Right upfront I’m going to tell you that I am a size 4 and I weigh 112 pounds. But there’s something else – I struggle to maintain my weight at this level. It is hard, hard work and deprivation. I come from a long line of hearty Polish farmers, and even though I am a size four, my body really wants to be a size 8. That is just too big for me. I’m only 5’3”, and if I gain even two pounds, it looks like 10. I work out every day, eat 1500 calories daily, and have one treat per week (Nutella on diet bread). I’m denying my DNA every day. But for me, the pleasure in denying myself comes when I put on a bathing suit – or a bikini – or my favorite short shorts that are 40 years old and which I bought in 1973 when still in high school. Or a size four cocktail dress that hugs my waist and my hips. Or when I’m able to run, run, run, on the treadmill or on the beach. Nothing to me tastes as good as feeling thin feels. In addition, when I get my annual physical, my doctor observing my 57-year-old physique reads my blood test records and tells me I have excellent low cholesterol and triglycerides — and that I am going to live to a healthy, ripe old age. Thank you, Weight Watchers. No thank you, diabetes. And thank you to the Hungry Girl website. I am healthy as a horse – which isn’t bad for a gal who comes from a long line of Polish farmers.
That said, I am always thunderstruck when food marketers out there push even more fattening food onto Americans – who, unfortunately, eat it up. People, there’s an obesity crisis going on – don’t you get it? Don’t you realize when you eat some of the incredibly fattening foods out there, that your left ventricle is probably slamming shut at first bite? This past week, unbelievably, Dunkin Donuts debuted the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich – which they claim is only 350 calories. I say impossible – the doughnut itself is probably 350 calories, not to mention the bacon, egg and cheese that it is laden with. Overall it has 20 grams of fat. But it has proven to be a whopping success. I’m shaking my head and rolling my eyes.
And have you heard about the “cronut?” A New York pastry chef named Dominique Ansel debuted a new food item recently. He took his buttery croissant dough, then shaped it into a doughnut, and then – what else? – he fried it. Just what your heart needs. To this he added fattening Tahitian vanilla cream. The foodies of the world have become enthralled with this hybrid of croissant and doughnut. To me, it is just another example of what the world doesn’t need.
This article from Shape magazine is a great one – if you’re interested in eating healthy, as I am obsessed with. It’s about what Miss USA 2012 eats every day. Don’t do it to look like her – do it to FEEL like her, which is healthy. Bring on the bananas, the Dannon Light and Fit yogurt, the steamed broccoli – all things that I love. In addition, I never travel without 20-calorie Sunsweet cherry-essence prunes (de-lish and filled with antioxidants), turkey pepperoni, Laughing Cow 35-calorie cheese wedges, and raisins. Your waist – and your ventricles – with thank you for it.
No comments yet.