Moxie’s Musings: Let’s Have Lunch & Go Shopping, Girls
Day 4 continued, Lunch & Shopping!
More BeWell365 Staffers Take Me Under Their Wings
Several of us meet with another member of the BeWell365 staff for lunch. Cynthia’s leading us through a pile-it-in-your-bowl-and-watch-them-grill-it Mongolian barbecue place. Really?! Really?! I guess my answers to the CORE assessment test obviously haven’t been tallied and reported yet, because who the hell takes a Fat Girl Food Hedonist to a buffet?! As my StealthSister J would say, “What the f…ish?!” (She’s a high school principal who can’t curse because it sets a bad example for her delinquents -I mean- students) Anyway, as I’m thinking “What the fish?!” to myself, I grab a big bowl and let Cynthia show me the ropes. That’s when it hits me… I’m not starving. Hell, I’m not even sure I’m hungry. But Dr. Lopez had explained that eating smaller meals more frequently would take some getting used to; it’s all part of learning whether we really are hungry, or maybe just thirsty, or maybe just… whatever else triggers mindless eating. Next I realize just why the staffer leading me through the lunch line is Cynthia. I do not cross Cynthia. For some reason I always stand a little straighter when I’m next to her and I have an inexplicable urge to enunciate “Yes” “Please” and “Thank you.” She has a graceful presence that makes me want to be just a little better behaved than my usual slacker self. I listen to her explain which meats have less salt, which veggies have more complex carbs. She’s very knowledgeable and glides through the line as her bowl takes shape into something delicious-looking, while mine grows into something… disheveled.
We pile into a booth with a couple of others and I launch into my bowl of beef and mushrooms and some other stuff that looks like noodles but is much healthier. That’s when Cynthia says something that doesn’t make me want to sit up straighter, for once. About three forkfuls into my lunch I’m practically doubled over in tears. Cynthia is HILARIOUS! Yes, she knows her stuff and is very proper and respectable. But she’s also brilliantly funny. This woman tells the most heartwarming, smart, witty stories and anecdotes. I want to make her one of my StealthSisters.
Now that my stomach is full and just a little sore from laughing so hard, it’s time for shopping! We move on to a giant grocery store to meet Suzanne Parker, Registered Dietitian and director of Nutrition Matters. I immediately wonder how she’s managed to tuck a pair of fairy wings away under her shirt. Cynthia’s wickedly funny sense of humor reminds me of my StealthSisters, the ones I like to sneak away to carouse with at the beach, or in Vegas. Suzanne reminds me more of my Fairy godsisters, those girlfriends who are past the wild party phase and have ascended to a more serene place. They are patient, accomplished women who haven’t lost their sense of humor – they just wield it more discreetly. And as we bounce around the grocery store learning some great shopping tips, Suzanne is gently helping me take the high road – like my dear Fairy godsisters always do.
I love shopping just as much as the next girl, as long as its shoe shopping. About 100 pounds ago, shopping for clothes stopped being fun for me, and now it’s just depressing and painful. Grocery shopping is even worse – I feel guilty just being around food. Some weird twisty part of me feels like I shouldn’t even be looking at food until I magically drop all this extra weight. Suzanne walks me through the fresh vegetables, the frozen vegetables, the meat and cheese sections, and finally the breads. I was sure I knew enough about what what’s in a grocery store, but this is like following an art connoisseur through the Louvre. She knows all the tricks, and has some fantastic tips. I leave with a favorite, fresh arugula, and something new to try: sprouted grain bread. And then just as quickly as she appeared, Suzanne is off again, with a promise to drop off some of her homemade meals and treats by evening.
*Results may vary. Not all diets work for all people and weight loss is never guaranteed.
