Second servings...sigh!!!!!

This is topic is very close to my heart at the moment as I struggle to lose a few unruly pounds off myself. As I enter my 30's, gone are the carefree days when I huffed at people counting calories and smirked at people struggling to lose weight. Well, I have read 2 books on nutrition and diet this year, which is a miracle in itself. Man, its hard to lose even a single pound. I weigh myself in everyday and often blame the scale for playing tricks on the up and down readings it shows.

Sigh! the second servings are so hard to control. The worst meal of a week day for me is dinner. I am typically hungry, then angry and I gulp down a large meal before I can think straight. The diet books I have been reading suggest an astonishingly full meal with lots of snacks and multiple meals. At the crux of it other than the obvious no junk, no sugar etc., is a pretty low carb diet.

Strangely enough though as I try to achieve this, I find more and more that it makes sense. I ate a single roti (say a slice of bread) for dinner today with some lentils and veggies and I am surprisingly still full. I would usually eat three rotis. Am beginning to read the labels on food boxes finally, know the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, have begin to use quinoa, drink plenty of green tea, exercise regul *cough cough* rarely ..man I am entering strongly into my 30's. Woohoo..

I may actually never stop going for seconds though, for in South Indian tradition, we have to complete the meal with buttermilk or yogurt. Lets just make that low fat, high protein Greek yogurt. :-)

Vitruvian Lights

As we embrace the chilly winter this year, one thing that certainly cheers up everyone is Christmas lights. Vitruvian Lights is a lighted decoration that lasts from Thanksgiving up until the New Year. The lighting is well done and is actually pleasing unlike a few other wacko ones I have seen around here (seriously, they seem to turn the light on every single leaf on the tree).  If you are in the neighborhood, you should check it out. Its a wonderful place to stroll by, take some pictures and probably have a drink at the bar nearby. On Fridays during this period, there is usually a concert, few food trucks and some other funky stalls to make it more entertaining.

Lucky me! I live right over this area, so I get to see it everyday!



Today's NoBloPoMo topic - half full or half empty, how do I view a glass? Well, I am perfectly fine with a half empty glass. I can always fill it up again as I need it. Maybe I would fill it with something different too!    :-) 

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Location: 6701 W Parker Rd, Plano.

Living in a new city, we are still trying to figure out on things we can do and places we can visit. I plan to list out the worthwhile places here, so it may perhaps help someone else and also so that I could revisit them someday.

Arbor Hills nature preserve is a beautiful park, picnic area with a bunch of cemented and natural trails. We were genuinely surprised to see such a green, slightly hilly (OMG! yes actually hilly) terrain right in the middle of Plano. The trails are about 3-4 miles long, but could be combined to make a longer route. Enjoy nature lovers!

This would also be an attempt at my December month's NaBloPoMo event. Lets see how this turns out.