Strawberry Milkshake - 101 Days of Summer Challenge update and an Anecdote

First, the update on the challenge -

You all remember "the challenge" ... A SMOOTHIE - 101 Day Challenge Diet Food, Really.  For those of you not taking notes and hanging on my every word, I am participating in Biz's 101 Day Challenge.  For details of the challenge, click on the blue letters for the original story.  While most of the people accepting the challenge are dieting and exercising to reach their goals, I am taking a more natural effort, using portion control, walking for exercise and committing to 4 servings of fruits and veggies a day.

Well, it was a bit of a challenge this week.  I found out on Tuesday that we would make an impromptu visit back stateside for mt Mother-in-Laws Birthday.  Check over my posts from the last week to see parties, food, BBQ (hooray) and worst of all.. Driving.


Something about long driving trips (we flew to Kansas and then drove to South Dakota) makes a bag of Doritos taste so much better.  I am terrible about driving.  All those snacks at the gas stations are there because of me.  They are just waiting for me  But, in the spirit of the challenge, I prepacked a cooler of travel goodies... Bananas, oranges and some strawberries got me through my 4 fruits a day goal fine.  We had some leftover BBQ sandwiches and potato salad.  Used portion control to limit to one sandwich and about 1/2 a cup of salad.


Exercising was a little tough to fit in the schedule.  It was easy in Kansas, just walked to the store (round trip, about 2 hours) each morning we were there.  South Dakota was fair, we were there for 4 days, and I made it out only 2.  It rained the other days.  I am used to glorious sunshine 7 days a week.  Walking in the rain was too easy of an excuse, and I just didn't make it out.  So, for the week, I did my best at portion control... I did eat my 4 servings of fruit and veggies... But only 5 of 7 days exercise.  I give myself a passing grade.

OK, here's my anecdote for the week.  Most of my fellow challengees are measuring their success or failure by weight.  It is easy to measure, and all those health charts let us know where we should be (you know, one size fits all charts).  Personally, while I have been known to chain myself to a scale; weighing myself three times a day when I was Weight Watching, eating Adkins' proteins or traveling to South Beach.  Since being forced to live a life of Moondoggie here in St Thomas, I do not have a scale, and have broken the addiction cold turkey.  I went cold turkey, and like cigarettes, it is a hard habit to break.  Back in Kansas for a day or two, it was tempting to jump on the scale and measure my success.


But I didn't... Jackie did.


Me, I feel better, my clothes fit better, I have more energy (this is all measured either from a year ago, or from when i landed on the island 3 months ago, or from the start of the challenge.  Either way, by those measurements, I am slowly succeeding).  

Since landing on the island, my wife also feels better, her clothes fit better and she has more energy.  We swim at least 6 days a week (often 7).  we walk more, and have been eating more fruit.  She eats the same proportions I do (or less).  She is rocking my experimental system!  If Jackie will forgive me getting personal, she has been bothered by a little cottage cheese on the back of her thighs (cellulite) for years.  Hey, she's over 50, it happens.  But since we got to the island, since she moves it around a little more, she has lost a lot of the cheese.  I have a few cruel pictures that I would never show that because of the angle, or the lighting, or in her opinion, her fat thighs, the cellulite looks especially bad.  I have a photo that I recently took that really makes her thighs look good.  Almost no cellulite.  She was thrilled and commented on the photo... over and over again she commented.  But I digress...


By every IMPORTANT measure of success, she is succeeding.  


Except one.


You guessed it.  When we were home, she jumped on the scale, expecting a 5-10 pound weight loss (yes, I am 50 pounds over weight, and my wife is 5 pounds over weight... shut up).  Well, she lost zero pounds.  Didn't gain any, but didn't lose any.  She was a little depressed the whole weekend.  Friends and family would tell her how good she looked, she would tell her mother how good she feels, but it always digressed into her story about how much she has not lost.  Instead of thrilled with the positive results of our ongoing challenge, she is depressed about the most irrelevant measurement.


I feel great.  I happy.  I eat with abandon... Jackie thinks she needs to diet.


She even turned down one of these...



A strawberry milkshake, made with REAL ice cream, and REAL milk.  Rich, creamy and delicious.


And a little bit healthy.


Quick story, we do not ever get ice cream.  It can take up to an hour to get from store to fridge here, so ice cream is out.  BUT, since we were taking a cab from the airport, I asked the driver to stoop at the grocery so I could get ice cream... A real treat.


And sometimes, you need a little treat to break that feeling of deprivation dieter's get.  

Now, I am not one to sacrifice taste for calories.  I would rather have a small portion of a GREAT tasting item than a HUGE portion of diet food.  But this little beauty has just a bit of high calories (the ice cream), surrounded by a delicious tasting low fat yogurt and fruit... Really, a wonderful tasting possibly low, but definitely lower calorie "treat"!


Here's what I did...


1/2 cup REAL Ice Cream
(It's like gold, I have to make this carton last for 8 more weeks, 1/2 cup and only a half cup)


a container of Yogurt.
I am in love with the brand showing, rich tasting and creamy and as an afterthought, it is "light"


1 cup of Strawberries


Milk as needed to make a smooth shake.


Toss in a blender and take it out to the beach to remember how lucky I am (I get to spend my time in paradise with my beloved cottage cheese thighed wife)!

She deserves a kiss on the ass (another great way to burn calories, but this is getting too long, so no details on that tip (maybe next week)...