Saturday, May 23, 2015

May 23rd, 2015 I'll Pretend It's The Wrong Color

May 23rd, 2015 I'll Pretend It's The Wrong Color

I really needed a pair of jeans. I only had one pair that fit properly. The same could be said thirteen months ago, but for opposite reasons. Back then, all of my jeans were too small. Now, all of them are too big. It's a very nice "problem" to have. I found a big sale and ended up with two new pair of size 36 waist jeans for less than the price I expected to pay for one pair.

Holding them up in the fitting room, my brain doesn't compute properly. It's very interesting. I hold them up and think, no way will these fit--there's just no way. Then they do. I also tried a size 34 and no--not ready for that size. But the 36's, yes-those work well.

I wanted a sport coat. But as I shopped, I had the thought--why am I not at a thrift store? I immediately decided to check out thrift shops first for sport coats. I'll do that soon.

I'm not a good clothes shopper. I don't enjoy it. I didn't enjoy it when I was at my heaviest and I still don't. It was fun fitting into those jeans and getting a great deal. But I didn't spend a lot of time in the shopping process. I'm an "in and out" shopper. I know what I want, I find it--try it on, if it fits, I'm checking out and leaving. If it doesn't fit, I'll pretend it's the wrong color. 

I made today a rest day in the exercise department. It wasn't the plan, but I'm okay with the decision. I was up earlier than I wanted to be this morning and I've been overly tired pretty much all day. Let's just say, it didn't take much inner dialogue for me to accept the unintended rest day. 

I was exchanging text support messages Friday with a support buddy who shared their plan to enjoy fried catfish this weekend. I love fried catfish. LOVE IT. So I declared I would have some, too! I stopped by the store and picked up some fresh catfish. It's cheap around here! I bought more than enough for two meals for just under five dollars. I used corn meal and some of the leftover gluten free flour in my pantry to coat each piece, then fried 'em in canola oil. Determining the calorie count is a challenge with something like this.

First of all, I did some research for calorie counts and portion sizes at popular restaurants offering catfish. That gave me a fairly good idea. Then I weighed the raw catfish. That's the easy part. The harder part is determining how much corn meal and flour is being used--and how much of the canola oil will be absorbed during cooking.

I determine how much prep ingredients remain after preparation and cooking and that gives me a fairly accurate guesstimate.  Then I compare my determination with the calorie counts from the popular restaurants. Is it close? Yes. Is it perfect? NO. Is it okay to be close enough? By all means.

The fried catfish was worth the effort!

My evening has included doing weather coverage breaks for the radio station. We're under a flood warning tonight. I'm hitting the pillow thoroughly wore out and confident in the elements of my day.

My Tweets Today:






















Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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8 comments:

  1. life coach Gerri Helms, PCC, CCCMay 24, 2015 at 8:37 AM

    I want to see a picture of you in the jeans. My hubs wears that size!

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    1. Sean AndersonMay 26, 2015 at 7:03 AM

      In all fairness, they are Old Navy--and the "loose fit" variety. BUT-- They're 36! :) I'll get some pictures soon!

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  2. dupsterMay 24, 2015 at 10:31 AM

    That catfish looks delicious. The hardest part is determining how much oil is absorbed, as you said. But it's important to have that occasional treat too, so I hope you enjoyed it mightily. Size 36!? Wow! Are you wearing a tux for daughter's wedding? Hope it fits. But if it doesn't, it's much easier to take things in, then to let them out!

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    1. Sean AndersonMay 26, 2015 at 7:07 AM

      Oh my-- yes, the catfish was absolutely incredible! The trick, I believe, in absorbing the least amount of the oil--is in making sure it's hot enough. Then, patting with paper towels afterward... When the oil isn't hot enough--you can taste the oil in the food. When it is, you can't taste the oil, just the food. Soooo good!!
      I am wearing a tux, yes!! Can't wait! It'll be the same size I wore at the wedding I emceed a few weeks ago. It'll fit perfectly! Feels good, for sure.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 24, 2015 at 11:15 AM

    Funny how you wrote about looking at the size you brought into the fitting room with you and thinking there is no way those are going to fit you. I just did this yesterday at my work. I work for a very popular mens/womens clothing store. They cater or a lot of hikers/ travelers and so on. I hesitate to try on clothes there for that same reason! "They are not going to fit!" And yesterday I tried on a dozen or so different things and they all fit! Amazing. My brain still doesn't see what the size is but hell, they were on me! ha Congratrs on the size 36 jeans! What an accomplishment. Again, amazing!

    Happy Memorial Day, Sean!
    Rosie

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    1. Sean AndersonMay 26, 2015 at 7:24 AM

      I love it, Rosie!! Yes--the brain takes a while to come around, for sure!!! Congrats on all 12 fitting!! Thank you, Rosie!

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  4. UnknownMay 24, 2015 at 2:23 PM

    During this entire process it's been mentioned several times how the food we eat is a constant learning experience, we continue to make better choices. The accumulation of all the minor changes in our diets accumulated many times may impact us greatly in the long run. Having said that I have noticed any food containing or fried in canola oil adversely affects me compared to butter, olive and coconut oil. Personally IMO I believe there is a huge difference between choosing which fats to include in my diet.

    Good fats and bad fats comes down to which source of information on the web you believe most. It's up to each of us to decide which ones to consume or avoid. I have noticed a correlation of slower weight loss and increased hunger. IMO fats like real butter, coconut oil, olive oil and any animal fat helps speed up the body's fat burning metabolism. The bad fats, which I personally include canola oil are ones I find I do best avoiding all together. I believe these fats do not benefit the metabolism and possibly causes me to crave more of the food it is used in.

    As your friend not suggesting you need to stop using canola oil, just that I believe you would benefit using real butter instead. As you can tell fat choice is a very big deal for me. Regarding what information anyone of us chooses to believe that on the web, I side most with by far is authority nutrition since it's how I notice it effects me. Here is the link.

    http://authoritynutrition.com/canola-oil-good-or-bad/

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    Replies
    1. Sean AndersonMay 26, 2015 at 7:30 AM

      Thank you, Jon! I totally agree, butter--and likely the coconut oil is absolutely the best option. The canola oil bottle has lived in the cupboard for a long while because I hardly ever use it. And that's the thing, really. I rarely fry anything, so it's not a regular part of my nutritional profile. If it were a daily thing, I'd likely go with pure coconut oil.
      Thank you for the link!

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