Review of my First Week of Shape Lovers Meal Delivery

Okay, so I've had most of my first week of one meal a day deliveries. My thoughts on this week's menu of Shape Lovers in South Florida?

The soups have been very, very good except for the tomato. Didn't like it. It didn't have a burst of tomatoey-ness, was quite watery, and had some oiliness in the taste. I'm a tomato-soup freak, so I was disappointed.

The other soups rocked! The orzo with meatballs was lovely. The Garbanzo Toledo soup was so good I was licking the bowl. No kidding. I could eat that every day! Yummy pea soup. Thumbs up on the soupies!

I don't do well with reheated poultry, so I've had some trouble with the chicken and, especially, the turkey. This is some sort of genetic weirdness that I share with my middle sister (and only found that out a couple years ago) and not with my other siblings. Middle sis and I gag at reheated poultry. Sometimes, with fresh poultry. It's an oddity.

Most of the time, I can eat chicken or turkey breast fine (not the dark meat, ugh). But occasionally, the funny taste makes me gag.

I had that problem with the turkey fricasse. Hubby did not. He enjoyed it. I did have the potatoes and carrots from the fricasse, and they were lovely--including the light version of Cuban fricasse sauce. But I couldn't eat the turkey.

The chicken napolitana only had the mild weirdness on reheating (I tried to only heat it to sufficient heat so as not to dry out or encourage that funky thing that bugs me). The stuffing was delicious! The curry sauce was nice, if a little skimpy. A couple more tablespoons of the sauce would have been perfect. But I was wild about the lite, veggie-cheese stuffing! Mmm.

The fajita chicken that substituted for the turkey loaf (I requested a substitution) had a nice flavoring (the spices/onion/pepper), but again, I have issues with chicken that's reheated.

The side dishes have been variable: the rice dishes have been adequate. Nothing wrong, but not outstanding. The platanitos dulces (Tuesday's side dish) was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Another bowl licker. I would have that any time. Ripe plantains pureed with some pineapple--sweet and perfect. Sadly, I didn't get the vianditas con almendra (the Wed side), I got sauteed veggies with garlic. They were fine, but the vianditas sounded much better. I guess subbing out of the turkey loaf meant I got a different veggie.

Desserts: Across the board fun! The mamey flan was really tasty and very light. The mousses are simple (really, they taste like a lite Cool Whip with flavorings/fruit). Which is fine. I like creamy. But I've enjoyed the small sweet end to the meals, every one of them was a treat, though I'd give the highest rating this week to the mamey flan.

I haven't had Friday's offerings yet, but I'll chime in again about next week's offerings, which includes a substitution for me on Monday of stuffed pork, as well as their Ropa Vieja on Wednesday (one of my fave Cuban dishes, a shredded beef thingie in tomatoey sauce with peppers and onions). I also have a Spanish Omelette as a sub for next week's turkey on Thursday. So, more variety, protein-wise.

Today, I'm due for a pasta dish and the soup is a light version of the national soup of Cuba--the ajiaco. Can't wait!

The result: I'm down nearly two pounds since Sunday. I would have done better had I not had a pizza feast yesterday. Yeah, I binged a bit. I get one meal delivered, and I make myself two out of my three daily meals, which means my choices can range from very good to crap, depending.

I still have some poundage to go to get back to where I was on the scale back when I went AWOL from this blog, but I'm getting there. One of the things that's a plus about Shape Lovers is that each morning delivery--the knock, the "Good morning to you" and the passing of the bag of goodies-- is a reminder: You're supposed to watch what you eat. Here's something to help you.

It's like a little heads up every day to pay attention. Some days, it works better than others, but considering I'd been on the way up and up and up in the last three months, it's nice to be going the other way: down.

Thanks to those of you fatfighters blogging with consistency and success. You gals and guys are my inspiration!

Sparkly Factoid: Big Breakfast Helps in Weight Loss

Starting your day with a large meal packed with both carbohydrates and lean protein, and even a small piece of chocolate, can help lessen cravings and hunger the rest of the day, which can lead to significant weight loss, new research suggests.

To combat both the addiction cycle and the hunger that inevitably seems to come with calorie reduction, Jakubowicz and her colleagues designed the "big breakfast" diet. In this eating plan, your breakfast accounts for roughly half of your daily calories, and breakfast includes milk, 3 ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy.

--from "Big, Well-Balanced Breakfast Aids Weight Loss"

To get a look at the sample meals in the study, check out the terrific post at Diet Blog.

Shape Lovers in South Florida: Calorie-Controlled Meals

In an effort to get back on track--cause, really, I am just sooooo not feeling it--I just signed up for a different diet meals delivery service: Shape Lovers. The link will show you next week's menu.

It's only one meal a day I'll get(lunch or dinner, as I choose to use it), but it'll be balanced, with diet-friendly portions and calorie counts.

I know. Lazy Princess. Princess spending too much money!

