Quick Note and Some More Paris Pics!

This completely cracked us up... and horrified us at the same time!

Jersey Shore has come to France... touted as La Creme de La Creme Solaire

(The cream of the suntan lotion...)

Man.. I have got to get my juggling act under control. During the recession, work was much less busy and I didn't have a boyfriend. Now that things have picked up on the love and work fronts, I'm having a heck of a time figuring out how to do everything I want to do. Sometimes my workout schedule suffers, and most often, my personal "down time" suffers... hence my lack of blog posts in 2011...

Last night, I stayed home by myself -- just what I needed! I didn't go to the gym, I didn't answer the phone, and I didn't run any errands once I got home. I just put on my pjs and had a hot date with my poor, neglected DVR. I caught up on Glee, 30 Rock and Gossip Girl (with my cat stretched across my lap, no less), and it felt just wonderful to zone out and do nothing!

Don't get me wrong -- I don't want to do this every night. But, once in a while, it's a really nice break. I have spin tomorrow, the Philharmonic on Wednesday, a baby shower on Thursday, a black tie benefit/casino night on Friday, and a birthday party on Saturday night. It's so easy to have every free second planned up, and I really enjoy the things that I do. But, once in a while, it's just nice to veg out and watch some TV at home!

I also wanted to share a few more photos from the Paris trip. Did anyone see Banksy's documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop? It's a great documentary about graffiti artists, and one guy in particular. In the movie, they talk about a guy from France called "Invader," who put up all these mosaics of Space Invader characters all over Paris. I found one in the Marais.... (look way up on the wall where I'm pointing)...

Me & Marjorie at the bar at the George V Hotel. What a heavenly spot!!

Me at the Guerlain flagship on the Champs Elysee

I THINK this is my favorite photo from the trip....

Cool post detail at the Place de la Concorde.... where Marie Antoinette lost her head...

Paris NSVs....

My trip to Paris was so much fun! My friends Marjorie, C and I shopped, ate and walked the heck out of that city and loved every minute! We'd all been to Paris a number of times (Marjorie actually lived there for 3 years), so we agreed not to the typical tourist sites.

Flowers at the beyond-amazing George V Hotel.... this is not where we stayed, since it's incredibly expensive, but we did go for a drink... and I bought an umbrella at the gift shop shown on the left of the photo.

I only have a little time this morning, so I'm just going to post about the amazing NSVs I experienced during this trip. I lived in France for a year as an undergrad. I'd studied French for ten years before I went, and when I got there, my classes were pretty basic, so I un-enrolled in my study abroad program and enrolled in the law school with the French students. It did wonders for my French, and I speak it fluently to this day. That background will take us to NSV No. 1....

1. When I lived in France, I was on a seriously tight student budget, so I didn't get to shop at all. . . and, by the time I could afford to shop there during trips over, I was too big to fit into the clothing they sell. So.. this trip was the first one where I both (a) had money to shop; and (b) could fit in the clothing. Very exciting stuff for me! (Though I actually didn't really buy much!)

2. This was my first post-surgery trans-atlantic trip, and I was very comfortable in my aisle seat on the way out. On the way back, however, the woman next to Marjorie got very ill (vomiting... not festive....), so I scooted over into a middle seat and let Marjorie take the aisle. In the past, the idea of being in a middle seat on any flight would have had me so stressed out, but I fit just fine. It wasn't the height of comfort, but it was fine.

3. In a cute boutique in the Marais, a French saleswoman saw that I'd pulled a size 40 for myself (I think that's roughly a 10) and said "Oh no! You are smaller than that -- I will pull you the 38!" (Meanwhile, the 40 fit and the 38 did not, but it was nice to hear anyway!)

4. They had clothing in my size in every store I visited.

Me, at Place de Vosges

5. We had no problem at all getting into the very hip bar at the Hotel Costes on a weekend night. (I doubt they would have been so quick to let me in at my start weight, though you never know.)

6. At lunch one day, I looked at the tables next to us, and realized that there was a French person who was substantially heavier than me at each of the 2-seater tables on either side of us.

7. At a wonderful restaurant one night, the very attractive maitre d' brought us a complimentary extra dessert. When we exclaimed that it was "too much" because we had eaten so well and so much already, he said that we shouldn't worry about it because "vous avez une marge" (meaning .. "because you are all thin enough to get away with it"). Yes. A hot French person told me that I am thin enough to have a second dessert.

8. Despite that I had a souffle and/or foie gras every single day of the trip, I did not even gain 1/10th of a pound. Thank you, band. And, thank you to all that walking I did!

