Hey, I got a compliment too!

It's been said that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. I wouldn't say I'm skinny just yet but I am noticing changes in my body and apparently other may be too. I spent most of the afternoon with a friend and colleague. I told him about my Diet To Go adventures and he admitted that he could see some changes since the last time we'd seen each other. My wife has commented too. It feels good to know you're on the right path and that small pat on the head can be just enough to keep you going when you may feel like cheating.

The food the last couple of days has been pretty good. I was able to combine two lunches to make one that I enjoyed very much. I must have missed a couple of meals being sick so I had a leftover Turkey burger on Multi grain roll plus the Mirkin burger. I ate the Mirkin burger (basically a bunch of grains held together by a moist stuffing) and pitched the roll. I heated the Turkey burger and MG bun, added the cheese, salsa cup and ate that too. I wasn't crazy about the sesame noodle thing but the melon medly was just right. The Italian Chicken and cous cous with green beans was really good. It included a large flat of focaccia bread; I cut it in half. I was surprised again by breakfast as the Omelet Pomodoro was very tastly. I eggs once warmed were moist and fluffy and the spinich and cheese sauce was creamy and delicious. Totally great with the morning Star Bucks. I brought my lunch to a friends house so I didn't get to prepare it the way I would like to have. I just microwaved the Meatloaf sub insyead of using the toaster oven. Hosed down with BBQ sauce; it was good. The creamy corn and peas salad didn't do it for me but the strawberries were sweet and delicious. I love the way DTG does Mexican and the burrito is no different. Creamy refried beans, spicy rice and fajita veggies with a large stuffed buritto. It came complete with a dollup of sour cream and a nice pico de gallo. Really love the carb dishes!!!

According to my new scale I’ve lost a total of 13 pounds. Not too bad for a month, right? As I start my fifth week, my box arrived again pretty well crushed. None of the food was totally thawed or damaged but the carton was broken and a bit unsettling to look at. It’s precious cargo after all. I feel if the packaging department would put a single sheet of cardboard on top of the insulated chest before strapping on the box of food extras the chest would remain intact. Just a thought.


Breakfast was better than I expected as I’ve mentioned, eggs rarely come out very good once they’ve been frozen but the omelet and a half was moist, not rubbery and delightfully seasoned with a ratatouille sauce and a few small spears of asparagus. Lunch was even better with my new toaster oven. I put the Turkey Ham Salad sandwich open faced under the broiler for a few minutes and the Pretzel Roll crisped right up. I put the small cup of Lentil chili right on the sandwich and hit it with a couple of shots of hot sauce. I don’t know whether I was really hungry but the combination of flavors was irresistible. I saved the little package of string cheese for an afternoon snack. When I got home I quickly unpacked my food shipment and took out a few meals for later in the week. Tonight’s entrée of baked salmon with stuffed baked potato and baby carrots tasted much better than it smelled. I recall a couple of weeks ago when the Herbed baked salmon smelled very fishy and was unappetizing to the point that I couldn’t eat it. As I micro waved tonight’s salmon dish I smelled the same strong fishy aroma but was happy to report that the entire meal was awesome! The salmon was perfectly seasoned with a real buttery finish. The stuffed baked potato was delicate and creamy and included he skin…my favorite part. I love the sweet little baby carrots too. It finished with a sweet little pineapple crisp. Again, a really solid and flavorful meal that makes it hard to believe that I’m trying to lose weight here. It’s a good thing the scale doesn’t lie because I’ve lost 13 pound over the last 4 weeks and I can’t say I’ve done anything unusually difficult to drop that weight. I have to keep telling myself it’s a marathon and not a sprint. I need to slow down and let the meal plan do its thing. Thank you DTG for getting me started in such a big way!

Even four weeks in...the DTG food still surprises me.

Noodle Kugel...not sure what it is but I'm pretty sure there is pasta in it and you know how I feel about pasta. Interesting for breakfast but pretty good for a quick start breakfast. Now, the thing about the diet to go food is that just when you think you're not going to like something there is something in the meal that is so delicious it makes you wish there were five more of them. Case in point; tonight's turkey chili with cheddar cheese, pasta salad and a savory corn bread muffin. Chili can be a very personal thing. Some like it with beans, some not, hot, mild or 3 mile island...the heat differentials can be take it to a whole new category all on its own. I enjoyed the chili, it had beans and a fair amount of meat plus was spicy enough to satisfy. I added the tablespoon of shredded cheddar for a gooey concoction that was really good. Now, to that little cornbread muffin. Damn, that little biscuit just set the whole dish off for me. The combination of that sweet little cornbread muffin and the heat of the chili was simply delightful. I only wish there were about 5 of them...delicious!

I may have mentioned this in a previous blog but one of the best ways to heat some of the DTG food is definitely with a toaster oven. I was able to get out Monday and hit the Wal-Mart as I needed a new scale so I decided to pick up a toaster oven for the office as well. Always use the oven with anything that says "melt" in the title. The Chicken Alfredo Melt and Tuna melts come out crisp and delicious as does the chicken pizza. I have never been a big "melt" fan but they are growing on me and I believe they are much tastier when put in the toaster oven. Now, back to the scale. I had a Thinner brand scale. Unfortunately there is no way to change the "lifetime" battery on your own so it's mandetory that you send it back to the manufacturer to replace. Last time they simply sent me a new scale all together. Needing to weigh in at least once a week to chart my progress sending it off was not an option so I purchased a new one! It is accurate to the 10th of a pound and even tells me my hydration level although I can't seem to get it much above 48%. They say 55% is ideal for a guy my size.

Well, tomorrow is weigh in day and my new box of food arrives so I can't wait to be surprised by some other tasty treat that is sure to satisfy me. I'm hoping for a big number again this week. Wish me luck.

When will this end?

I feel like I’m back from the dead. Just when I thought I was over this sickness I ended up at Emergency care Sunday morning as my throat felt like I’d been swallowing knives all day Saturday. After a 2 hour wait I was diagnosed with Strep Throat, given the obligatory shot in each cheek and sent on my way with 3 new prescriptions. Thankfully I’m feeling much better today. The good news is I stuck to my meal plan…for the most part but I did sneak in a few 60 calorie fruit popsicles because it made my throat feel soooo much better.

