I just read a short excerpt of Gael Greene's food diary. It is soooo hard keeping your weight in check. She eats a 'sensible' breakfast - usually a yogurt with fruit and a salad for lunch. Then when she has to go out for tastings which is part of her job-she eats ONE fried oyster and One shoestring fry. HALF a tangello and a 1/3 of one type of pizza and another 1/3 of another (when doing a story on pizzas). If I were in her shoes, I would be a huge blimp because I would eat ALL the fried oysters and ALL the fries and every type of pizza placed in from of me.

My life is no Gael Greene's life by any stretch of the imagination but I still have to balance my days and weeks out. I have been quite diligent about eating breakfast everyday (lets say almost everyday). I have narrowed my breakfast menu to include a cup of whole grain cereal with 1/2 a banana and skim milk; or 1 whole grain toast with a tsp. of roasted peanut butter. Trader Joe makes and excellent one. Sometimes I will have 1 apple and a tbs. of the peanut butter. I would eat more hard cooked eggs if time allowed - so I eat one occasionally with salt and pepper and a couple of whole grain crackers.

I realize I don't enough fruit. I tend not to love fruit because it is too sweet and in general I prefer savory food. I usually eat it like medicine as opposed to really enjoying it.

Actually, that concept holds true for most foods and most meals. Sometimes I envy Oprah like people with personal chefs and nutritionists ( I don't think she has one-but I would if I was her). Every meal would be prepared for me according to my specifications and presented to me at the appropriate times in attractive plates and bowls. And also a personal trainer would drag me out of bed every morning and MAKE me work out. The meal plan I described sounds somewhat like Jenny Craig but not really.

Okay, I have snapped out of it. That was just a mini fantasy digression-I am back. I don't really want to be like Oprah at all. What I really want is to be someone who can eat any thing and any amount of it and not gain an ounce or have any negative health consequences. Yes, that's what I want.

Since I can't have that I have to be so very vigilant with what I eat-it is not even funny.

I digressed so far. Thanks for hanging in there.

I was saying...

It makes me feel good and somewhat inspired that someone like Gael Greene has to be so vigilant about what she eats. I believe everyone does unless they are a teenage athlete. I remember reading about Frank Bruni's workout regimen. Not enviable at all.

Tonight I have to go out to dinner at an Italian place. In preparation. for breakfast I had cereal and half a banana. For lunch I intend on having a salad and then its a free for all at dinner. Thank Goodness that money is tight, and that reigns in my ordering everything on the menu.

What are the tricks that you employ to keep your weight in check?

Until I eat again.