Weddingbee Blog

Having friends over to eat is one of our super bad ass budget and diet tricks. It gives us control over the menu, the cost, gives us incentive to keep our place presentable (which, clutternuts that we are, is quite helpful), and allows us all to enjoy a leisurely meal and great conversation in a cozy atmosphere. Some people find entertaining to be a high-stress race against the clock, but I have found that with some creativity, doing dinner in can be easy, breezy, and, well, entertaining!

The other day we had planned a lovely meal for some friends who had to cancel at the last minute, but we didn’t let that put too much of a damper on our plans - we just turned it into an impromptu, light and refreshing date night in! It’s hot as an oven here in LA, and we were coming from across town to make dinner in a hurry, so we had already honed in on light, fresh, no-cook dishes that take less than 5 minutes to make.

The menu:

• Marvelous Minted Pea Soup (served chilled)
• Heavenly Herbed Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Mouthwatering Watermint delight

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Okay. It’s time to be real about this detox.

It. Is. Hideous.

The food is pretty foul, despite many of their deceptively delicious sounding names. Cucumber, basil, and lime juice? Shudder. Teriyaki chicken and steamed greens? Tastes like bung when made with 1/2 balsamic vinegar and 1/2 agave syrup.

Am I eating chicken? Am I licking a toad’s rear end? Who knows.

Day 1 was quite the tease. A nice salad for lunch, a handful of nuts for a snack, soup for dinner. While it doesn’t sound substantial, it was actually a great day. The salad was yummy, the soup, tolerable. And I likes me some roasted pumpkin seeds!

I could do this.
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Do you GOOP? If you haven’t heard of GOOP yet, it’s a weekly lifestyle newsletter sent out by Gwyneth Paltrow. She writes about all kinds of things; each week focuses on a specific topic, like her favorite restaurants in LA, NY, and London, to her favorite cookie recipes, to gift ideas, to an extended discussion of “frenemies”. Some of it is fascinating, some of it I totally can’t relate to, but all in all, I love receiving the GOOP newsletter in my inbox once a week. A few weeks ago, the newsletter’s topic was a 1 week detox program that focused on resting your digestive system and expelling toxins from your body, while not actually starving yourself.

Ever since Mrs. Canary did the Blueprint Cleanse, I’ve wanted to participate in a detox program. Now that I’ve moved away from my parents’ house, I’ve also moved away from my gym, and eating with my 30 year old husband is very different from eating with my 60 year old parents who are hell bent on watching their cholesterol. After a nasty bout with E.Coli a few years back, my kidneys and bladder are a little bit damaged, and I find myself having to go pee 3-4 times a night, which is horrible for my sleeping patterns. Between my change in diet, leaving my gym, and my pee habits, I knew I wanted to give my insides a jump start. But the price tag of Blueprint was hard to swallow, and while I was ready to get on board and do it, Mr. Penguin refused to participate with the $85 a day price tag per person. And I knew I couldn’t go through a cleanse without a partner… especially if my partner was eating normal foods while I was cleansing. So, when GOOP’s detox newsletter came out, I showed the plan and recipes to Mr. Penguin, and he said he’d definitely get on board with this one.

As a disclaimer, you should discuss any sort of detox program you start with your doctor!

Last night, we purchased the food needed for the first 5 days of the program, using the recipes provided. It was an epic shopping trip. Check out our loot:
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Remember when I was on a mission to lose weight? I was doing pretty darn well… 20 lbs. down. My, how things have changed since the wedding!

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I found myself not caring about going to get a meal at Chick Fil-A, eating ice cream everyday, and only working out 1-2 times a week, if that. What happened to me? I gained 10, count that, 10 POUNDS back since the wedding. Yes, our wedding that was a little over a month ago. Just a month! How did that happen?
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I promise I’ll start my official wedding recaps soon; I’m just waiting for the pictures to come in. Until then, I’m cooking up some great wedding fodder for you all. Including…

Back by popular demand… Flab to Fab! That’s right kids. After losing 20lbs leading up to the wedding, I am determined to not fall back into my lazy, food-addicted, compulsive and guilt-ridden ways. I achieved my dream of being a buff bride, but I still want to be a hawt newlywed, yo! Who says marriage is the time to let go?

I admit, I fell off the wagon with a loud *clunk* for the month after the wedding. Lots of excuses abound, mainly my sprained ankle and post-wedding blues. But enough is enough. I’ve gained back 6lbs and I’m saying the flab stops here!

How am I getting back on track, you ask? Welp chillins, let’s have some show and tell, why don’t we?

1. Friend-spiration. There are so many great weight-loss and fitness blogs around the internets, but my favorite new one is Bikini by 30. Sure, maybe I’m biased because this gal is my friend, but she’s also a real, funny and interesting woman working to overcome bad habits and replace with new goodness. Check it. Got one to recommend?