I’ve had several meals since we last spoke so I’ll catch you up quickly on what I’ve had and what I think about it. Friday morning’s breakfast of eggs quesadilla potato cake and citrus cup was very good. I thought I was the king of cheesy eggs in my household but this dish gives it a run for the money. I really enjoyed the tomato basil soup and the comments made about its aroma from my co-workers. I’d heard so much about the Lobster Ravioli that I skipped a day ahead and had it Friday night. Everything that was said is true…a truly delicious meal of 4 differently stuffed Ravioli served in a lemon herb sauce and a side of mixed vegetables. Very good…I could easily have eaten a dozen more. Still feeling bad as my Strep was really starting to kick in Saturday morning, I decided to have the Blueberry Pancakes and maple syrup with Turkey sausage. Again, I had to share with my son; he loves pancakes and these are very good. The Hungarian Turkey with basmati rice was uneventful but seemed to have too many carrots in the dish. As I recall, it had sliced and roasted carrots in the dish itself and more baby carrots in the bean salad. By this point I wasn’t feeling very well so it was easy to give up on this dish quite easily. Dinner was the Chicken Stroganoff with Bow Tie Pasta with Broccoli & Carrots; a meal I really enjoyed. I only wish they wouldn’t use the same grilled chicken patties as where used in a couple other dishes I’ve had now. They aren’t really grilled but have painted on grill marks that give it a smokey or grilled flavored. The sauce of the stroganoff is so good it doesn’t need to compete with this artificial flavoring on the chicken. I really enjoyed this meal not only because of the pasta (love any kind) but because this northern style staple is something we don’t eat a lot of down here.

Sunday morning brought a really swollen neck that burned like fire so I decided to see a professional since I was clearly not getting better. By the time I got home it was early afternoon and I was starved. I quickly ate the mango cranberry muffin with orange marmalade and yogurt smoothie while I preheated the toaster oven for the chicken Alfredo melt. After a few minutes in the toaster oven these chicken Alfredo melts were crispy, perfect and delicious! I dispatched with this generous portion in no time flat. I think Donna may be right in her blog when she says that this mixture could easily be used to make a really good pasta dish as well. I ate the apple later in the day as a snack. I’ll preface my comments on dinner with this; I was raised by a short little Italian woman so I grew up on really good Italian food. That said, the Italian Meatball and fettuccini in a Pomodoro Sauce with Carrot Coins and sugar snap peas while filling was not what I’d call Italian at all. The meatball I’m sure was really turkey and not beef and the Pomodoro sauce had more of a BBQ quality to it rather than a good red “gravy” as they say here in the south. The tomato paste became overpowering and bitter. It was a miss for me but needing something in my stomach for the 6 Amoxicillin per day and highly toxic cough syrup I’ve been taking; I ate it up.

Monday is called Lundi Gras around this time. It’s the Monday before Mardi Gras…all from the French days of the week. Feeling better from all the drugs I had a simple breakfast of Cinnamon Bagel and cream cheese and yogurt just so I could get my boy off to daycare. He’s off all this week…unfortunately my wife and I aren’t. I was able to swap out with one of my co-workers as I anticipated a very low day today. I’ll give him a day of his choosing off in the future. It will give me another day to recuperate. Not expecting to like the Curry Chicken Salad I chose it with much trepidation. I was happy to be proven wrong as it had just the right amount if Indian spices to keep it interesting and delicious. Served with melba toast and a small fruit cup of mandarin oranges it was light, refreshing and very good. We’re laying low tonight; I’m not gonna push m y luck with this illness. It has caught everybody I know including some friends that came from California. Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday so I’m sure I will go out and revel with the rest of the crazies but I will try to keep with the plan and hopefully heal on this day of excess.

What happened to my box?

I thought me and the UPS man we gonna throw down today. I got my DTG shipment and the carton was crushed. You know not to get between a fat man and his food and the UPS man was public enemy number one this morning. Lets back up a bit. This is only my fourth delivery as I begin my fourth week of the program. My weekly shipments showed up at my office in a large cardboard box with plastic strapping holding it all together. Once inside there is a small box with some of the additions to the standard meal plan. With that removed there is a large sheet of Styrofoam that covers the frozen food below which has Styrofoam panels on all four sides and the bottom. Basically it’s a well insulated ice chest inside of a really sturdy box. Today’s shipment looked like the outside cardboard box had been removed and it was just the Styrofoam ice chest with the small box taped to the top. I asked the UPS man what happened to the box. He said that is all he had…no box.

I quickly gave a call to DTG to find out what happened and was told that the sturdy cardboard box with strapping was just temporary so they could try a new packing system. She said that people complained that the big box was unruly and difficult to handle so they decided to go back to the old packing method of just a Styrofoam ice chest with the straps and box taped to the top. I told her it was a bad move as mine was crushed and so badly beat up that I feared my food was spoiled or possibly missing items. Luckily for me, that was not the case but I did make an extra trip home to unpack my shipment incase the chest had lost its thermal properties by being crushed. To my delight, everything was still well frozen. Given the option, I’d prefer the sturdy box method with a bit better packing but as long as I can continue getting my DTG food somehow, I’ll take it!

I’ve hit my first milestone and after 3 weeks, I’ve lost 10 pounds!!! Here’s the best part; I don’t feel like I’ve been on a diet. I’ve just been eating really good food and now I’m 10 pound lighter for it. It feels good to get that first 10 gone. That’s one sixth of my goal of losing 65 pounds. I think if I wasn’t dealing with a cough and cold right now I’d feel really good. My body has responded to eating food that is not only good tasting but good for you. As I’ve said before, I could eat pasta everyday but I know

where that leads.

