Category Archives: Forgot To Tag

Me: Do we have a grease pencil in the house?
Him: Look in the piston on my dresser.
Me: I am neither confused nor surprised by that reply.

(And yes, there was both a yellow and a black grease pencil in the piston on his dresser.)

How to Roast Beets, Shoes & Pie Test Kitchen Style

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. Remove somewhat-wilted beets from refrigerator
3. Realize there’s only 2″ left on the roll of aluminum foil
4. Go to store for fresh roll
5. Get home, double-check Bittman for timing
6. Notice that Bittman says to cook the beets at 400°
7. For an hour
8. Wonder if brownies count as dinner
9. Figure you probably don’t have enough cocoa powder to make brownies
10. Wrap the beets in foil, put on tray in oven, set timer for 1 hour
11. Decide to instead use the forgotten, pre-cooked beets you re-discovered in the refrigerator earlier, and save tonight’s beets for another time
12. Look up microwave times for butternut squash

I saw this on Highway 101 (via my pal at The Kim Show [note: her site auto-plays music]) and since I haven’t been posting with anywhere near the frequency I’d like, I think I may use it as well as a springboard for getting back into writing. We’re already 6 days into the month, and I typically don’t post on weekends, which will conveniently let me skip some of the more uncomfortable themes. I’ll decide as they come up. Also: There may be pie.

Day 01 – Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
Day 02 – Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
Day 03 – Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 04 – Your views on religion.
Day 05 – A time you thought about ending your own life.
Day 06 – A photo of yourself and write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 – Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Day 08 – A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
Day 09 – How you hope your future will be like.
Day 10 – Someone who came into your life unexpected and made an impact.
Day 11 – Put your iPod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 – Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 – Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
Day 14 – A photo of a cherished memory.
Day 15 – 5 people in your life right now who mean the most.
Day 16 – Your views on mainstream music.
Day 17 – Your highs and lows of this past year.
Day 18 – Something that makes you laugh.
Day 19 – Disrespecting your parents.
Day 20 – How important you think education is.
Day 21 – One of your favorite shows.
Day 22 – Something you want to do before you die.
Day 23 – Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
Day 24 – Somewhere you would like to travel.
Day 25 – A photo you took.
Day 26 – What kind of person attracts you.
Day 27 – A problem that you have had.
Day 28 – Something that you miss.
Day 29 – Goals for the next 30 days.
Day 30 – Your highs and lows of this month.

I’ve read from a few sources (and some of them were even reputable) that a woman’s daily calorie intake shouldn’t drop below 1200. However, I’ve been eating ≤1000 calories a day* for the last 4 or 5 weeks, with only the occasional “splurge,” and I feel terrific! I have more energy, my pants fit better, and while I am losing weight, it hasn’t been disturbingly rapid. My hair isn’t falling out, my skin is only as dry as usual, my eyesight is fine. Of course, I don’t plan on doing this long-term, because I LOOOOVE food! The Mayo Clinic calculates my “maintenance” calories at 1500-1600/day once I hit my goal weight, and I will happily indulge in the casino buffet at VLV. I love a buffet (sung to the tune of I Love A Parade). I seem to be eating enough calories to not be malnourished. It’s not as though I’m sipping on Diet Coke and eating a box of Snackwells and calling it a day. I’m eating mostly fresh veggies, fresh fruit, and whole grains. For example, my lunch today was the following salad:

2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup butter beans (canned)
1/2 avocado, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 “dried plums,” diced (remember when they were prunes?)
2 Tbs crumbled feta
2 Tbs ginger-sesame dressing

Dinner tonight of steamed potatoes topped with nonfat yogurt and some salt-free Spike, which brings me up to juuuuuust over 1,000 calories, and I am STUFFED. (For anyone counting, that’s 19.3g of mostly monounsaturated fat, 29.6g fiber, and 28.4g protein).

So I’m wondering… what are the negative effects of eating too few calories over the long term? And how long is long term? What should I be on the lookout for?

_______________

*I mentioned in a post the other day that I’m using LoseIt to track my calories, and while it does suggest a daily caloric intake of just under 1200 for me right now, I am eating fewer than the recommended amounts only because I get distracted, not because I’m crazy. I frequently make plans to save room for some high-calorie, low-nutrition food (Cambozola!) for dessert, and then feel too full or don’t get around to it.