What We Eat: A Tour Through Our Kitchens and Dining Rooms

Stop Losing and Win is based on two natural acts: eating and moving. Here we address the eating aspect of weight maintenance but we promise to come back to movement in a few weeks. There is nothing magical about maintenance—we are not doing anything extraordinary to keep the weight off, but we have, over the years, retrained ourselves on how and what we eat. How includes the context in which we eat such as the place setting and the room; the amount of time we dedicate to the meal: and who we choose to share our meals with. The what is the substance of the meal such as ingredients, preparation, and presentation. It sounds complicated, but all of these components magically come together to create what we call a meal.

What Marji Eats

To prepare an evening meal, I generally start with the produce. What vegetables will we have? I then choose a main course which can be the traditional American meat or fish, or a protein-intensive dish like coq au Riesling, a family favorite. I often make dishes or casseroles that combine a protein source with lots and lots of veggies such as black bean chili, eggplant parmesan, or fajitas. We like salads and will have one, loaded down with beans, chicken breast, or hardboiled eggs with lots of beautiful cut vegetables—light on the salad dressing, of course. Speaking of vegetables, we love them roasted—roasting brings out the natural sweetness and just the right texture. We enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. After most meals, I like to have fruit, but I’m often full after dinner, so I skip it.

And what about context? My partner and I break all the rules and eat in front of the TV. We lay out our beautiful meal on pretty placemats with matching napkins, so we’re not complete monsters, and we interact and talk about our day. I’m not sure how long a meal lasts in our household, but we certainly take our time and savor each delicious bite. Meals at our house are both fun and nutritious, but we didn’t always eat this way. A few years ago cheeses and pastas and sauces would have played the leading roles.

What Karen Eats

I learned during the year it took to follow WW and lose that last 30 lbs, eat breakfast like royalty!  I had been going to sleep feeling fairly hungry during that time and was ready to do breakfast as soon as we woke up.  We either load up on an ever-shifting variety of veggies with eggs or make a pot of old-fashioned oats with ground flax or chia seeds topped with a couple of eggs plus 1 ½ T. of good quality ground Romano cheese.  (our oats: 2 1/4 cups water, one cup oats, 2 T. of seeds, cook on stovetop until done… John gets 2/3rds, I get 1/3.) On alternate days, John uses a little good quality olive oil, sautés zucchini, onion, mushrooms, pepper, greens…whatever is available, and then scrambles eggs into the mixture. Sometimes he will make a spinach and feta omelet, a real treat. This is the one meal we have planned for each day, and it really does see me through.  When I was still losing weight, I would begin to feel hungry again as soon as 10:30 or 11:00.  Now I can make it to lunch time and beyond.

Typically, I will make soup in our Instant Pot for lunch.  It’s good to have it prepared ahead of time and the varieties are endless.  Most often I make a legume-based soup with lots of veggies and perhaps a few ounces of ham or chorizo for flavoring.  Other options are winter squash soups or chicken or turkey made from a roast with leftover brown rice, onions, carrots, and celery added.  When I do have soup with rice, I think in terms of a half-cup serving of rice for my portion.

We take a wine break later in the afternoon, and catch up on a taped TV show.  I thoroughly enjoy my glass of white.  It is good to be retired!

Dinner will be based on a lean protein source such as chicken, beef, pork loin, fish, or tofu.  Veggies are always front and center with a salad, stir fry or substantial side.  Our salads are often made with our ubiquitous bean salad, adding chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper and such, topped with a splash of extra balsamic vinegar.  Again, I count on legumes to help me feel full and give me a substantial carbohydrate source since I am most honestly gluten intolerant. 

I enjoy fruit throughout the day, most often having a banana mid-morning, or an apple in the afternoon.  It depends on what is in season.  I typically will have a treat after dinner, like a small square of really good dark chocolate or a couple of ginger snaps with tea. 

This works for me.  I still think in terms of serving sizes and foods that do not have assigned points from my WW days, but I don’t count or track now.  The appetite and brain have come to an agreement about what to eat at home, and the scale says all is well.