This morning’s breakfast of French toast was really good. It came complete with fruit flavored syrup that wet it just enough. Lunch was a Tomato melt over with a delicious little spice cake for desert. Tonight’s offering of Salmon and cous cous I enjoyed much more that the previous salmon dish. It was moist, tasty and came with a generous serving of mixed vegetables. I made a quick cocktail sauce of ketchup and horseradish and lapped it right up.

Besides the little scare with my container being crushed today I’m reveling in my 10 pound weight loss. Now, if I can get through this weekend without straying from the program too badly I’ll be OK. This weekend is huge in New Orleans as it’s the last weekend before Mardi Gras. The “Super-Krewes” roll this weekend and into Fat Tuesday. Like Bacchus, Endymion, Orpheus, Rex, Zulu and more. It is truly the greatest free show on earth and can only be rivaled by possibly Carnival in Rio. If you ever get the chance, leave your inhibitions at home and bring your party hat for several days of good times. It includes eating at drinking to excess before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. By the looks of me you’d think I’ve been on a three year Mardi Gras bender. We’ll see how I do this next week. If I remember to shoot some pictures, I’ll post them. Happy Mardi Gras Ya’ll!

Tuscan Boats and Brunswick Stew?

After a couple of sick days off of work I returned today to find that I was missed but no real concern for my well being…just back to the grind. Anyway, I’d like to recap a few of the meals I had over the past few days. Over all I really have enjoyed the breakfasts. I began the day with a Cranberry oat scone, skipped the orange marmalade cup and drank the orange juice. It was just enough and I’m trying to drive my sugars down so skipping the marmalade was good for my sugar and it really didn’t need it. I drank the smoothie before going out around lunchtime just to hold me over until I could get back for the Tuscan Boats and this quirky little nutty wheat berry salad. Now the Tuscan boats are basically potato skins served with all the same stuff on them as if you ordered them at a bar; nice and cheesy, too. The real surprise was the little salad. It had all kinds of whole grains, nuts and seeds and just wet enough with an Asian inspired sauce to keep you spooning it in. It’s just a small cup but it was plenty. I really enjoyed it and what it did for my digestive system. WOW! I have a feeling that Brunswick Stew is a northern dish but it was another one of those surprisingly good meals for me. It had lots of vegetables (including okra) with chicken and a thick white cream style sauce. By itself it would have been very satisfying but there was also a corn and lentil loaf that tied it all together for me. I’m really enjoying the variety of the Diet to Go meals.

This mornings breakfast was a Greek Style Burrito with Chicken Sausage and fajita veggies. I loved the Burrito. The wheat tortilla was filled with scrambled eggs and feta cheese for that greek flavor but there was a disconnect with the sausage patty. For some reason I find the sausage patties come pre-flavored with some kind of sweetening ingredient on them. I don’t know whether it’s like a maple syrup flavoring but for me, if I’m eating sweet like pancakes, French toast or waffles I’m OK with the “morning meat” to have some sweetness to it, like hickory maple bacon or something. If the entrée is savory, the entire dish should be savory for me. I still ate it but if the sausage patty was spicy like a Jimmy Dean patty it would have been great! Lunch was a massive serving of Michigan Turkey Salad…so much in fact, I couldn’t eat it all. It was made of cubed turkey in a mayonnaise type mixture and served with a Dakota Roll. I micro waved the roll for about 20 seconds until it was heated through and deliciously doughy again. Real good but again a really large serving. Dinner was weird for me; blackened turkey loin with carrot chipotle puree and asparagus risotto. There was plenty of turkey, too much in fact, but it was seasoned strangely for me. The seasoning on the turkey and the chipotle carrots just didn’t go together well for me. The asparagus risotto on the other hand was rich, creamy and perfectly cooked. If you’ve ever tried to cook risotto yourself, you would appreciate how perfectly this was done. This meal came with a side of mixed vegetables so I ate mostly the veggies and the risotto. Really good risotto!

I bought another piece of exercise gear and it arrived today. It’s called a Powerslide and I’m hoping I love it enough to stick to some kind of routine with it. I’ve bought hundreds of dollars of exercise gear over the years only to garage sale or end up giving them away. I really only liked one piece of pro gear you’d find in a gym. It’s called a Versa Climber. It mimicked the mountain climbing motion using both hands and feet. I noticed no one used it because it is really hard. Once I got past a certain stage, it was something I really enjoyed. I’ve had rowers, cycles, treadmills, the Chuck Norris thing but from Nordic Track, and yes, a Nordic Track (skier thing). I decided on the Powerslide because I’ve never had one, always wanted one and it has no moving parts and doesn’t take up too much space. I’ll let you know how I do. I tried it tonight before dinner but didn’t last very long…it’s pretty hard too. I know I have to add some form of physical activity to this meal program so here it is. Remember I only lost 1 pound last week…I’m feeling a big number this week. Tune in tomorrow and find out!!! Wish me luck.

Ughhhh, I hate being sick!

I made it to the doctor today for another shot in the A** and some new antibiotics. Lets hope the cruds will go away quickly. Because my appetite hasn't been good, I didn't eat last nights Chili until lunch this afternoon. It had large chunks of vegetables along with lots of beans and a zesty sauce. It comes complete with shredded mozzarella cheese a dollop of sour cream and a delicious cornbread "biscuit." Now, in the south we make our cornbread in a cast iron skillet and include jalapeno's and creamed corn but this deck-of-cards sized piece of cornbread was exactly what this meal needed. I ate it all.

Unfortunately after receiving my shot and taking my meds, I wasn't really hungry for the curried shrimp. I heated it and gave it a few bites but just wasn't interested in finishing it...shame because I was looking forward to that dish. Maybe my appetite will be better tomorrow.

My appetite isn’t what it once was but that could be that I am sick.

