm hardly the first person to suggest that airlines might someday charge us by the pound. Two years ago, when fuel prices peaked and air carriers instituted new luggage fees, even the airlines admitted that nothing was beyond their imagination when it came to getting more money out of passengers and saving fuel. One of the earliest mentions of an airline weighing passengers dates back to 1985, when the German carrier Lufthansa asked its customers to step on the scales before boarding. But it did so only to get up-to-date numbers on the average weight of the flying public, and the carrier didn't charge more based on passengers' weight.

Last year, Japan's All Nippon Airways asked passengers on certain flights to use the restroom before boarding, because that could lighten the plane's load and save fuel, which would be good for the environment. And the airline's bottom line.

Exactly how an airline might charge passengers by the pound is something of a mystery. Would every passenger get weighed, with anyone over, say, 200 pounds being assessed a surcharge, like the one on overweight luggage?

Would your fare be based on your self-reported weight? Would lighter passengers receive a discount?

There's another solution to the problem of heavy planes, which is to make the planes themselves lighter. The newest aircraft, such as Boeing's 787, use composite materials that make the plane up to 20 percent more fuel-efficient than today's aluminum planes. The lighter plastics used inside the aircraft can also be molded to offer more width for wide-body fliers.

Knowing the airline industry as I do, I bet they'll go for the upgraded planes and the pay-by-the-pound scheme.

As someone who came of age before airline deregulation, I'm troubled that we're even having this discussion. I wonder what legendary airline industry figures like Juan Trippe, the founder of Pan American World Airways, and Eddie Rickenbacker of Eastern Air Lines would think of this if they were still around. They'd probably be horrified.

We know that when it comes to carry-on fees, it'll be a bumpy ride.

Last week, five U.S. senators weighed in on the issue by introducing the Block Airlines' Gratuitous Fees (BAG Fees) Act of 2010, which tries to remove some of the incentive to charge the fees by eliminating an airline tax exemption on luggage surcharges. If an airline such as Spirit decides to put its passengers on the scales, it should expect a similar reaction.

Airline passengers often joke that they're treated like cargo, but this is one of those times when the rhetoric could someday match reality.

If it does, the joke will be on us.

Week 12 Weigh In

Last week's weight: 258.2
This week's weight: 254.8
Difference: -3.4
Total weight loss: -23

Happy.

We talked about forming new habits at the WW meeting today. It was motivational. The leader (Lisa) just returned from a weekend in Savannah, where she didn't gain an ounce. How? Just by sticking with her previously formed habits:

• Never be without a bottle of water.
• Walk EVERYWHERE.
• Only eat those foods that you can't get at home.
• Grab fruit from the breakfast buffet to keep you filled all day.

Smart ideas. Maybe I should try those things on the next vacation and avoid the gain!

The Next Food Network Star

So, America's Next Top Idol Chef is starting it's sixth season on The Food Network on June 6 at 8p. I've never watched the show. Generally, I limit myself to one "chef" type reality show a season and that's Top Chef or TC-Masters. Duh. (Mmm...Voltaggio.)

However, I guess I'm going to have to start watching because the xbf is a contestant this season.

I am, of course, torn.

I want him to be happy and healthy and blah blah blah...all the nice things that you're supposed to say to/about an ex with whom you were totally in love. And I do want those things. For him. Sort of.

You see, dear reader, he is already clearly happy and in love on FB with a girl who is cute and successful and probably smart and funny. I haven't met her, obvs. (It would be really great if she was a little crazy. Or a sociopath. But she's probably not.) And it's much easier to stomach that blissfulness if he's waiting tables in Wisconsin.

But if you add rich & famous to the happy and in love mix...well, selfishly, that's just a lot for a girl to bear.

America's probably going to love him. Why wouldn't they? I did. And this is pretty much exactly what a dream job would be for him: cooking and teaching and performing all wrapped up into one well-paying gig. You really couldn't handcraft a more fitting situation.

My friends have decided that we need to watch. Together. With a drinking game. Take a drink any time the following happens:

• He uses a french accent.
• He uses a Family Guy/Simpsons reference or imitation.
• He uses a Napoleon Dynamite reference.
• He pulls out the southside of Chicago accent.
• He makes a funny/distorted face.
• He assists another chef in whatever they're doing. Two shots if its a girl.
• Flirts with Giada. Two shots if he flirts with Bobby Flay.
• PrettyChicagoSailor goes to the bathroom for an extended amount of time

So, best of luck, Chef XBF. We'll be rooting for (and drinking with) you.