9. I walked around all day, every day that we were there, and my feet and back were just fine. Pre-band, they would have absolutely been killing me.

Foie gras at Cafe de la Paix.... I highly recommend going there for this!

10. I got to enjoy the food during this trip and to be a bit decadent, without having to feel guilty about it. I just enjoyed it to the fullest, and knew that if the scale was up a bit at the end of my trip (which it wasn't), I'd get off the 1-2 pounds when I got back home.

Happy Easter!

Just a quick note to say that I'm back from Paris (update to follow) and had a fantastic time! My mom is here in NYC visiting me for Easter, and we've been having a blast! We both love crafts, so we spent part of today getting crazy with the Easter egg dye, glitter and the like. :)

Last night, she met S for the first time, and gave him a rave review. Honestly, the last two parental meetings of boyfriends didn't go that well, and I was really stressed out about this one. However, it just could not have gone better. S and my mom got along really well, had lots to talk about, and we all had a great time. What a nice night ... and what a relief!! :)

More to follow about my trip and the abundance of Paris NSVs and other fun. But first.... here's one of my favorite eggs that I did today!

Cooking with Catherine: Thai Green Curry Chicken

I made this really easy recipe the other night after work (it was quick & easy to do), and was really happy with how it turned out! It was at least as good as I've ever had from a delivery place! I think that next time, I might add in some bamboo shoots or some more veggies (eggplant and/or green beans, maybe) for texture.

The recipe below is just for the sauce -- I also made basmati rice to have with it, and it was absolutely delicious. The chicken was very tender after simmering in the sauce, and the sauce also helped it to be band-friendly...

Ingredients:

* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes

* 1 tbs dark soy sauce

* 1 tbs all-purpose flour

* 2 tbs cooking oil (I used olive oil)

* 2 tbs green curry paste

* 2 green onions with tops, chopped

* 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

* 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

* 2 cups light coconut milk (I just used 1 can)

* 1 tbs fish sauce

* 1 tbs dark soy sauce

* 2 tbs white sugar

* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish

What to do:

1. Toss chicken first in 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, then in the flour, coating pieces evenly. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place chicken in the skillet, cook and stir chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken.

2. Reduce heat to medium and stir in curry paste. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in green onions, garlic, and ginger; cook an additional 2 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, stirring to coat with the curry mixture. Stir the coconut milk, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and sugar into the chicken-curry mixture. Allow to simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

I used my big wok for this... I kind of use it for everything -- best pan ever!

Waist Not Want Not...

So, it seems that me being banded is having an impact on S. I'm not sure that our relationship is 100% responsible for this (maybe 75%?), but he has put on somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 pounds in the last three months. Honestly, I don't see it, but he feels like he's too heavy. The reason for this? The guy does not like to waste food -- a good thing in general, but it can be bad when you're dating a bandster who never finishes her meal... So, when we go out to dinner or eat at my apartment, he'll often do a decent job on my leftovers. And... presto change-o.... those extra calories turned themselves into about 10 pounds! Yikes!

Interestingly, I also was a member of the Clean Plate Club from childhood until I was banded. I'd often keep eating until my plate was empty, regardless of whether I was still hungry. Now that I'm banded, I regret to say that I waste a lot of food. I try not to, but I can't always take a To Go box when I'm out, and leftovers (especially steak and chicken) aren't always that band friendly. I also tend to throw out a lot of vegetables... I'll use some of what I buy, but can't always finish everything before it goes bad. I don't like doing that, but I'm not about to consume a ton of extra calories that I don't even want to avoid wasting food. I do try to buy in smaller quantities, but it's not always possible.

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On the S front, we've been talking about how to remedy his recent gain. I've decided not to offer him my food, but to let him know that he is always welcome to have a bite of whatever I am eating and that, if he wants some, all he has to do is ask. That way I can avoid feeling like a food pusher.

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We're also going to do a healthy cooking challenge.... so, on nights when we're having dinner in together, we are going to take turns cooking healthy meals... with a view to seeing who can cook the best meal. That started on Thursday night. I made a nice salad (arugula, pancetta, ricotta salata and pears with a dressing of honey, Champagne vinegar, lemon juice, fleur de sel and pepper), followed by pan seared halibut with steamed green beans, roasted tomatoes and fingerling potatoes. Here's a photo... (I tried to rotate it... and saved it as a rotated version... but it's still showing up wrong...)