I felt this coming on by late Thursday evening. I’d just gotten over a huge bout of bronchitis just a few weeks ago…then my family got sick; first my boy, then my wife and then me! As much as I would have liked to turn to comfort food I stuck to my meal program and I’m feeling I’ll be rewarded for it. For Christmas, I was given a couple of gift cards to Ruth’s Chris Steak house. I contemplated taking my wife out for Valentines but bless her heart, she too wanted me to stick to my plan as well. Ruth’s (Fertel) and I go way back. I actually had the pleasure of meeting her before she passed away. Ruth paved the way and set the standard of how high end chain restaurants grow and prosper. My father always had a Ruth’s credit card. He would give it to me when I began dating and it summarily impressed all of my female dining companions. I tend to order the same meal when I go but have never been disappointed by any meal I’ve had there. I’ve often said I go expecting to get a bad meal but never have. I was saddened that Katrina took the original restaurant on Broad Street from us. They move their headquarters to Florida but kept their Metairie location and have just opened up at Harrah’s downtown in New Orleans. More deals were cut in the original broad street location than there are grains of rice in a huge bowl of gumbo as many politicians, judges and lawyers ate there on a regular basis. If those old oak walls could talk…too bad we’ll never know. It was destroyed shortly after Katrina.

Back to the meal plan! I’m on the week 5 menu though only in my third week of dieting. So far besides the Salmon everything else has been very tasty. The waffles with peaches were delectable and the Reuben sandwich was good despite me not liking mushrooms and artichokes so I eliminated it and ate the rest. The Grilled chicken parmesan was cheesy and filling. Saturday morning I decided to skip down to the Whole grain pancakes with a delicious strawberry maple syrup and medallions of turkey sausage. I still wasn’t feeling well and it gave me an opportunity to actually cook and enjoy my meal while at home. The veggie Philly sub was pretty good. There was so much of the vegetable mixture that I ended up making it open face on both pieces of the wheat bun. It comes complete with shredded Mozzarella cheese, too. I enjoyed dinner as well. I’m growing fond of the Turkey substitutions for beef although after professing my love earlier to an establishment that serves incredible seared cow, I don’t think I could cut it out completely. The Salisbury (turkey) steak in mashed potatoes with green beans was just what I needed while feeling a bit under the weather. Now, Sunday morning’s breakfast of egg and broccoli pie (basically quiche) was really good. It is a single serving of eggs and broccoli served in about a six inch diameter pastry shell that was flaky and delicious. I wish there were two of them!

It’s Mardi Gras season so the wife and kid are at the parades while I sit at home trying to clear my lungs of excess gunk. I’m looking forward to feeling better soon and to today’s lunch of turkey cutlet sub and chugwater chili for dinner.

It's official...I finally caught what my family had.

Sore throat, head full of snot, itchy eyes and lethargic. I had a pretty good day today considering I went to lunch with someone and didn't have anything but a cup of hot tea. I'll post more tomorrow afternoon when I'm (hopefully) feeling better. Nite Nite.
Bo

I'm still not 32 sticks of butter!

I know I should be happy that it was a loss but after a really trying afternoon at the “plant” I was hoping to come home and post up a good number. Yes, I’ve lost seven pounds and am proud of that but this morning I weighed “nekked” before getting in the shoulder and I was under 250lbs. By the time I got home from work and put my “weigh-in” clothes on I was 251lbs. It’s still a pound lost from last week but I would have preferred a nine pound total loss over seven any day. Oh well, I haven’t felt starved and the food I’ve been eating from Diet To Go is really good so I’ll stop feeling sorry for myself and pick up where I left off tomorrow.

Today’s breakfast was uneventful; a simple bagel with cream cheese and raspberry preserves. Honestly, I don’t mind this for breakfast as I don’t have a ton of time and this gets me to work quickly and gives my pills some company in my stomach. I also enjoyed the Wahoo burger with tarter sauce. I sprinkled it generously with hot sauce and it went down like a champ. Now, I owe fellow DTG’r Steve an apology. He began to talk about how fishy the Salmon dish smelled and tasted on his blog and I responded with the fact that I eat a lot of seafood and have welcomed it on the meal plan. Steve, you’re right; it’s simply not good dish and it’s one I will substitute for something else. When I opened it it did have a rather strong fish smell and once I cooked it I couldn’t eat it. The carrots and jicima were just out of place and the dry rice and peas under the strangely seasoned salmon was just something I too couldn’t get through. Don’t get me wrong, I love Salmon. I’ve had it flown in fresh from Alaska (it helps to have a friend that lives there. He would send me Dungeness and Alaskan King Crab, too) and always had the vacu-packed salmon from Sams Warehouse in my freezer. I found at least a half dozen different ways to prepare it and it was always good. Maybe this version doesn’t travel well or it’s just not a very well thought out dish. It doesn’t change my mind one bit about DTG because I know had I chosen NS or JC I’d be hating life after two weeks of their crap. Trust me, I know. I just received my third week of food and can’t wait to see how it all tastes so stay tuned or to learn more, join the DTG Facebook page or mine to learn more about me, my friends and this wonderful way to lose weight.

I just like eatin the food and the way I feel. Diet?

You’ve missed me, right? Meant to post yesterday…just ran out of time; much like tonight. With my 2 week weigh in looming for tomorrow evening I want to get in what I’ve had to eat before the new box-o-grub arrives tomorrow. Tuesday we welcomed back an employee that had been out following some scheduled surgery and no one missed her more than me. She was detrimental to helping me get my work out on time so in addition to a couple of very stressful weeks figuring out new processes after a big layoff, I didn’t have my go-to-girl to keep our work organized and timely. Everyone was so happy to see her come back that a small lunch gathering was thrown in her honor. It’s not the first time we’ve had catered events…usually Mexican fair from the local Chevy’s Tex-Mex chain. You know fajitas, chips and salsa, beans, rice, etc. I’ll have you know I marched in there with my Turkey Pastrami on Rye and citrus fruit cup and didn’t touch as much as a chip or dip of guacamole.

When this menu comes around again I will make an adjustment to this meal. It comes with a sandwich and a half…I’m sure I would likely have made 2 on my own so that was cool. I will toast the two whole slices of bread and apply the Dijon mustard. I will then remove the turkey pastrami from the half sandwich and put it on the two toasted slices and pitch the rye from the half sandwich. The meat from the sandwich and a half makes one sandwich just about right. Other than that, it was delicious! That night’s dinner was what I would have had for lunch: Chicken Fajitas! It came with a guacamole quesadilla with a side of the tastiest refried beans and some fresh made salsa with just the right amount of cilantro…I don’t like too much. Oh, there were baby carrots in there too. I’m not sure how they tie into the meal but I’m always happy for the roughage.

