Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 40: Yes, We Can!
I was hoping that two barriers would be broken though this week—the more important one of course was Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president we've ever had. Watching the election returns with friends Tuesday night, I have to admit I had tears streaming down my face at 11 p.m. Eastern time when CNN and others announced Obama had the requisite 270 electoral votes necessary to become our next president. My son, Will, called from college right then, and though he is just about as cool a customer as president-elect Obama, I thought I even heard a quiver in his voice.
The second barrier I hoped to break this week was seemingly much more mundane: my own personal 240 pound barrier.
I know in the larger scheme of things, breaking this barrier is not very important to many people. But it does really matter to me and the people in my life who would like me to be around long after Obama has served his two terms in office.
Here's the problem with these two barriers breaking at the same time. The election was both stressful and celebratory (at least for me), and those two conditions are not usually conducive to weight loss. Consider the week I had, after the jump.
On Monday, I hosted the ABC Benefit I posted about: New York chefs preparing many rich and delicious Thanksgiving dishes for a great cause. But I was careful and limited myself to a spoonful of Tom Valenti's soft polenta, which is more cream and butter than polenta and therefore a diet killer. I ate half of Thomas Keller's chocolate bouchons, and a single rib from Rack & Soul, one of the better New York barbecue joints. All evening the talk, of course, was about the election.
Yes, you can, Ed Levine. Yes, you can.
On election night, a friend had us up for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, which my wife, Vicky, made from a recipe she found on Serious Eats. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches made for perfect election night fare, and I tried to limit myself to a single sandwich. This soup was awesome, and luckily enough, there was also a great salad on the table. All in all, I thought I restrained myself pretty well given the high anxiety level at the party.
The day after the election, I wanted to bring something into the office to celebrate the outcome. I took the subway to the Doughnut Plant on New York's Lower East Side and ordered a dozen donuts: two peanut butter and jelly; two coconut cream; two roasted chestnut; two blackout doughnuts; two cranberry yeast doughnuts; and two tres leches beauties.
We nibbled on them all day. I only augmented the doughnuts with a cup of vegetarian mushroom bean soup. Did I limit my caloric intake by taking only small bites of various doughnuts? Who knows? I certainly didn't eat as many as I could have.
My daily weigh-ins during the week were not holding much promise. They had me fluctuating between 240 and 242. But when you're as focused as I currently am on losing weight, hope springs eternal. I knew I hadn't overeaten at any occasion, and that gave me cause to be optimistic. So here goes.
The Weigh-In
239. Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
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15 Comments:
The day after the election, I wanted to bring something into the office to celebrate the outcome. I took the subway to the Doughnut Plant on New York's Lower East Side and ordered a dozen donuts: two peanut butter and jelly; two coconut cream; two roasted chestnut; two blackout donuts; two cranberry yeast donuts; and two tres leches beauties.
We nibbled on them all day. I only augmented the donuts with a cup of vegetarian mushroom bean soup. Did I limit my caloric intake by taking only small bites of various donuts. Who knows? I certainly didn't eat as many donuts as I could have.
I am going to be very flip here - but why did you do this? I guess I just don't get it.
You actively chose to get something for the office that was not healthy for anyone. Why?
...And then you are proud of starving yourself on a cup of soup.
I love reading this blog...but it sounds like you have a dysfunctional thing going on.
All I'm saying is, think about it. What did you accomplish? If you don't buy the donuts, they won't ruin anyone's day. How many people in the office felt bad about themselves afterwards?
It just seems to me to be a wrong way to celebrate.
pthom at 10:34AM on 11/07/08
You go Ed! This is an incredibly formidable task given all the wonderful food you are constantly around. Any progress is progress, I broke into a new "handle" as I call it(trading lingo) but was still discouraged because I have a decent amount left that I want to lose....so I have to remember that mantra too, "progress is progress" and I should be proud of myself... And you are doing things in a very healthy way.....I am on a slow path in a lot of things in life, including weight loss..... Keep it up!!!!!!...........Obama's win has definitely brought a huge spirit of hope for a lot of things!!!!
Jbout at 10:35AM on 11/07/08
@pthom, I don't think what we did was dysfuncational at all. We like to celebrate things with food at Serious Eats, and I don't think we're alone in that regard. People loved the donuts, and the joyful vibe they helped create. No one felt bad afterwards. They were happy, because of the donuts AND the election. The key to my losing weight is everything in moderation, and it's working. Halleleujah!
Ed Levine at 11:26AM on 11/07/08
@Ed...I admire you...You're a patient and hearty soul. I get grumpy sometimes just reading the comments on your weight loss posts. LOL
The doughnuts sound great, by the way.
holdthemayo at 11:41AM on 11/07/08
yeah man, pthom, take it easy. it was a truly happy day, ed wanted to celebrate with some donuts! even people on a diet like to splurge sometimes. the important thing is that ed kept on track and lost some more weight. congrats!
sarahlucy at 11:51AM on 11/07/08
Yes you can! IMHO, it's better to lose 1 lb in 1 week and still eating what you love (in moderation), rather than losing more in 1 week but you don't enjoy your life.
Yay for Obama! It was my first time voting and I'm very happy that I'm part of it :D
Mitzy at 12:07PM on 11/07/08
One entire doughnut averages around 250-350 calories, depending on the size and type (unless it is as large as a newborn baby and totally supersized). It's perfectly possible to have a doughnut and some soup for about 500 calories for lunch, which I consider reasonable if you exercise and don't overindulge for your other two meals. If your bites added up to around 350 I don't see what's the problem.
HeartofGlass at 12:27PM on 11/07/08
I think we all lost weight this week. Biting one's nails while watching election coverage certainly counts as a diet aid, hmmm?
sarahbeam at 1:39PM on 11/07/08
@sarahbeam - that, and jumping up and down at 11pm:-)
Back when I worked in an office, we often brought treats to share with co-workers, and occasionally, there would be doughnuts (always for Hanukkah), croissants or biscuits. It never ruined anybody's day and nobody felt bad about themselves afterwards. Perhaps because there is a difference between eating one, once in a while, and eating a dozen every day. Frankly, obsessing like this over having a doughnut seems more dysfunctional than actually having one.
Congratulations Ed, well done!!
brooke29 at 2:30PM on 11/07/08
Congratulations, Ed! You're so determined!
Christina at 3:50PM on 11/07/08
Way to go! I understand what you mean by "anxiety." Take heart - at some point, your good habits will become second nature.
scaevola at 9:17PM on 11/07/08
I think Ed failed to mention the awesomeness of these doughnuts. They were not of the Dunkin variety, but small bites of heaven. And I don't even like doughnuts!
You are doing freakn' great Ed! I like celebrations too. :)
Linnea Covington at 7:30PM on 11/08/08
I thought he was half African-American and half European-American/White. You're writing about him as if he were not biracial. It would be more correct to say that he is the first biracial president or something like that.
Anyway, congrats on the loss!
alesbica at 10:59PM on 11/08/08
Please tell me who is not at least bi-racial? From which planet did the other gene pool come? Are we not all descendants of the original human being?
Congratulations on the weight loss, really and sincerely, but I too don't really get celebrating an election by eating anything, let alone a diet bomb whose empty calories shoved aside the healthy ones.
Judith in Umbria at 6:52AM on 11/09/08
When people bring donuts etc. into the office people indeed eat them and then berate themselves for it so I hear where phtom is coming from. I suppose this blog just isn't the forum for discussing office snacks. But for saying yay ed on his progress.
jenni at 5:27PM on 12/15/08