Small Slice

I know, I know.  I promised a contest... it is at the bottom of the entry.  Read on down, and find out how to play.

Somehow, despite the poor eating and the disorderly exercise over these last five days, I've managed to lose another pound.  I'm not going to question it.  I'm just going to do a happy little dance, and celebrate reaching 175.  Woo hoo!  That leaves me with six pounds to lose before BlogHer to reach my goal for my Month of Motivation.  Le me see, I've got 16 days to do it...I"m thinking it is doable.

I loaded the three kids up today and took them swimming at our pool.  We have a nice little pool for our homeowners association, and before today, I've always been terrified of taking my three houligans with no other adult to help.  Because, let's face it, taking three daredevil children with varying degrees of swimming ability to the pool, and then having fat issues on top of it all - it's not a really enticing idea. 

After our vacation in Florida, where I saw that no matter how you look at it, there is always going to be someone hotter than you, and someone who has even more weight to lose than you, and that is just the way it is.  In a sea of vacationing families, I blended into the crowd.  Gratefully, I might add.  Until I creamed my knee, and then I was a little conspicuous with the %&@^%#&% and blood and all.  Hah!

So, anyway, if I can bare my Big Slice swimskirted butt at a waterpark, I figured my neighbors could just deal.  And you know what?  No one gasped in horror as I strolled toward the pool.  No one averted their eyes, or made oinking noises.  Everyone was busy enjoying their own afternoon at the pool, with their own children. 

This just in:  I'm NOT the center of the universe!  I know.  I'm shocked, too.

After swimming around for an hour, we headed home to make dinner.  I know, next week - I'll make a real menu.  This week, I'm sort of scrounging around, using up things in my pantry.  I made a yummy pasta with a jack cheese-white sauce, with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and canned turkey meat (that I don't remember purchasing, but whatever) stirred in.  The kids ate it up, and had slices of watermelon for dessert, while I chowed down on half an avocado and two saturn peaches along with my serving of the pasta.

Have you tried saturn peaches?  They are the ones that look like they've been smushed.  If you can get them, give them a try.  They are amazing.

I'm going to do my PM Yoga DVD before I turn in, and start my day with AM Yoga in the morning.  I am shocked at how non-limber my body has become over the last few years...one day, one sun salutation at a time.  I also managed 10 boy pushups, but my stupid, stupid pectoral muscles are girlie and sad, and it is going to take me weeks before I can manage the 50 that Steph is waiting on. 

So!  Contest!  Here goes...

In The Fat Fallacy - Dr. Clower has these great quizzes in the beginnings of each chapter.  He lists the ingredients in a common food item, and gives a few hints to help readers guess what he's talking about.  Sound tough?  Take a look below - each of these five foods are popular, well-known brands found in supermarkets across the country.  Even more important - these foods are billed as Healthy Choices by their companies. 

Here's the challenge:  name these foods.  Leave me a comment with your answers, and I'll choose winners on Saturday morning.
 
1)  Heavily marketed to kids, this product has 50% less sugar than the original - yet still comes in at 13 grams of sugar for a single serving. 

Ingredients: WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AND 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: CONCENTRATED JUICES (ORANGE, TANGERINE, APPLE, LIME, GRAPEFRUIT), CITRIC ACID, MALIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NATURAL FLAVORS, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CANOLA OIL, SODIUM CITRATE, CELLULOSE GUM, XANTHAN GUM, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, NEOTAME, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BENZOATE TO PROTECT FLAVOR, YELLOW #5, YELLOW #6.

2) This 'healthy' entry is a favorite of dieters who like a little something with their pie - or, you know, to eat straight out of the tub.

Ingredients: WATER, CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND PALM KERNEL OILS), LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (FROM MILK), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, XANTHAN AND GUAR GUMS, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATES, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR).

3) This is one of those head-scratchers... why is all this stuff in here?  Natural food varieties have two ingredients.  TWO.  Also, Dr. Clower points out that Zinc Oxide is the stuff in diaper ointment - which hello...suspiciously close to DOG CRAP.

Ingredients: PEANUTS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SUGAR AND SOY PROTEIN, CONTAINS 2 PERCENT OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (GRAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), SALT, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, MOLASSES, NIACINAMIDE, FOLIC ACID, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, ZINC OXIDE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, AND COPPER SULFATE.

4) Mmm.  Phosphoric acid and aspartame.  Now, that's healthy!  But hey, no calories!

Ingredients: Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate       (preserves freshness), caffeine, citric acid and natural flavors.

5) This is another dieter's favorite, perfect for one of those low-points sweet fixes.  But what IS it?

Ingredients: MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, MALTODEXTRIN, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE AND DISODIUM PHOSPHATE (FOR THICKENING), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NONFAT MILK, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, CALCIUM SULFATE, XANTHAN GUM, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES (PREVENT FOAMING), ASPARTAME AND ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (SWEETENERS), RED 40, YELLOW 5, BLUE 2, ARTIFICIAL COLOR.

Alright - get to answering!  I've got some great prizes for this round, so guess away.