Wednesday morning’s breakfast was a dense wedge of what is called a homemade cinnamon Power Bar. I heated it slightly, had it with my morning coffee and felt full and satisfied saving the yogurt and orange juice for an afternoon snack. I totally dug the Black bean Soup! It was well seasoned with rough cut onions, green and red bell peppers and a delightful southwest blend of fresh herbs and spices. Hearty and filling. It came with a sidecar of creamy vegetable salad and a hermetically sealed package of string cheese. Now, I’m going to write the Diet to Go people and convince them that there should be 2 soft pretzels instead of just one. Once micro waved to just soft, it had me thinking back to all the wonderful things I could put on it like a spicy brown mustard. Really good.

I arrived home to a 6 year old who was finally feeling better after a cough and fever kept him home 2 days last week and 2 this week. A couple of days with your grandmother can always make you feel better. I was tired and hungry from a long day and settled down to a generous portion of stir fry chicken with oriental vegetables and brown rice. If it hadn’t come packaged from DTG I would have thought my wife ordered take out. I went through a phase for a year or so when I wok fried everything. You name it, I stir fried it. Tonight’s Asian offering was as good as anything I ever produced and rivaled some of the dishes I have had from take-out. From the moment I unpacked it I could smell the nuance of sesame oil and some form of peanuts…oil, paste I don’t know what but that’s what the palate tasted. Also there was a healthy sprinkling of Chinese red pepper so if you don’t like spicy this may not be for you. I loved it! With a couple of dashes of low sodium soy, I was in heaven. Again I wondered about the portion size but I have faith the DTG gurus have it all figured out. I weigh in tomorrow so check in to see the progress and as always you can learn more about me on my Facebook page. Tonight’s entry was a Bucket List complete with lots of pictures of me doing what I love the most. Check it out in the New Orleans Network under Bo Boots Walker. Nite.

Changing habits changes lives.

I've always found comfort in food. It is always there for you whether you're using it to celebrate or drown your sorrows. I've used food as my drug of choice my whole life and in doing so have had the typical "addicts" life. Moments of "sobriety" followed by outlandish binges only to be followed by shame and guilt. Why am I sharing this? Some of your behaviors may mirror mine but I'm here to tell you that structure, for me anyway, is the key. I had an unusually stressful Monday and one I'm hoping not to repeat anytime soon. Under normal circumstances I would have definitely wanted to get out of the office for lunch. Something delicious, with that full-of-fat-flavor. My pick today would have been Voodoo BBQ on St Charles Avenue. I like the Graveyard Platter. You get to pick two meats (brisquit, jerk chicken, sausage, etc) and two sides (mac-n-cheese, greens, corn pudding-don't ask, it's killer, etc) It's an amazing meal.... smothered with their famous mojo-sauce and a large tea or beer. Instead I ate my turkey sandwich from Diet To Go and stayed calm. I'm sure I would have reached into my botton file cabinet for some kind of snack. I'd keep peanut butter crackers, oat bars, nuts, nips or cookies too. Not today, I ate my apple instead...and pleanty of water. Knowing I had something already in the waiting for lunch kept me from making an irrational decision. It's what I like most about DTG...it's there for you with great tasting meals and good sized portions. I'm feeling better and feeling better about my decsions too.

I've never been the kind of guy to order eggs florentine at a restaurant but I have to say the DTG version was really good. The spinich is served with still-fluffy scrambled eggs, a side of honey smoked turkey sausage and 6 spears of asparagus. I sprinkled a little cajun seasoning on the eggs and enjoyed. Dinner was proof that there are some things that you just can't do with turkey. Although it was a good attempt at meatloaf there are some things that should use meat, good old fashioned red meat...cow! Maybe if it had been napped with some sort of good old fashioned ketchup or a red sauce it would be more appealing to the eye and taste buds but I hit it with some hot sauce and wolfed it down with a full serving of green beans and creamy sweet potato's. If you're on the fence about DTG just pull the trigger; you'll be glad you did. I can promise you you'll be happier than if you order the much more publicized programs. I'll never do that again. Ever. Feel free to join me on Facebook to learn more about me and my friends. Just send me a message with DTG in the subject line and I'll accept you.

Another great day of riding.

It was another blue sky day in Mississippi and a great day for riding. I got up early this morning so I could have some coffee and not rush to get my bike on the trailer when my riding buddy came to pick me up. I carefully packed the strawberry banana muffin with Vanilla cream cheese, apple and my lunch of Chicken salad on Kaiser with a side salad and citrus fruit cup. I threw a couple individually wrapped things of string cheese in as well because I would likely need the extra protein…and I did. I ate the muffin in the truck on the way to the trail head and had the sandwich for lunch. I ate the cheese and apple as well. I saved the fruit cup for when I was finished riding and I’m really glad I did. It was warm today…in the mid seventies so I sweat more than usual. The fruit cup had orange and grapefruit wedges with large chunks of pineapple too. It was refreshing and gave me the energy to load up the bikes and head home. Dinner was good too. I micro waved the tomato veggie pie and cous cous just the way it was packaged for 3:30 minutes. I took Steve’s wife’s advice and just mixed the whole thing together to moisten the cous cous. Pretty tasty and very filling. I still continue to wonder if this is too much food. It was a really large portion. I have to keep telling myself that Diet toGo knows what they are doing and as long as I stick to the plan I will lose weight. It just seems as if I always eaten less food when on any diet and always had the feeling that I was hungry or wouldn’t make it to the next meal without “picking.” It’s just not that way with DTG…and I couldn’t be happier about it. Have a great week guys and enjoy these fine photos.

Have I mentioned I love this Diet?