Veuve Clicquot Champagne Dinner

Last night was the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Dinner at the Chicago Yacht Club. VC is a new sponsor of the club and, more importantly, of the Race to Mackinac. They hosted this dinner and flew in Pierre Casenave, oenologue (that's fancy-talk for "winemaker") from France and Geraud Leclercq from NYC. Pierre gave me the wine bucket above, which he autographed. He also gave me the two-cheek kiss au revoir. Which I love.

The first course was Duck Liver Mousse on Croutons, paired with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. This champagne makes up approximately 95% of VC's annual sales.

Second course: Poached Shrimp Sushi Rolls with Microgreens and Wasabi Caviar, paired with Veuve Clicquot Rose.

Third course: Grilled Halibut and Lemon Jelly, paired with Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002.

Fourth course: Organic Lamb Chop, Rosemary au Jus and Micro Veg, paired with Veuve Clicquot Rare Vintage 1988. This wine was the undisputed champion of the night. It even got a little raised-arm cheer from a guy who I think actually was 88 years old. "Micro Veg" included carrots, potatoes and fiddleheads.

Final course: Creme Brulee and Fresh Berries, paired with Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec. This wine was decanted, which I had never seen done with a sparkling wine. Sweet and delicious.

I calculated 44.5 points for the whole evening...but I probably underestimated the wine...of which there was A LOT.

Thomas' Bagel Thins

So, I found a new product that might just change your life. Thomas' Bagel Thins.

OMG you guys.

110 calories. ONE POINT.

asdfkjadklfjalsdkfja;sdfkjasf!!!

I got the Everything Bagel Thin this weekend. It's pretty much a regular bagel, with 1/3 of the inside cut out. I found it to be satisfying and delicious. AND ONE POINT.

Srsly. Bagel thin + low-fat cream cheese. That's 3 points for breakfast.

Can't get that at Panera.

Goals! Fresh new goals!

Goal #1: Finish dropping the vacation weight.

Status: Between Mexico and BVI, I gained 8.6. So far, I've lost 6.0 of that. Just 2.6 to go.

Deadline: April 27, 2010

Goal #2: Hit 250. This is 10% of my start weight.

Status: 8.6 pounds away.

Deadline: May 18, 2010. 8.6 pounds in 4 weeks.

Goal #3: Hit 235. This is 15% of my start weight.

Status: 15 pounds after 250.

Deadline: June 29 (or the meeting before NYC). 15 pounds in 6 weeks.

Meh. Goals are exciting. But really? They are reminders of how much work there is to be done.

Week 11 Weigh In

Last week's weight: 260.2
This week's weight: 258.2
Difference: -2.0
Total weight loss: -19.6

The picture's nice, right? I don't look half-asleep or pissed off, do I? Oh. Wait. Yes, I look both. Also, it looks like I slept in that skirt. Which may have happened. (Don't worry. I wore something else to work today. Something less...homeless chic.)

Weirdly, I thought this week was going to be a disaster. Maybe it was the Ethiopian guess-the-points dinner or the pre-game party on Saturday night, featuring brie triple-cream and malted milkballs...which lingered until last night, but I really thought I would be up rather than down. Whew.

Just you watch. I'll be SUPER diligent this week and come away with a .6 loss next Tuesday.

Ripe Organics

Not long ago, I was lounging on a yacht in the British Virgin Islands chatting about organic fruits and vegetables and CSAs and discussing how lovely it would be to have fresh fruits and veg from local farmers delivered regularly right to my door.

Immediately upon arrival home, I opened my InBox to discover that the DADO that day was forRipe Organics. While I'm not sure it's technically a CSA, it is a good first step.

For $26, they deliver a small box (Great for a single cook or a couple who cooks about twice a week. The perfect box to start with if you’re not sure how much produce you will use.) right to your door, weekly or bi-weekly. Up to you!

So, I ordered my first box and it was delivered yesterday. Here's what was inside:

Veggie

Lettuce (bibb maybe? I could make wraps out of it. That kind.)

Carrots (a bunch. They smell like dirt. The good kind, not the gross kind.)

Cucumber

Green beans

Fruit

Avocado

Oranges

Apples

Pears

Grapefruit

Here's "how it works:"

Each week we track down the best available certified organic fruits and veggies and put together a delicious menu for you.

You choose the box size that best fits your needs. Then decide if you want fresh produce delivered weekly or every other week. There is no commitment, you can pause or cancel your order at anytime.

If there are certain fruits or veggies that you don’t prefer, no problem! When you sign up you can list up to three permanent substitutions and you will never see those items in your order. Any substitutions you request will be replaced by items of equal value.

