Day #13 - To Eat or Not To Eat

I cannot stop eating.

I've been losing and gaining the same 20 lbs for a year now. To many people, 20lbs is a lot. But for me, 20lbs keeps me in the same size of jeans. But I'm either comfortable in that size, or I can't breath in that size. Right now I can breath, but not very well.

I'm stuck between counting my calories and trying to eat intuitively (if you haven't read the book Intuitive Eating, you should definitely check it out). When I eat intuitively, I eat about 200 - 300 calories more a day than I would if I stuck to a set caloric range. But when I count my calories and stick to 1400 calories a day, I am hungry!

And when I'm hungry, the world may as well end.

So, do I stay uncomfortable and insecure in my jeans but be able to enjoy food? Or be comfortable in my jeans and be hungry and irritable?

I will leave you with some wise words by Nene Leakes from Real Housewives, clearly another woman that deals with the same dilemma,

"I'm a size 10. I could go down to a size 8, but I don't feel like it. You know why? Because I'm fucking hungry."

So true Nene, so true.

Eat this:


CPK: California Club Pizza
(adapted from "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" )

Ingredients:
1 package of Trader Joes' Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (or any premade dough will work)
4 oz chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded lite mozzarella cheese
4 slices bacon
2 tbsp fat free mayonnaise
1/4 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
1 large tomato
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Cook chicken, sprinkled with salt and pepper, in greased (or pam) skillet for 3 - 5 minutes per side, or until cooked.
2. Roll out pizza dough on a floured base. Then transfer to a greased cookie or pizza pan.
3. Layer the pizza dough with the cheese, then chicken and bacon. Cook in 450 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes, or until cheese melts.
4. As pizza cooks, mix iceberg and romaine lettuce, mayo and salt and pepper in large bowl.
5. Once pizza is cooked, top with lettuce mix, tomatoes, and avocado. Slice in 8 pieces.

Servings: 4 (2 slices each)
Nutritional Info Per Serving: 364 cals, 10g fat, 54g carbs, 20g protein
CPK Nutritional Info Per Pizza: 1440 cals (according to CPK website)

Day #12 - Purple Drank

'Lil Wayne recently informed me of something that I feel like I should have been kept in the loop on: Purple Drank.

"Purple drank is a slang term for a recreational drug made with prescription-strength cough syrup, containing codeine and promethazine, mixed with ingredients such as Sprite soft drink and pieces of Jolly Rancher candy.

When taken in large quantities, this drug can lead to sedation and altered levels of consciousness."

This description alone scares the shit out of me while still tempting my (thankfully now small) rebellious side of me.

Don't worry, I'm not going straight to CVS buy myself a bottle of cough syrup. But I just would like if someone, preferably more hip than me, would let me know when a new phenomenon hits the streets, ya know? If you are that hip someone, please let me know.

The Califorina Cosmo is definitely not my version of the Purple Drank. It's just purple.


CPK: California Cosmo
(adapted from Todd WIlbur's "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" )

Ingredients:
1.25 oz vodka
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp lime juice
2.5 oz Powerade Zero - Grape Flavor
3 red grapes, frozen

1. Shake all ingredients, expect for grapes, in shaker filled half way with ice.
2. Pour into martini glass. Spear grapes with toothpick and garnish glass.

Serving Size: 1
Nutritional Info: 91cals, 0g fat, 5g carbs, 0g protein
Original CPK Nutritional Info: 172cals, 0g fat, 16g carbs, 1g protein