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I am very happy to announce that I lost three pounds my 6th week. I’m now down to 190lbs.

Why is this so special? Because I was bad this past week. I ate a bag of Chips Ahoy! cookies — that’s 170 calories — on two separate occasions. But, I did so intelligently, choosing lower calorie entrees and sides to make up for it.

Another good thing about this week was trying NutriSystem’s Mushroom Risotto. Man, does NutriSystem know how to do vegetarian dishes! I’m not a vegetarian, but I have to admit that all my favorite entrees in NutriSystem seem to be the vegetarian ones.

I was a little skeptical at first. With a name like Mushroom Risotto, I figured it could easily be done blandly or, at worst, with a must like flavor. But, they added vegetarian sausage, giving it a spicy kick. I gobbled it up and wanted to lick the plate!

In other news, I’m gradually adding more movement to my routine. I’m taking the stairs at work when I can, and on Thursday, I walked from the metro station to a conference I had to go to and back (at least three block both ways). The recent change in weather has my knee a little sore, but my ankle is doing much better, so I feel more confident to push my exercise envelope a little. At last, I feel that I’m finally moving forward in my recovery of my body, especially since the accident in April 2005.

Last night, I did a small cheat and had a fortune cookie. The fortune said I would be fortunate in everything I do. I guess it was right.

My mother sits beside me, meditating to the accompaniment of cars driving by on the road behind us. A moderate breeze rustles the leaves of the palm trees and threatens to close the book I’m writing in.

A couple talks quietly to each other on the bench about 10 feet to our right. They are discussing something in the local paper, which he holds. His left arm is about her waist.

People stroll by in front of us, and some stop to admire the view of the sea, which through my darkened glasses is a mixture of blue greens and green blues.

Tranquil waves ruffle its surface, moving westward. Heavy grey clouds line the horizon. It had rained that morning, the clouds have moved out to sea now.

Far past the buoys, a lone boat sits upon the water. Even with binoculars – I carried a small pair from The Nature Conservatory in my purse – I can’t tell what kind.

Later, we walk along the paved paseo and come upon sand sculptures. One work is a portrait of The Simpsons – Homer even holds a real can of Amstel beer and Maggie has a real pacifier in her mouth.

A little further along, are a couple of mythical beasts. One looks like something you’d find in Aztec art, the other is a dragon with sea shell pupils, his nostrils black with soot. Upon closer inspection, I find burnt cans in the holes.

To top the day off, we share some churros y chocolate with my mother’s cousin and aunt.

As I pull the sheets up over me that night, I recall how amazingly relaxing the day was, so different from the world I call home.

Next installment: On to Romania!

Over the weekend, I had to go on a special diet due to a procedure I had to undergo on Tuesday. Saturday and Sunday, I had to cut out all fresh (and canned) fruits and vegetables. On Monday, I could only consume clear liquids. (Guess what? Sprite is not filling!)

That afternoon, the fun began. I started the laxatives to clean my colon for the colonoscopy on Tuesday morning.

I don’t know how bulimics do it. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anyone. My stomach still hurts.

Interesting thing, though. Out of curiosity, I weighed myself both Monday and Tuesday morning. On Monday, I weighed 195lbs. The next morning, I was only 190lbs. I guess I carry around 5lbs of crap!

But, of course, I followed the Nutrisystem plan from Wednesday on and I weighed in at 193 this morning. But that’s still good news – I lost 2lbs this week!

For those of you who don’t know, a colonoscopy is an examination of the large intestine using a long, flexible tube with a light and camera lens at the end, called a colonoscope. Basically, the doctor sticks a camera up your butt to take a look around to make sure everything is O.K. Turns out, I’m O.K.

Hi all! I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news.

The good news is, despite it being the time of the month where I usually gain about 5 lbs, I’ve stayed the same weight as last week. This means in my first four weeks on Nutrisystem, I’ve lost 7 lbs!

The bad news is, I’m 4 lbs heavier than I thought.

Apparently, where you place your scale makes a big difference. I’ve been weighing myself on carpet, but this morning I had to move the scale and this time it was on tile. Four pound difference!

That means when I started this diet, I wasn’t 198 lbs, I was 202 lbs! Yikes! Well, I’m 195 now and I know I’ll catch up this coming week.

Why?

Because, joy of joys, I’m getting a colonoscopy and have to go on an all-liquid diet on Monday. Even better (oh bliss), I have to not eat any fruits or vegetable starting Saturday (tomorrow). I’ll probably drop those 4 extra lbs just like that!

This week I have three winners for you:

1) A dinner entrée from Nutrisystem

2) Yogurts that taste like dessert

3) Me!

I’ll cover this list backwards, if you don’t mind.

3) Me!
I am happy to say I lost three pounds this week. I now weigh in at 191 lbs – and loosing! I was quite surprised because, given certain monthly cycles, I should be retaining water this week. But, I still lost three pounds. Maybe the little bit of exercise – I’ll write about that in another post – is helping.

2) Yogurts that taste like dessert
The Nutrisystem diet plan asks for three servings of dairy or protein a day. For most of these, I’ve been using yogurt, which I happen to be fond of. And lucky for me, local grocery stores have been running superb 20 for $10 sales on various brands of yogurt. So, I’ve been able to try a variety of flavors and styles.

Hands down, Yoplait is the winner. Their Yoplait Light Very Vanilla is like a tart vanilla pudding – creamy, smooth and so very vanilla. Coming in second is Yoplait Light Apple Turnover. It has a creamy texture and a fresh apple flavor, with small apple chunk thrown in.

But best of all, at just 40 calories more than Yoplait Light’s 100, are the Yoplait Whips! My God! While eating the Chocolate Mouse, or even better, Chocolate Raspberry Mouse, I feel like I’ve died and gone to healthy chocolate heaven. On the way in to work today, I even concocted this recipe for a delectable dessert using Yoplait Whips!

Yoplait Parfait for Two

1 6 oz container Yoplait Whips! Raspberry Mousse
1 6 oz container Yoplait Whips! Chocolate Mousse
1 banana, sliced
½ cup sliced strawberries

In two parfait glasses layer the above ingredients in the following order:

1 6 oz container Yoplait Whips! Raspberry Mousse
Strawberries
1 6 oz container Yoplait Whips! Raspberry Mousse
Banana
Repeat

Top with fat free whipped topping. Serve immediately for best presentation, but can be chilled for an hour or two before serving.

1) A dinner entrée from Nutrisystem
Last night I had Nutrisystem’s Pasta Fagioli for dinner. Pasta Fagioli is an Italian peasant dish commonly made with cannellini beans, tomatoes, celery, and seasonings. Usually a soup, Nutrisystem’s version is more of a stew.

Their version is made with a hearty helping of vegetarian sausage, along with fresh tomatoes, carrots, kidney beans and pinto beans. The moment my tongue tasted the spicy, zesty sauce, I was hooked. Who knew vegetarian could be so beefy!