Lest we go too, too crazy, I also made a tiny dessert... individual lemon tartlets that I made from scratch (we split one). This was a really easy recipe -- the crust has roasted almonds in it (I put them in my coffee grinder because I don't have a food processor), and the curd is basically fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs and a bit of cornstarch to thinken it. The other thing I did was to tell him that I could only stay over his apartment on Friday night if we could find a workout for me to do on Saturday near his apartment (otherwise, I'd miss my usual yoga class). That was actually really easy -- there is a yoga studio right across the street from his apartment, so I took in a class there, and also got S to go to spin with me on Sunday! I felt so good about us helping one another to be healthy and keep on track with our fitness goals. I think this is a great habit for us to get into, and am sure that it will undo the side-effects that he is experiencing from "banded life!" :)

Biggest Maintenance Concern

I've been really surprised by how easy the maintenance phase is for me. Basically, as long as I just keep on doing what I've been doing food-wise (read: following the bandster rules more often than not) and working out an average of 3 times a week, the weight stays off without me having to pay too much attention to it. I do still get on the scale every day at the same time... post-loo, pre-shower. That's my morning check-in, and it lets me know how mindful I have to be about what I'm going to eat every day. So, what are my concerns during maintenance?? Basically, my biggest worry is that something might go wrong with my band. I don't think about this every day, and I certainly am not posting this to freak anyone out. But, I do know a few bandsters (in real life and through the blogs) who have had to have their ports replaced, who have had leaks, who have had to have their band readjusted, and I also know two bandsters in person who have had to have their bands removed (one because of a hernia, the other because her stomach eroded).

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That said, I know a ton of bandsters who haven't had any problems at all. So far (knock wood), I'm 2 years and 5 months post surgery, and it has been smooth sailing. I have to give my surgeon (Dr. Roberto Rumbaut from Monterrey, Mexico) props. My port is in a great spot (you still can't see it and I'm at goal), I only have two scars, and everything seems to work just as it should. I don't have any reason to think anything will go wrong, but I do know that devices can wear out over time (though, as an aside, my mother still has the toaster she got as a wedding present in the 1960s, and the thing still works like a charm...).

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Anyway, an article that Gen posted recently made me think about this a bit more. I will say, if you read the study results, that you should keep in mind that these bandsters were among the first, they had different bands then we do, their doctors were less experienced, and they didn't have the same level of follow-up care or support. Plus, the study only looked at a small part of the group. So, I doubt the statistics are that relevant to what our experience will be, but it did make me think.

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I do wonder what would happen if I couldn't have my band. If I keep up with the exercise, my guess is that I'd put on about 10-20 pounds and have to fight like hell to stay at that weight, since that is what I did through my 20s and early 30s. I don't think I'd let myself ever gain it all back, and I think that the big lifestyle changes I've made (especially making exercise an important part of my life) would help to keep me from doing that. But I do think this is something that most bandsters think about from time to time, and it's a little scary to think about life without this helpful tool.

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What I'm going to do to help take care of my band and to make it last as long as possible is this:

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1. I am going to continue to keep my band at a good fill that is not overly tight.

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2. I will continue to be proactive about my health care and get in touch with my doctor right away if I have a problem.

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3. I am going to continue being mindful when I eat so that I can avoid PBing unnecessarily.

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I think that's it. I don't know what else I can do other than that, but I do think that will help. Any other suggestions? Also, if you have had trouble with your band, do you think it was worth it? My guess is that most bandsters will say yes.

Having Fun!

With S at a black tie event the weekend before last. I wore my hair up, for once... whereas in the past, I always used to hide behind it... (I still like it better down though..)

Hi! I have to admit that I'm having a heck of a time finding balance between all the things I want to (and have to) do these days. Work has been busier, and having a boyfriend is time consuming, too -- in a good way! :) Still, I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like. I haven't talked to friends and family on the phone as much as I'd like, too. It's a challenge to find enough time for everything I'd like to do.

I was kind of freaking out because I noticed how easy it was for me to let the gym slide to make time for other things. I'm really fighting that though, and making the gym a high priority, because I've worked way to hard to get to where I am to let it slide now. Plus, I really like having my body look the way it does now, I don't want to feel anything but good for a single second on the beach this summer, and I really love the way working out regularly makes me feel.

Being silly on Park Avenue. Why yes, S CAN pick me up pretty easily!! And I wasn't even freaking out about whether or not he'll hurt himself or think I'm too heavy. Talk about an NSV... !

Not too much else to report today! Things with S continue to go really well. I had a great visit with his parents last weekend, and they were just wonderful. He's going to meet my mother over Easter, too! Good stuff all around. Hope everyone is doing very well!