I arrive in at 7:40, and, as usual, I'm the first one in. I figure if you're not actually going to do your job, you may as well show up on time every day to - er - not do it. LOL!
As the 'puter boots up, I gets me my free Flavia coffee...usually just pure Colombia but today 1/2 Colombia and 1/2 Breakfast Blend. (I was choosing Decaf for a while shortly after the first hospital visit in December...but my medications practically require me to get the full octane stuff...lest I be declared narcoleptic!)
I've laid out my lunch bag contents for your analysis:
My precious Dynamic Duo of the early A.M.: My cup of java and single Nonni's biscotti...today's biscotti choice: Originali. I have all the Nonni flavors in stock at home. Now, biscotti is not exactly "diet" food, but it is one of the simple pleasures I allow. For it's flavor content and the sweet satisfaction it provides, it doesn't go over the top. It's a treasured morning ritual that is even noticed by my co-workers...they know that first, before all else, I must have my biscotti and coffee time! This one biscotti contains 110 calories. (The coffee, with no cream or sugar, is zero!:)
I usually have my biscotti and coffee first thing...around 7:50 - 8:00. Either I've drunk all the coffee by 8:30, or I've only had half. That's how it goes. I either crave it and need several cups to get going, or just enough to dunk my biscotti. Today, it's all the way, Baby! I'll be headin' to the ol' Flavia machine again before long. I took 2 Benedryls last night so I need to smack down the lingering effects.
Now it's time for Breakfast, Part 2: The packet of Quaker Lower-Sugar instant oatmeal. Today's variety: Maple and brown sugar. Oatmeal lowers bad cholesterol, and has a lot of fiber. I throw the contents of the pouch into a paper cup, add hot water and about 4 Splenda packets and wha la...a filling and nutritious 135 sin-lessly sweet calorie tummy treat!
The plastic Mobil "On the Run" cup once held convenience store fountain-service Diet Coke but I kept it and now, each day, it holds my ubiquitous ice water. See the quantity? - 64 ounces. I'll finish this whole cup and probably another before the day is out. I refill it from the water/ice dispenser in the breakroom. This is an essential key to my weight loss...lots of water!
For lunch, at 11:30 (it's a little early, but that's what I got so I live with it) I have my Glad container-full of salad. I usually have this every day and it is usually composed of the following: organic Romaine lettuce, sliced Vidalia onion, Claussen pickle slices, organic broccoli florettes, vine-ripe tomato wedges and Hannover chickpeas. Dressing is usually "light" (lower fat) and varies day to day. I have on hand in my fridge about 10 different kinds to keep it interesting. Today's dressing: Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. Note the reddish-orange tint? That's a healthy sprinkling of Zatarain's Creole Seasoning...Yum! Gotta have me some 'Nawlins up in there! Calorie count: 252.
Most days, I have a Michelina's Lean Gourmet frozen entree, but today, I have this: Tuna salad made with Bumble Bee Albacore white tuna in water, chopped celery, green pepper and onion, chopped hard-boiled egg, a splash of Crystal Louisiana hot sauce, Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil (reduced fat) and a sprinkle or two of Zatarain's seasoning. Yummy! I'll probably eat this right out of the container I put it in, but I could put it on one of the Quaker rice cakes you see wrapped in Saran Wrap. (Am I hoping to get some swag for all this obvious brand-name dropping?) The other rice cake will be for the little Mix O' Toppings I put in a virtually empty container of Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese. There's a teaspoon of that, a teaspoon of Smart Balance creamy peanut butter and 2 teaspoons of Polaner sugar-free grape jelly. Total calories for lunch: 317
Since lunch is so early, by 2:30 - 3:00 or so, I need a bit more of something...here's where the Lipton Cup-O-Soup comes in. Today's flavor: Classic Chicken Noodle. Sadly, due to high sodium concerns, I am such a salt freak now (though trying to wean off of it) I have to aggrandize my cup of soup with a teaspoon of Maggi chicken broth powder. Now my "healthy" cup of warm mid-day goodness is still low in calories...only 75...but is suddenly a hypertension bomb: Sodium: 1670mg...that's 76% USDA recommended DAILY value...in one 8 ounce cup! Zikes!
So, all totaled, today's lunch bag contains a smidge over 900 calories to carry me through 5:00. Usually this breakfast/lunch totals no more than 800. This gives me a balance of 700 to 800 left for the remainder of the day. Depending on the day, I can usually stay within budget.
Okay, so here's the scoop on my cubicle shelf menagerie: There's a plastic touristy snow globe from the Grand Canyon, a rainbow colored origami wheel given to me by Marshall before he decided to "Go West", a ceramic mini-vase that used to hold a little bamboo plant that lasted a surprisingly long time despite never watering it...then I decided to water it and it died soon after. The "award certificates". All the members of the O.C. (original crew) got them a few months after the start up of the department here, so they're nothing extraordinary. There's the seashells and seaweed thermometer, in water and encased in Lucite, from Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts. A miniature BMW convertible and a Holland America cruise lines mint case from Cruises-n-More. (No longer any mints, just contains some emergency Benedryls and a glipizide pill given to me by Jim, who used to work here, if my sugar ever got too high). Also, some origami Star Wars ship models (also by Marshall), some assorted fridge magnets with a Coke theme and a couple, again, from the Grand Canyon (the most notable trip, other than New Orleans, of the past few years...New Orleans, BTW, is represented by a Voodoo doll refrigerator magnet off-camera further to the left of this shot). All surrounding the plastic figurines of that villain kid from "The Incredibles", General Grievous and, of course, Jar Jar Binks. He's my favorite, so I greet him, not the others.