Throughout the Midwest growing season we do our best to provide our customers with as much local, certified organic produce as we can get our hands on. However, in order to provide variety and sustain us through Chicago’s harsh winters we reach out to organic farms in other regions as well.

At Ripe green is our favorite color. We reuse and recycle as much of our packing material as possible and need your help to do so. Before your next delivery place your box and packing material outside and we will pick it up when we drop off your next order.

Sign up and start receiving fresh organic produce Ripe to Your Door!

I like the idea of this. I like the reality of the pretty fruit too.

Also I can now report that the oranges are delicious. Please feast your eyes on the one I ate:

Red Kiva

Tonight is Chef's Table hosted by The Local Tourist.

Basically, it's a chance to check out a new restaurant/bar and have the Chef tell you what's what and why they are cool.

Tonight we visit Red Kiva, which is more about alcohol than food. In fact, their special is a "vaportini." What's a vaportini, you ask?

"The VaporTini consists of flavor-enhanced alcohol vapors served in a glass globe that you inhale by "sipping" through a straw. The glass globe with custom-made silver metal base has a 70s mod, futuristic feel which appropriately fits the VaporTini - the future of cocktailing. Red Kiva's mixologists will pour the selected alcohol into the glass globe, then heat the liquid to 110 degrees, beginning the vapor process. A glass straw is inserted into the globe and participants "sip" (inhale) the vapors."

I guess the question is this: how many points are in vapors?

ANSWER: NO POINTS! NO CALORIES! NO CARBS! It's a miracle.

Tonight is our (semi-) monthly Winter Friends Dinner, wherein sailing friends get together in the winter to have dinner, discussion, frivolity. Generally these dinners take place at ethnic, BYOB joints.

Tonight is Ethiopian food at Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant.

Clearly, grilled chicken and veggies isn't a viable option. I checked out WW to see what their experts had to say about Ethiopian food. Their article follows.

My resolution is to use my 35 flex points and avoid the clarified butter.

***********************************************************************************************************************

Eat-iopia

The ritual of an Ethiopian meal encourages you to think about the joy of eating, allowing you to focus on tastes, smells, and companionship.

Imagine tonight’s dinner: you’re sitting on a low divan around an hourglass-shaped table. Beside you, your friends sit on fur-covered stools. A waitress enters, carrying a long-spouted copper pitcher and a copper basin. She pours warm water over each of your right hands, offering you a warm towel to dry them. She takes the table out of the room, and when she returns, it is covered with a huge, flat piece of bread.

Rich, savoury stews are brought to the table in enamel bowls and scooped over it. You rip off a piece of the bread, roll it around a spoonful of stew and pop it into your mouth. After dinner comes dark coffee&8212after coffee comes another round of hand washing. All followed by the burning of incense.

Sound exotic? Decadent? Fun? This is Ethiopian tradition—and an ideal way for diet-savvy people to eat too.

So much of living healthily is about learning how to understood food as pleasure, not just as a way to satisfy (or over-satisfy) hunger. The ritual of an Ethiopian meal encourages you to think about the joy of eating, allowing you to focus on tastes, smells and companionship. Carefully preparing each morsel encourages you to eat slowly. You also share food, instead of gobbling down your personal plate.

Stop, Scoop and Roll
Did we mention it’s delicious? Most Ethiopian dishes are rich, filling and spicy (a bonus for plan-followers, since spices add 0 POINTS® values). Typically, the main dishes are called wat—thick, hearty stews made from meat and vegetables. Wat is served on top of a flatbread called injera. Another standard dish is called Tib, in which meats and vegetables are sautéed or grilled.

These days, the combination of exotic flavours (cumin, basil, coriander, ginger, saffron, mustard, cardamom, chili) plus the abundance of fresh veggies and lean meats has started a Ethiopian craze in North America, especially in urban areas. Toronto boasts one of the largest followings. The owner of the restaurant Ethiopian House, Mohammed Haddis claims, “Next to Washington D.C., I believe we have the largest Ethiopian population. Ever since my restaurant opened in 1996, business has kept getting better.”

Weight-Loss Dip Tips
If you’re interested in trying out Ethiopian, though, consider sticking to few tricks that can help you stay on your weight-loss track. As always, you must consider portion control, especially in restaurants. Since the food is served communally, you may be dipping your bread and eating away, never realising how much you have consumed. Instead, split a smaller, reasonable amount (a few tablespoons) of each stew into a small, separate mound on the bread that you designate as “yours.” If you’re really nervous about overeating, ask for your own plate.