2. Some new food goodies to shake things up. Variety is the “do” of diets. If I don’t try new things, I burn out. Fast. Meet my new lunchy lust.
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I have to say that one thing that I will never forget about our wedding (and weekend) was how I felt. I can honestly say, that from the inside out, I glowed. I felt it in my bones, I felt it in my skin, and by the end of the day I could feel it in my smile because it was so tired.

Unlike the ultra-fabulous Meatball, Ballet Flat, and Joey, I was a bit more covert about my plan to find my bridal glow and my flab to fab plan. I think it stems from years of feeling self conscious about my body and my weight. But I think it’s about time I shed my inner fear and let you all in on my adventure to get my glow on.

Here’s Part 1 of my Flab to Fab Plan:

Growing up I was an uber athlete. I did gymnastics for 30 hours a week until I was 16 and then my body just started to hurt. I could tell that the bending and flexing was putting a strain on my body. It took a knee injury to unearth the truth; a MRI confirmed that I had the knees of a 40 year old woman!! AT 16!!! I kept up workouts and exercising until I went to college.

My first year of college, I stopped exercising and started eating and drinking. The pounds came on and on and on.

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It wasn’t until I graduated that I realized how unhealthy I’d become.
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Let me introduce you to the newest wedding related word in my vocabulary:

Snackrifice - giving up snacks to fit into that perfect (yet unforgiving) white dress.

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I’ve been trying to cut back on the snacking habits as of late but I’m SO bad at it.
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It’s true, I’m back on US soil! It’s taken a bit of time for me to adjust to not only the time, but simply being back in America. It’s easy to forget after awhile just how different the US and the UK can be. For example, since being home, I spent almost 2 hours grocery shopping just to fill a tiny basket (the store was so big!) and the other day I turned down the left side of a median in to a shopping plaza… way to go.

I also have some fantastic news to share with you (I mean, aside from the fact I can go to bee meet-ups now).

1. Mr. D had his interview at the London Embassy and currently has a K1 visa in his passport! Woo hooo!!! He’ll be flying over on July 4th and we can legally stay together. Legally stay together for 90 days that is, because that’s how long Fiance Visas are good for. Then we’ll apply for the next step of immigration. I’m having Mr. D write up his experience to share with you all, since I flew home 2 days before his interview.
2. I LOST 30 pounds! Yes, 30 pounds. I searched the internet to give you a visual representation of 30 pounds. This fish? 30 pounds. I LOST THAT FISH.

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How did this happen?

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*ahem* Could I have everyone’s attention please? I have an announcement to make.

(the crowd hushes as Miss Meatball hops aboard a milk crate and picks up a megaphone made out of, well, cardboard)

I’ve lost 17 lbs since JANUARY, yo!!!!!! I made that flab my bitch. I took it to school, then I took it home, and then I punished it! ’Memba my goal to lose 2 sizes in 5 months? CHECK. In fact, I’m fitting into clothes that I haven’t worn since senior year of undergrad, and have gotten below my “plateau weight” - you know, that number on the scale you can never seem to drop below? Well, I just did!

I’m in shock. I guess I shouldn’t be, after 5 months of Tiger and Jilian whooping my ass, inventing my healthy-stealthy meals, and having you wonderful readers to hold me accountable. But, still, I look in the mirror and I can’t believe the difference. I look younger. Much younger. I feel much younger. More comfortable. Stronger. More “me” than I’ve felt in years. While I know he loves me at any size, Mr. M looks at me now and I can see myself reflected differently there and I love the way that feels. I feel (gasp) SEXY!

I didn’t weigh myself at all this whole time, so stepping on the scale the other day was such an enormous payoff. I’m the kind of girl who is always losing and gaining 5lbs, so I needed a more significant result to feel motivated, and this was it.
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We’ve talked about a few of my more minor issues… but the biggest issue for me to face is one that affects every aspect of my health: my eating habits.

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I’m a pretty healthy person in a lot of ways. I don’t smoke, I’m not a big drinker, and I try to make it to the gym 3-4 times a week. I do pretty well at watching my caloric intakes and I generally keep my weight within 10 lbs of a healthy range for my height.

So what’s the issue?
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There are lots of reasons that motivate people to lose weight. For some (like Ash is Fit) it’s a wedding, for others, it’s to be able to play with their soon-to-be born children without getting winded, and for Seth Rogan, it’s to play the Green Hornet. For me? It’s a combination of things. I’m tired of being overweight, and I was blaming my knee surgery for avoiding exercise (it was 2 years ago, I need to get over it). I don’t want my wedding pictures to feature an overweight stranger, and most importantly, I have an audition in June for a local dance company. I want to be back to my fit, healthy, and dancing self.