I don't think I've ever had a Tuna Melt before today but I now know how I should be heating some items...in a toaster oven. Had I tried to microwave these 3 melts it would have been soggy. I used the toaster oven and the wheat puff pastry was crisp and the cheese on top of the tuna was perfectly melted and had some browning on it. Really tasty as was the peach crisp. I have to give cudos to the Creole Chicken dish too. I micro'd that and added a few dashes of hot sauce and it was perfect. A hearty creole sauce with rough cut bell pepper and onion, shredded chicken and basmati rice. Obviously I've eaten my share of shrimp, chicken or sausage "creole" and this ranked right up there. One suggestion for DTG, you could easily take some of that same shrimp that came on yesterdays salad and put it in the dish instead of the chicken and it would be great. Just a thought...going to bed now. Gonna ride tomorrow and I'm packing my food!

TGIF! and I mean it!

I won’t bore you with the mundane details of how my day was but Fridays are generally busy because we are preparing for the next three days (Saturday, Sunday and Monday). That’s a lot of commercials! I totally enjoyed my DTG breakfast though. Delicious and moist pancakes rolled up with a delicious mixture of cinnamon apples. It came with a side of turkey sausage medallions and sugar free syrup. Filling, and quite tasty. I should have saved that one for a weekend when I could have enjoyed it with my family. Sure, it looks like there is a lot of granola, yogurt, bagels, fruit and the like for breakfast but if I’m being honest, I don’t have time to “savor” breakfast or lunch while at work so it may as well be something I can pick up and put down a lot. I don’t mid it, really. I like saving the hot breakfasts for the weekend where I can sit down and enjoy them.

With that said, I’ve got to look at my food list a bit better (and maybe Diet to Go too) because I unpacked my food and took out three days to thaw in the fridge. Well just a few hours in the fridge was not enough to thaw the Shrimp and Pasta Salad so I had to heat it. Now, it came with a small cup of some dynamite cocktail sauce and again, being from the south I’ve had lots of cocktail from the plain ketchup and horseradish to any variation with fresh ingredients and this stuff was good! Too bad I had to dip warm rubbery shrimp into it once I heated it. I liked the flavor of the zucchini , pasta and carrot sticks…not all bad warm but this is one dish that I’m sure should be thawed fully and served chilled, not heated. If it were later in the week (for us mail order guys) it would be perfect.

I still contend that for new customers some additional paperwork could be included to help us get started. I know DTG is trying to be environmentally conscious but when my meals come in a cardboard box with 6 pieces of Styrofoam in it, a few extra sheets of paper wouldn’t hurt…just until we’ve completed the initial 5 weeks of food. After that, kill it. Now before you say it’s all online, let me defend my position by saying I stare at not one but two computer screens all day long and fumbling around on a website looking for info is not for me. That’s not to say the site is bad I simply don’t want to have to fire up the computer when I’m looking for the best way to heat a particular item. I’m making notes on the menus I printed on the best way to heat and eat these meals so I’m not guessing at it next time around. I would love to see info from DTG or from customers that have been using this system for a while on the best way to serve these delicious meals especially after they have been frozen. The first week I took everything out and let it thaw over a week’s time. This week I took three days out to thaw and left the rest in the freezer. Next week I plan on looking over the food more carefully and determining what can stay frozen and be heated like a “Lean Cuisine” and what needs time to thaw properly in the fridge for a few days before cooking or consuming.

Dinner was good and unlike Steve, I enjoy the seafood. I haven’t noticed the fishy flavor or smell that he has but maybe freezing it helps cure that, I don’t know. Regardless, if DTG can learn to boil crawfish, or broil oysters I will stay on this “diet” for the rest of my life. If DTG is listening and you want a few pointers on how to boil the mudbugs and ship em, I can certainly help you there. Up to now, I haven’t eaten off of the meal plan (Of great consequence. No binging or eating King Cake) but I can tell you the crawfish are good sized this year and I definitely plan on eating a few. Nutritionally they are a bit high in cholesterol and salty but not too bad for you. Much like eating shrimp! I love me some seafood so bring it on DTG. Tonight’s Whitefish Parmesan with those sweet little baby carrots were right on time. Firm white fish settled in a zesty red sauce with gooey cheese…I sopped it up with their little multi grain roll.

Challenges for the weekend: my six year old son Hudson has been sick for the last 2 days which means momma had to stay home with him while I went to work so she’ll need a break tomorrow. If he feels well enough I’ll take him to see his grandmother across the lake. If the wife gives the OK, I will ride again in MS on Sunday. A few new riders will join the group which is always fun and makes for great competition. We’ll see if my skills are what to what they were last week. Food wise, breakfast at the house both days. I can bring my lunch with me while visiting and to the trails…much like last week. No beer but I am rewarding myself after a stressful week of being shorthanded (several out sick and one on medical leave; comes back Tuesday) with 2 glasses of red wine. A pungent and bold Merlot from Stags Leap Vineyards (2003). Still digging the diet and hope some of you are motivated to hop on board. Don’t lose hope, lose weight!

It's not 32 sticks of butter but it's close.

For those anonymous readers you'll notice there are a few "followers" of this blog. I too am following them as they write about their weight loss experience using Diet To Go. Donna and Steve are a week ahead of me food wise because mine comes through the mail. Lucky for me, I get a review of the food I will soon be eating. More importantly I get to see how they are fairing with their weight loss as well. I loved how Steve put it into perspective when he lost 8 pounds the first week. He related it to 32 sticks of butter. Now think about that. If you had 32 actual sticks of butter stacked up and sitting on the counter; what would you think if you were no longer carrying that around with you each day. Steve could just have easily used a gallon of milk for perspective being that (depending on the type; whole, 2%, etc) it weight around 8 pounds. What if each morning before you grabbed your briefcase or purse you put a gallon of milk in it and drug that around with you...we'll that's what we're all doing. Unfortunately with about 60 pounds to lose that means I grab several gallons of milk each morning and haul it around. Can't wait to empty the jugs soon.