So this is my routine, played out in my "cell" each workday. Such is my life...Welcome!
As the 'puter boots up, I gets me my free Flavia coffee...usually just pure Colombia but today 1/2 Colombia and 1/2 Breakfast Blend. (I was choosing Decaf for a while shortly after the first hospital visit in December...but my medications practically require me to get the full octane stuff...lest I be declared narcoleptic!)
I've laid out my lunch bag contents for your analysis:
My precious Dynamic Duo of the early A.M.: My cup of java and single Nonni's biscotti...today's biscotti choice: Originali. I have all the Nonni flavors in stock at home. Now, biscotti is not exactly "diet" food, but it is one of the simple pleasures I allow. For it's flavor content and the sweet satisfaction it provides, it doesn't go over the top. It's a treasured morning ritual that is even noticed by my co-workers...they know that first, before all else, I must have my biscotti and coffee time! This one biscotti contains 110 calories. (The coffee, with no cream or sugar, is zero!:)
I usually have my biscotti and coffee first thing...around 7:50 - 8:00. Either I've drunk all the coffee by 8:30, or I've only had half. That's how it goes. I either crave it and need several cups to get going, or just enough to dunk my biscotti. Today, it's all the way, Baby! I'll be headin' to the ol' Flavia machine again before long. I took 2 Benedryls last night so I need to smack down the lingering effects.
Now it's time for Breakfast, Part 2: The packet of Quaker Lower-Sugar instant oatmeal. Today's variety: Maple and brown sugar. Oatmeal lowers bad cholesterol, and has a lot of fiber. I throw the contents of the pouch into a paper cup, add hot water and about 4 Splenda packets and wha la...a filling and nutritious 135 sin-lessly sweet calorie tummy treat!
The plastic Mobil "On the Run" cup once held convenience store fountain-service Diet Coke but I kept it and now, each day, it holds my ubiquitous ice water. See the quantity? - 64 ounces. I'll finish this whole cup and probably another before the day is out. I refill it from the water/ice dispenser in the breakroom. This is an essential key to my weight loss...lots of water!
For lunch, at 11:30 (it's a little early, but that's what I got so I live with it) I have my Glad container-full of salad. I usually have this every day and it is usually composed of the following: organic Romaine lettuce, sliced Vidalia onion, Claussen pickle slices, organic broccoli florettes, vine-ripe tomato wedges and Hannover chickpeas. Dressing is usually "light" (lower fat) and varies day to day. I have on hand in my fridge about 10 different kinds to keep it interesting. Today's dressing: Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. Note the reddish-orange tint? That's a healthy sprinkling of Zatarain's Creole Seasoning...Yum! Gotta have me some 'Nawlins up in there! Calorie count: 252.
Most days, I have a Michelina's Lean Gourmet frozen entree, but today, I have this: Tuna salad made with Bumble Bee Albacore white tuna in water, chopped celery, green pepper and onion, chopped hard-boiled egg, a splash of Crystal Louisiana hot sauce, Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil (reduced fat) and a sprinkle or two of Zatarain's seasoning. Yummy! I'll probably eat this right out of the container I put it in, but I could put it on one of the Quaker rice cakes you see wrapped in Saran Wrap. (Am I hoping to get some swag for all this obvious brand-name dropping?) The other rice cake will be for the little Mix O' Toppings I put in a virtually empty container of Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese. There's a teaspoon of that, a teaspoon of Smart Balance creamy peanut butter and 2 teaspoons of Polaner sugar-free grape jelly. Total calories for lunch: 317
Since lunch is so early, by 2:30 - 3:00 or so, I need a bit more of something...here's where the Lipton Cup-O-Soup comes in. Today's flavor: Classic Chicken Noodle. Sadly, due to high sodium concerns, I am such a salt freak now (though trying to wean off of it) I have to aggrandize my cup of soup with a teaspoon of Maggi chicken broth powder. Now my "healthy" cup of warm mid-day goodness is still low in calories...only 75...but is suddenly a hypertension bomb: Sodium: 1670mg...that's 76% USDA recommended DAILY value...in one 8 ounce cup! Zikes!
So, all totaled, today's lunch bag contains a smidge over 900 calories to carry me through 5:00. Usually this breakfast/lunch totals no more than 800. This gives me a balance of 700 to 800 left for the remainder of the day. Depending on the day, I can usually stay within budget.
Okay, so here's the scoop on my cubicle shelf menagerie: There's a plastic touristy snow globe from the Grand Canyon, a rainbow colored origami wheel given to me by Marshall before he decided to "Go West", a ceramic mini-vase that used to hold a little bamboo plant that lasted a surprisingly long time despite never watering it...then I decided to water it and it died soon after. The "award certificates". All the members of the O.C. (original crew) got them a few months after the start up of the department here, so they're nothing extraordinary. There's the seashells and seaweed thermometer, in water and encased in Lucite, from Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts. A miniature BMW convertible and a Holland America cruise lines mint case from Cruises-n-More. (No longer any mints, just contains some emergency Benedryls and a glipizide pill given to me by Jim, who used to work here, if my sugar ever got too high). Also, some origami Star Wars ship models (also by Marshall), some assorted fridge magnets with a Coke theme and a couple, again, from the Grand Canyon (the most notable trip, other than New Orleans, of the past few years...New Orleans, BTW, is represented by a Voodoo doll refrigerator magnet off-camera further to the left of this shot). All surrounding the plastic figurines of that villain kid from "The Incredibles", General Grievous and, of course, Jar Jar Binks. He's my favorite, so I greet him, not the others.
So this is my routine, played out in my "cell" each workday. Such is my life...Welcome!