'Tis a beautiful day in this blogger's household. The kids woke up in great moods, I feel rested and healthy (knock on wood), and we have the weekend in front of us. Who can resist a day like this?
I do have a challenge facing me this weekend, or shall I say, several challenges. The first, on Saturday night, is a "girls' night out." We are meeting at a trendy restaurant notorious for their unique (and fattening) spins on homey foods, as well as their decadent desserts. Just eying the menu makes me salivate. Then there are the drinks - specialty mixed drinks, astronomical in sugar and calorie content. What to do? Order the healthiest thing on the menu, I suppose, and stick to water, diet soda, coffee, or tea. Tough, tough choices, especially when I know everyone around me will be indulging to their hearts' content. But then we move to Sunday night, where we are having out best friends over for dinner. Somehow, when we have dinner guests, that is when I'm most likely to munch on crap mindlessly. The popcorn my husband makes for the movie, the cookies my friends bring, the bread we never make for ourselves but bring out for dinner guests...it's all tempting. I still have my choices, and I'm just hoping my willpower reflects my desire to stick to my plan. And then Monday is the last dinner I'll have with my dad and stepmom before they go off to another (cooler) part of the country for the summer. Every year, I know they're leaving, and every year, I get distraught. No stress eating for me, please. Please let me find a better outlet this year.
Meanwhile, here I am, about 6 weeks post Humira. I'm about halfway to my assessment point of 3 months, wherein I decide whether it is working for me. The past few days, the fingers in my right hand have felt bruised and swollen, hot and tender to the touch and my wrists have ached. But it's such a vast improvement from days of hardly being able to walk or even lift a glass that I can hardly complain. After walking too much, my knees will ache, and after holding Thor too long, my shoulders and elbows will stiffen, and all these aches and pains could be cured with the prednisone, but I won't do it. Not unless it becomes unbearable again. I weaned myself off, and would like to stay off.
Last night, I did what almost felt like a cheat, but wasn't. One of our favorite meals around our house is having an steamed artichoke with hollandaise sauce, but of course, hollandaise is out of the question thanks to the entire stick of butter that goes into it. In the past, I've substituted with yogurt, but last night, I decided to up the decadence factor by making a yogurt-based Bearnaise. I mixed 1 cup of fat-free Greek yogurt with 3 egg yolks (I know, I know...not great, but better than the butter it calls for) and mixed in a reduced mixture of 2 tablespoons each of white wine and white vinegar, 1 teaspoon of tarragon (could have used more, actually), and a tablespoon of chopped shallots, and I whisked the mixture on a double boiler until thickened. DELICIOUS. Z (my husband) and Lulu loved it and it tasted like actual Bearnaise sauce but at a fraction of the calories and fat, and with just a little bit of tartness from the yogurt (which could be resolved with a little sweetener, if one chooses). One large artichoke and just a little bit of herb-roasted chicken (for protein), and I was full and satiated.
Tonight is rotisserie chicken night, courtesy of Costco (who, seriously, makes the best rotisserie chicken ever). I might throw a bit (sans skin, of course) over some greens and turn it into a chicken salad. Perhaps Lulu will even follow my lead and do the same.
Finally, today represents a Big Day for me, the day of reaching my first goal (which corresponds to an actual weight, not weight lost, but weight lost is almost 14 pounds). Progress! The next goal (about 6 pounds away) seems like weeks away, but then again, my first goal seemed so far away at some point, too. It's easy to get discouraged, but I just have to set small goals remind myself that with each passing day, I get a little bit closer to my Ultimate Goal (which, in fact, is not 60 pounds, despite my description. Another day will be devoted to why it is not 60 pounds).
Happy Friday the 13th! Hope it's a lucky one for everyone!
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