What is it about blue jeans?

So...seriously. Why jeans? Why are they the weight loss currency that is considered the most valuable? It's all about wanting to fit into a certain pair of jeans. That's the victory. Sure, it's the goal weight and it's the bathing suit (maybe) and the dress size, but ask any fat girl what she really wants, and 9 out of 10 will answer that they want to look good in a pair of jeans, or fit into a fill-in-the-blank size of jeans.

I'm guilty, too. I have two pairs on my shelf that I will not toss. They are both size 8. They used to fit, and I truly believe they will fit again. (I did toss my size 6 jeans, because I could only wear those when I wasn't eating anything and I was completely depressed. I don't really want to be in that same place again.)

Today, I'm thinking about jeans because I have on a pair that are looking pretty good--they used to not fit at all, and now they do. They are still a size 12, but they are petite. And, I think some size 12's are bigger than others. Whatever. I'm just happy that today, a pair of jeans that didn't used to fit now does and they're actually kind of comfortable. I'm also happy because it means I can wait a while longer before buying new jeans. Again, I'll buy other pieces of clothing--maybe--but I'm not going to buy jeans until I can at least buy a size 10, and I would really be happy to be buying a size 8.

Foodie Magazine Mode

I am mad about foodie magazines--like crazy, not angry. When I was getting ready for culinary school, I started my subscriptions to every single one: Saveur, Bon Appetite (now bon appetite), Gourmet, Food and Wine. I pored through them and imagined the day when I would be able to cook anything in any one of them.

And now the real world: I probably could do a good job at about 90 percent of the recipes I can find in those magazines, but the portions would kill not only my points value for the day, but probably for the month. So alas. The piles have stayed in my house--and we have a pretty small house--for all this time, but the recipes have merely been gazed upon and not attempted.

But now, I have new inspiration. Compelled by the need to do some serious spring cleaning, the piles must go! But not just straight to the recycling bin. Now I'm going through each one--probably more than 200 magazines--and I'm looking for recipes that I can make as is or that I believe I can adapt.

Throughout this whole experiment in points-based weight loss, I am determined to accomplish two major goals: lose weight and eat good food. I absolutely must do the first; and if I don't do the second, I will be depressed and my sad skinny self won't be much worth being around anyway. Plus, if I'm not happy eating this way, then I won't be able to maintain it for any length of time.

So, in my recipe scanning, I'm passing right over, right off the bat, anything fried, any recipe that calls for more than a cup of butter, or pasta. (Oh, that last one is a killer--really. But, truth is, I had a great Italian instructor, so I can recreate just about any pasta dish from memory anyway, so...those magazine recipes won't be that missed.)

And, I, surprisingly, so far have accumulated quite the stack of recipes to start to test. The fun part will be actually starting to cook. I'll keep you updated on what works.