I had to do something, folks.

I just have not felt like cooking lately.

I have not felt like weighing and measuring and being meticulous. I have circles under my eyes from sleeping poorly. My energy levels suck.

I had to do something.

And, yes, I don't want to be tempted to take the easy fat-chick route: gorge on easy delivery stuff like pizza and Chinese.

So, this is something to help me transition. I'll still make the easy meals: breakfast and lunch. Those are usually a snap: I keep 'em simple--soups, salads, oatmeal, eggs, whole grain English muffins, sandwiches, fresh fruits). Dinner tends to be my downfall. I always get loony with that last meal. If I binge, that's the one.

The food has a Latin flair, so that suits me. I grew up eating Cuban food, and I miss it. I consider it comfort food. It'll be nice to have the low-fat versions for a change. I hope they keep to my two restrictions: no ground turkey dishes (I gag at the stuff, seriously) and no seafood dishes. I have a really bad allergy to seafood, as in EMERGENCY ROOM bad. I have to carry around an epi-pen, just in case. I've had bad reactions twice--once for tuna, once for scallops. I learned my lesson.

I haven't had seafood in 10 1/2 years. (Argh!) I cannot begin to tell you how tough that is in Miami, given how much fabulous seafood there is down here and how many great restaurants that specialize in the beauties of the ocean.

It's torture.

I used to eat seafood at least twice a week. Whenever I ate out with hubby, it was generally seafood. Loved shrimp and scallops and corvina and red snapper and my trusty tuna fish lunches. Gosh, I miss the stuff! Especially since seafood is a big frined to the dieter, if it's cooked sanely, not fried or covered in cream sauces or dipped/soaking/slathered in butter.

Sniff. Boo hoo.

Anyway...

I'm hoping between slightly scaled down organic food delivery and this 5x-per-week, one-meal service that I can find my way back to the Major Fat-Fighting Mojo highway.

God, please just take about 3/4th's of my appetite away. That would help oodles. Thanks.

:)


Anyone out there used this service in South Florida? The Miami Herald ran an article some months back and that's how I heard about them. I might report back. Especially if it's tasty.

Oh, and did I mention each meal includes a sugar-free dessert? MmmmmMMMmmmmm. Soup, entree, side dish and...dessert! (I hear their version of mango cheesecake rocks. I hope they have that soon.)

Here's to yet another tool. The price will be worth it to me if it satisfies, especially if readjusting to diet portions kickstarts me in a good way.

I hold the hope. Every day.

Happy weekend to all!

Struggling to Get Back on Track

Dang, I was gone another couple months, huh?

Lemme just spew it out now: I went off the wagon big time. Regained, at one point, 10 pounds!

I lost five of them, and am working to find my balance and groove once more.

It was a bit stressful round here, not knowing if we were going to have a household income, not knowing if we were gonna have to move across the continent (Seattle and San Diego were both possibilities), away from all my family and memories. Budgeting. Home repair woes. Etc. Stress!

But, God is good. Hubby got a good job with a local branch of a tech company. I can continue to buy organic groceries--for now. Hah! With the crazy rise in food prices, I may have to ration even that.

Sadly, I'm not feeling much "weight loss mojo" today. Still, I feel a tiny bit, and that's better than none at all--which is what I felt for two months. But I figure I better start blogging (even if less consistently), so as to start getting out of the inertia that has had me overeating and regaining and skipping my daily infusion of blog support (both in the getting and the giving). I refuse to throw in the towel.

So, sorry for the AWOL status.

I'd like to ask any of y'all who believe in prayer or good vibes or positive thoughts to aim some at our dear fellow fatfighting blogger Lyn of Escape from Obesity blog. She's having a rough time. In fact, it was reading her entry (after being absent from blog-reading for a spell) that reminded me that we do have a community out here, and that we care.

I ask the Lord's blessing on all of us having a hard time--whether it's with jobs, weight loss, family, health, or natural disasters. God, give us strength and perseverance, give us special mercies, help us find peace and a way out of whatever is pressing down on us. Amen.

"Princess"--A Song About Anorexia

"I know a princess, and she died when she stopped eating."

"She's not thin, she's not thin, she's...NOTHING."

It's terrible that this is what happens in the minds of so many women. Not thin = nothing. Hey, I've had days when I've felt that way. But not years and not a lifetime, like some. It can only lead to a certain self-destruction, that sort of self-loathing, self-diminution.

That's why I applaud everyone who sends the message, "Lose weight, but lose it healthfully. Lose it to live longer, not to be a fashionista. Lose it to live more vibrantly, not to fit a predetermined mold. Lose it to gain a life, not lose it."

It's a rough little video, but I think the song is delivered very authentically, and the message is certainly timely.

We're something. Even if we're not thin.

So says THIS Princess.

If the book THORNYTORINX by Camille de Peretti--which inspired this song--ever comes to the US in English, I'll buy a copy.