Here are a few blogs that continue to inspire me:

I first saw Tyler on the Consumerist. I started following his blog, and then I was inspired by him - he’s gone from 344 pounds to 279 pounds in 13 weeks. He writes about his weight loss journey and blogs about his calories, weight, exercise, and everything in between. He even posts pictures about himself and clearly has more cajones than I do. He has run a 1 minute pledge on his blog - for every comment, he promised to work out for 1 minute on the elliptical at level 14 (he ended up with over 90 comments!). Sure, he’s not losing weight for his wedding, but that doesn’t stop him from inspiring me!

My other favorite weight loss blog (which Miss Ballet Flat also loves) is Ash is Fit. I recently checked out her cooking site and tweaked her Chili Bean Burgers. Mr. D (a meat lover) actually begged me to make them again that same week! Ashley has lost almost 80 pounds in 2 years, and was motivated to lose weight for her wedding. I always figure if Ashley can shred levels 2 and 3 back to back, then I can at least do level 1 or 2 back to back.
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Like many other brides before me, I have been workin’ on my fitness so I can be a super sexy lady come wedding time. And so far, I’ve been doing really well. I’ve been sticking to my workout regimen, and I’ve seen some great results!

But I have a downfall. And oh, what a downfall it is!

Yes, the delicious monkey clinging to my back is none other than the lovely, tart yet sweet Sour Patch Kids. Om nom nom!

Oh Sour Patch Kids, why can’t I quit you?!

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This week was a great wake-up call. I got back on the horse, strengthened my resolve, and am trucking away again. I still need to step it up on my own between workouts with my trainer, so that’s my new goal this week. That, and to come up with new and delicious recipes, because a bored belly leads me straight to dining out, and that’s no bueno for my waistline, or my pocketbook!

Here are a few fun tips I’ve discovered along the way:

1. Bac-Os are a vegetarian-friendly, tasty addition to anything. We put them in eggs, on pizza, in pasta, or just about anywhere we could use an injection of smoky, salty goodness. Oh man, in a frittata, they swell up and get really deliciously chewy. Yeah.
2. Raw almonds are a great way to quench hunger while out running errands, and can be vital in avoiding those sugar-crash induced fast food runs. I keep a baggie at my desk, in my car, and in my purse for emergency snacking. 1 almond = 10 calories, so it’s easy to portion and munch! Bonus: they’re high in good fats to keep your skin and hair looking fly, and your heart pumping healthily!
3. Next time you’re making pasta, try skipping the cheese, and instead mush some tofu in there. The tofu absorbs the flavor of whatever is around it, and the consistency is very similar - but you’ll pump up the protein, and fizzle down the fat in your meal, easily!
4. Keep an ample supply of frozen veggies around. Toss them in whatever you’re making. Frozen vegetables retain their nutrients better than fresh ones that are a few days old, and they’re already chopped and prepped for you! They are a great filler, make your meals feel more satisfying, and they’ll bump up your fiber intake.
5. Bananas are a great sweet snack or dessert. They’re rich in potassium, which helps quell muscle soreness after a big workout, and they’re portable! I love them fresh in my morning cereal, with a tablespoon of peanut butter for a power snack, or baked for a sweet and succulent, but low-calorie dessert.
6. Chocolate flavored lip gloss is sometimes all the dessert you need. Just having the smell and a tiny taste of it there can satisfy my sweet tooth in a pinch. I recommend Essence of Beauty Lip Frosting in Dutch Chocolate. Deeeeeelish.

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A master of the Master Cleanse, that is. Okay, maybe I’m a novice, because it was my first cleanse/fast/detox, or whatever, but I succeeded.

This blog post is by no means telling you to do a cleanse/fast/detox, or what have you. I’m just letting you know my experience with it, because hey, it’s part of my journey. So let us journey…

As most of you know, I can’t work while I’m in the UK. This gives me a fair amount of free time (in other words, all my time). There is definitely ample time to try things like the Master Cleanse. I have a confession for you guys… are you ready for it?

I actually enjoyed the Master Cleanse.

The cleanse gave me time to consider my relationship with food, what food I enjoy, how food affects my mental state, how/when/why I consume food. I realized that a lot of the time I eat, I’m not actually eating because I’m hungry, I’m actually eating because I’m bored, emotional, or worse, out of habit. Yes, that’s right, I’ve actually been eating food because it’s a habit. At this point I realized, ’WTF have I been doing?!’ Mr. D and I always get popcorn at the movies (habit), and he also enjoys garlic bread with pasta, so I eat it too (more carbs habit). Not to mention, I also realized the portions I’ve been consuming are out of this world. If I’ve been surviving/thriving on 1-2 liters of the MC, juice then why have I been overstuffing myself?

When my grandmother passed away it was the first day of the cleanse, and all I wanted to do after I spoke to my mother was to drown myself in macaroni and cheese (emotional habit).
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