The prune

Last week I tried out a new thing. I decided to eat 5 to 7 prunes every day. Just to see what would happen. I had had a bag of prunes in my cupboard for some time and thought, why not? What happened was very little, which is a good thing. In the morning I would place 5 to 7 (depending on how many fell out of the sticky bag) on a plate. I would begin eating them for my morning snack around 8am and snack on one here and one there until about 11. These things are filling!! I know there is a lot of sugar in these little guys but I didn't feel I was eating that many of them and by lunch time I was stuffed. I could barely eat my lunch. On the downside, I did have a puffed out stomach feeling by the afternoon that didn't go away until the evening. This was a bit uncomfortable but manageable. Over all, I think they were an asset to my diet because I was full most of the day and I ate smaller meals after eating the prunes.

Dried Fruit vs Fresh Fruit

Dried fruit pros are that they are not perishable, they are easy to pack and transport, some fruits provide even more antioxidants (like blueberries) than their fresh counterpart, they are a good snack when you have a sweet craving and they are high in fiber.

Dried fruit cons are that they have less nutrients then the fresh fruit, they have more sugar in a smaller area,

Fresh fruit pros are many, they are rich in fiber, nutrients and minerals and the water in them helps fill you up more.

Fresh fruit cons are that they are perishable and bulky.

The best option when it comes to fresh vs dried fruits is to use both in your diet. Use dried fruits to help with any sweet tooth cravings, to punch up meals and to add more fruit to your diet. Use fresh fruits every day as part of your nutritional program. As for the sugar levels, just don't eat all your daily fruit intake in the form of dried fruit. I don't think you could anyways, it would make you pretty uncomfortable.

I am out of prunes now or I would probably be eating them still just for the filling feeling it gives me.

Swimming

When I say I went swimming, I mean I laid by the pool reading a book while my bf worked out in the pool. I know I should be working out. Building muscle increases your metabolism. It was a Saturday afternoon and I was feeling lazy. What was memorable about going to the pool is that I had to walk across our whole condo complex to get there. I am so happy with my weight loss that I did the whole walk in nothing but my bikini and slippers. Strutting my stuff, if you will. I am so close to my goal weight I am giddy!

The lovely swimming pool

We made a fabby new smoothie that I would like to share with you. When we got back from the pool we decided to make homemade salsa and have aqua frescas on the balcony. Aqua frescas are made with fruit and water. It is basically a watered down fruit drink. They can be very refreshing but most recipes call for sugar to be added. I was in the mood for pure fruit. We came up with a fantastic smoothie that was refreshing and tasted like summer.

Cantaloupe Smoothie

1 cantaloupe, seeds and rind removed

1 cup pineapple

2 cups frozen peaches

2 cups water

2 cups ice

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. If I hadn't killed my mint plant (which is a great feat in and of it's self) I would have loved to have garnished with a sprinkle of mint.

Mother's Day was a toughy for me. But then again, isn't every weekend for me?? It was a big cheat on my diet but a fabulous one. I think, by this time, I shouldn't even call it a cheat on my diet, I should just consider it part of my diet since it is a weekly (at minimum) occurrence. My brother, father and I took my mother out to a lovely lunch in Napa at a French restaurant. We had a fantastic bottle of French rose, of which I drank half . I ordered like I was on vacation because in my mind I was on vacation from worrying about my weight. I had a pork belly salad with chicories and candied pistachios to start. Then I had braised short ribs and yukon potatoes and for dessert I had a banana gratin with almond crunch and vanilla ice cream. IT WAS SO GOOD!! Boy was I stuffed after that. I got home at 3:30 and wasn't hungry the rest of the day. I wanted to make a drink to both hydrate myself after the alcohol I drank and to aid in digestion. I came up with a ginger lemonade. I put two inches ginger, peeled, in a blender with the juice and zest of one lemon and a whole other lemon. I added about a cup of ice and a cup and a half of water. I also added a tiny bit of honey but for most that would not have been enough. I like the tang of the lemon so it was just right for me. I whirrled it all together to make a frosty drink. It really hit the spot. I didn't feel that food hangover I can get after eating a lot of fatty foods.

Braised Pork Belly....yum

That pretty much sums up my week of dieting. I am still on track. I have 5 pounds to lose in 16 days. What I need to do now is not become complacent. I must soldier on to the end of this experiment. Wish me luck!