Well, my unofficial weight in (my bathroom scale) says I'm 252 after just a week on DTG. That's six pounds down from where I started. I'm happy with that loss and can only hope to keep it up. My new box of food arrived today so I sent an email to a co-worker who I know is doing NS. I asked that he come down and see what I get in a week. He was floored when I told him that all he needed to buy was a gallon of milk a week because DTG sends you everything else you need including fruit, bread sticks, condiments, etc. Now, he's made significant progress since September of last year but has most of the same complaints as most that I've read. Customer service is awful and they lost his shipment for three weeks somewhere...he went back to eating his own food again. Says he has maintained but I was proud to turn him on to the program. No time to detail my food tastings today but suffice it to say the morning Pizza was delicious, the turkey burger delightful and tonight's shrimp fettuccine was just grand. I loved it all.

I may have some competition for my food.

I'm getting plenty of food by the way. At no time do I feel hungry or begin obsessing over when the next meal will be. Yesterdays offering of a cornbread muffin and cream cheese/orange marmalade was filling enough for me to save the yogurt and orange for a late afternoon snack. Lunch was good too as the Chicken Philly Sub with peppers and honey mustard mayo was perfect with a bit of heat added...temperature and spice. The peach pudding tastes more like cobbler and the portion size makes me wonder if I'm having too many calories. Now, I didn't get around to eating dinner until well after 8pm. Since joining Face Book earlier in the afternoon I have connected with several old college buddies and a few others in my industry that I hadn't heard from in a while. I finished up a 90 minute phone call as an old radio friend and I caught up and nuked my Turkey Picadillo with Brown Rice Pilaf and apricot glazed asparagus. I sat down to enjoy this feast (again, a larger portion than I thought) with my son as he watched TV. I finished the still firm asparagus and was down to the last few spoonfuls of the "picadillo" (was kinda like chili...well seasoned at that) when my 6 year old son Hudson crawled up in my lap and asked me what I was eating. I told him "my special food" that was healthy for me..."do you want a bite?" He asked; "is it healthy for me too?" Of course, I said and I fed him a spoonful. So buddy, how is it? "Tremendous!" he exclaimed. Wow, I said, tremendous...where did you learn a big word like that? "TV", of course..."you can learn a lot from it, daddy." Don't I know it. We shared the rest of the meal a spoonful at a time until it was gone...good meal...better moment.

This morning started with another satisfying muffin and condiment. I was a bit apprehensive about lunch though. How well does a grilled cheese sandwich travel? should I microwave it...toaster oven? With no toaster oven I microwaved it and the lentil chilli to temperature and was happy to find that the bread stood up to the cheese. You get a sandwich and a half on what looks like french toast...or at least the bread they use for the french toast. Regardless, it was as cheesy and delicious as anything I've "grilled. The few mouthfuls of Lentil Chilli were delightfully tasty and just enough. Now, a word of warning! If you are going to use Diet to Go as your meal provider, do yourself a favor and SAVE A GLASS OF MILK WHEN THEY SEND YOU A BROWNIE! Now, some of you may think this is overkill and some may not heed the warning I've given but if you take one bite of that delicious, moist and chocolaty brownie without a glass of milk handy you'll think back to the warning i've given and think; "he was right!" I'm surprised at the amount of guilt I have built up over the years while dieting. You know, when you taste something good and think; "I shouldn't be having this." I need to let go and remember that DTG has my back and wouldn't be sending this stuff if A) it wasn't good for me and B) I couldn't lose weight comsuming it. Save the brownie for a time when you can sit down with that cold glass of milk and enjoy every sticky morsel. I hated having to inhale it at while at work. That won't happen again. OH, I found someone here at work that is having his Nutri System delivered here...saw the box today. I can't wait to show him what I get when my box arrives tomorrow! I'll convert him...it's just a matter of time. Hey, feel free to join me on FaceBook, too.

OK, I may have a new favorite meal!

I was confused by the Bistro Chicken Salad with Sesame Bread sticks...it says "salad", do I eat it cold? It's a healthy sized portion of sliced chicken with tortellini style pasta in a pesto sauce. I tried it cold adding the ubiquitous hot sauce and pepper to the meal. I got about half way through it and thought, this might be better heated...it was. It really brought out the flavor of the tortellini and the sauce. Maybe I've missed it online but again, I wish the packaging was more clear on whether it should be heated or eaten cold...I'm choosing hot on this one. It was delicious!

Now, to dinner...my new favorite meal may be the BBQ chicken (and sauce) Anise roasted potato's, baked beans, green beans (and almonds). Again, I was surprised by the portion size: 2-small chicken breasts, several quartered potato's with a delightful seasoning, hearty spoonful of beans and some crisp green beans (mine didn't have any almonds on it). I remember seeing a barbecue sauce packet when I unloaded my first shipment but forgot to grab it with my meal tonight. Honestly, I don't think it needed it at all. The chicken was flavored nicely and I'm sitting here very satisfied. Recap of favorites so far: Mac and cheese and the BBQ chicken.

With last nights bout with stomach issue "behind" me, I need to mention how much better I'm feeling. Although my blood sugars aren't where I'd like them they are noticeably lower. I just think that with my body processing the right kind of foods I'm feeling more energetic...mentally and physically. Oh, I received my shipping notice for next weeks food...should be here by Thursday.

...and something may have disliked me!

Wow, how about that Superbowl; just what I had hoped for, a competitive game! I'm counting cleaning my filthy motorcycle as exercise, by the way. It was caked in mud and grime and took me almost 2 hours to clean it...with a pressure washer. Now, anyone who knows me will tell you I'm not a stickler for cleaning bikes. Polishing chrome is the reason I got away from riding cruiser style bikes. I wash my motorcycles twice a year whether they need it or not. It needed it and it got it; shouldn't have to wash that one until about July or so now. Kidding of course. I pulled out my generator and ran it for 10 or 15 minutes too. If you live in hurricane country you have to have a generator and you have to keep it in good running order for when you need it. It only takes losing everything you have in your refrigerator(s) one time and you'll invest in a generator. I also bought a small window unit so I can keep at least one room icy cold during the peak summer hurricane months. When the last two came through (Ike and Gustov) I stayed home to protect my property while my family evacuated. Generator...gooood.