The other danger is hidden fat. Many Ethiopian dishes contain a clarified butter called niter kibbeh, infused with garlic, ginger, cinnamon and other spices. It packs a lot of calories, as does the vegetable oil that’s often used. But there are still plenty of low-fat options. For example, due to the Muslim and Orthodox Christian populations of the country (which require their followers to fast and abstain for meat) Ethiopia has a tradition of incredibly varied meat-free dishes. “Order a legume, green bean, kale or chickpea stew,” Haddis suggests. “These are cooked with only a little bit of oil.”

Injera bread, too, is very safe and healthy. Injera is made from a tiny, ancient grain called teff that is unique to Ethiopia. One cup of cooked teff contains 387 milligrams of calcium and 15 milligrams of iron. Restaurants will both serve your dishes on injera and bring some on the side for scooping. Make sure you watch your portions here—rip off one piece at the start of your meal that is “yours” and stick with that.

Alternatively, if you’re really into Ethiopian food and want to avoid any and all pitfalls, make it yourself. (Try buying the bread ready-made from health food stores.) Use these recipes as a side dish with a lean chicken breast, or as a regular main dish with injera (or pita, if that’s easier).

Week 10 Weigh in

Last week's weight: 264.2
This week's weight: 260.2
Difference: -4.0
Total weight loss: -17.6

Now we're headed in the right direction. Four pounds is almost half of the vacation carnage. Hopefully, by this time next week, I'll be back to pre-vacay weight and can proceed as previously planned.

(I celebrated with cupcakes.)

Today's meeting lecture was on self monitoring. Which was good for me because since I've been back from vacation, I've had very little motivation to keep track of points, activity or anything related thereto. My opinion is (and apparently there are statistics available to back this up) that when I keep track of my food intake, I'm more likely to lose weight. So, it's time to be vigilant again.

I am resolved to focus on self monitoring.

And also not to use up all of my 35 flex points by Tuesday at 3p.

When superheroes let themselves go...

Reentry into the real world

I'm not at all excited to resume watching what I eat.

I like ordering conch fritters. And painkillers. And cheese. And burritos.

I need some motivation.

I need some goals.

I need to get out of "island mode" and back into Chicago mode.

Binge Eating = Most Common Eating Disorder

USA Today has an interesting article on binge eating.

Treating binge eating need not be extensive or expensive

WARNING SIGNS The American Psychiatric Association has proposed that binge-eating disorder be recognized as a mental disorder. Some criteria: • Eating an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. • Bingeing at least once a week for three months; feeling a lack of control during episodes. • Three or more of the following: eating more rapidly than normal; eating until feeling uncomfortably full; eating large amounts of food when not hungry; eating alone because of being embarrassed about the amount; feeling disgusted, depressed or guilty.

A new study offers hope for binge eaters — people who frequently eat an unusually large amount of food in a short amount of time and feel their eating is out of control.

Research shows binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the country, afflicting millions.

"Some people are very distressed by their bingeing cycles and don't realize it's a treatable condition," says Lynn DeBar, one of the study's authors and a psychologist for Kaiser Permanente.

Researchers recruited 123 people, most of them women, average age 37, and all covered by a Kaiser Permanente health plan. They had at least one binge-eating episode a week. Half of the participants were given some basic healthy eating guidance information and alerted to the relevant health plan services.

The other half attended eight therapy sessions in which counselors taught them strategies outlined in Overcoming Binge Eating, a book that offers a six-step self-help program. Findings in April's Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology:

•After three months, 63.5% of those who received the therapy and the book had stopped bingeing, compared with 28% of the other group.

•At the end of a year, 64% of book-and-therapy patients had stopped bingeing vs. 45% of the others.

"Many binge eaters have given up hope that they could control their eating," says the study's lead author, Ruth Striegel-Moore, a professor of psychology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. "They often think they have to go through extensive and expensive treatment, but for many, this plan is a simple, cost-effective first step."

People with binge-eating disorder are much more likely to be overweight and obese, and there is a high level of depression among them, DeBar says. They struggle with their weight, restrict food and then binge.

Striegel-Moore adds, "The entire act of eating feels forbidden and embarrassing, especially if they are out in public."

DeBar suggests binge eaters:

•Eat small meals every three to four hours to control hunger.

•Track food intake to help make better choices.

•Be aware of circumstances, including anxious and stressful times, that lead to binges.

•Find other activities (such as walking, gardening or talking to a friend) during times they are likely to binge.

Week 9 Weigh In

Last week's weight: 257.4
This week's weight: 264.2
Difference: +6.8
Total weight loss: -13.6

The aftermath of a week-plus in the British Virgin Islands...where conch fritters appear for every meal, happy hour (cheese!) happens twice a day and all of the drinks have coconut milk and fruit juice.

Time to start over with WW.

At least I'm tan.