As I settled in to watch all the pregame stuff I TIVO'd and had a lunch of Chicken Pesto Sub & Swiss on Wheat roll with Chicken & Spinach side salad, Melon Mix and chocolate pudding. It was after 3pm by the time I got around to fixing this and it seemed like enough food to satisfy my hunger after burning all those calories earlier. I toasted the bread and heated the chicken breast and cheese; slathered the pesto aioli on it and enjoyed it. The chickpea & spinach...not so much but I ate it. It was mostly a texture issue for me. After thawing, the spinach was soggy and it just was something I didn't enjoy. The melon mix was very good...sweet honeydew, cantaloupe and grapes, very tasty. The Chocolate pudding...good as always and curbs the sweet tooth. I saved it and ate it after dinner.

For dinner I heated and eated (I know) the Vegetarian Spaghetti pie and cauliflower. I'm not sure what makes it "pie" but it tasted like Ragu over pasta with lots of Mozzarella cheese. I hit it with a few grinds of pepper and it, along with the sweet tasting cauliflower, went down just fine. Unfortunately, something was not happy with the party in my tummy. I can't pin anything directly on the food but my stomach began to gurgle and I spent the remainder of the evening on and off of the porcelain throne. Thank God for TIVO...didn't miss a minute of the game or commercial...not that this years batch were worth watching. (Bud horses? Who cares!) I finally took some of the "pink stuff" and drifted off to sleep. Now, I've heard that beginning new diets can cause gastric distress...I know it happened to me with NS and JC. I'm not sure if the food had anything to do with this; maybe caught a quick stomach bug or something because I still felt bad this morning.

I think I ate the Wild Cherry Muffin...maybe it was the Mountain Berry Muffin. I wish I'd been given a bit more information in my first shipment since those items aren't labeled. I was pretty sure it wasn't the Raisin Bran muffin or the cornbread muffin...color gave those away. There is only one item I found missing and it's the Strawberry Preserves. I'll go back and search the refrigerator for that...could have just been me in a hurry trying to get my food together and my kid out the door. You'll notice I have been skipping around on the menu...I hope that's aloud and there is not some scientific formula of each days food that interacts to help you lose weight. If it were up to me, I'd have the mac and cheese every night but I'm guessing that's why there are nutritionists on staff at Diet to Go...pasta every night can't be good for you. I should know that by now!

I finally found something I don't like.

Wow, what a great day. I’ve been an avid motorcyclist since I was 10 years old; that’s when my father bought me my first motorcycle…much to the dismay of my mother. “He’s gonna kill himself on that thing!” My father assured her he would fix the situation tomorrow. My mom thinking the bike was going back to wherever he bought it was floored when instead; he came home with one for himself. That was my dad.

The day was beautiful with temps in the mid 60’s and clear blue skies. Oddly when we arrived at the trail head we were shocked to see we were the only ones out there. Being that we have to drive from New Orleans to just north of Biloxi, Mississippi to ride, we’re rarely the first ones there but we had this 14 mile trail loop to ourselves the entire day. Thankfully we all rode well and no one was hurt when they fell…notice I said “they” I didn’t take a spill the entire day. That’s not typical, mind you but I was having a really good day of riding. I intended to rise early and eat the omelet and artichokes Saturday morning but by the time I was ready to leave I simply wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to force myself to eat. I grabbed the turkey sandwich and an orange and hit the road.

I picked up my riding partner Kirk and let him know that we should plan on stopping for breakfast as we usually do but I was planning on ordering healthier. We both had 2 poached eggs; ham and a slice of wheat toast…NO hash browns, biscuits or grits, just a glass of 2% milk. We picked up Kirks son along the way and headed to the trail site. After the first “lap” we broke for lunch. They brought sandwich meat and bread to make their sandwiches and I opened mine. I poured off some of the excess liquid from the “mushroom” salad and put that right on the multi-grain bun. I added the mayonnaise packet and enjoyed the fine tasting meal. Of course I regaled my riding partners of the Diet to Go program as I cut up the orange…they were both equally impressed with the plan. Kirk’s son is a bachelor and commented that he wouldn’t have to buy any food from the grocery if he did that. I told him that they ship it all except for the milk which is odd that they don’t because I’ve had milk from a half pint carton since school lunch. Maybe the extra 7 pounds or so raises the shipping cost too much…I don’t know.

Well, I’ve finally found something I didn’t really care for. No, it wasn’t last night’s dinner of macaroni and cheese with broccoli and carrots. That was AWESOME! I feed my own kid worse Mac-n-cheese. The container it comes in has two sections; one larger than the other. I would have thought the serving of vegetables would be in the large side…they must have made a mistake because the macaroni and cheese was a very large portion. Granted I have no problem eating an entire box by myself in the past but the meal was tasty and filling…good comfort food for sure. I decided to eat the omelet and artichokes Sunday morning. Sorry, I just couldn’t do the artichokes. For those that love them I’m sure you’d be quite happy but for me I can only handle a couple in a salad not an entire serving. The omelet was good with fresh peppers, onions and cheese but by the time it was micro waved to the desired temperature the excess liquid pooled in the bottom and simply wasn’t as appetizing as I would have liked. I don’t think any measure of hot sauce or Cajun seasonings would have saved this one for me. To be fair, no other diet plan gets eggs right. Most are powdered and not worth eating. At least DTG has cooked them for you and it looks like a real omelet. I hear I can call or email DTG and ask that I not be sent that again and it will never arrive in my shipments so I’ll get to check out the substitution process this week and let you know.

As far as the Superbowl goes I don’t really have a horse in this race so I’m hoping the game is good and not a blowout…something worth watching, ya know. I’ll TIVO it to skip the boring parts or rerun a good commercial but I’m happy my wife nixed the idea of having friends over for a party. I have a better chance of sticking to the plan this way. Regardless, I think Pittsburg wins their sixth championship although I’d like to see Kurt and the Cardinals win their first. Keep in mind, the Saints have only won 5 playoff games in their franchise history so I’m rooting for the underdog…hope, right?