Okay, it’s a couple of days late. Just some things happening
around the house that have disturbed my routine, but I’m adjusting. Here are
the month-end numbers from Nov. 11 to Dec. 11:
|
Starting
Weight:
|
217.6
|
|
Target
Weight:
|
207.1
|
|
Actual
Weight:
|
212.8
|
|
Loss/Gain:
|
– 4.8
|
|
Avg. Loss/Wk.:
|
– 1.1
|
I ended up 5.7 lbs. above target. Much of this I discussed
in the last couple of weekly progress reports. I’ve accepted that I won’t be
under 200 by Jan. 1; but if I stick with my current budget, I can get under
202.6 by Jan. 11, which would be 100 lbs. lost in 11 months. If, after that
point, I return to my beginning calorie deficit, I can get under 200 by Jan. 19
and under 196 by Feb. 4.
On the positive side, in the last two days, I weighed in at
210.6 this morning, despite having lost the negotiations with myself and made a
pan of peanut butter fudge. (It’s delicious, although a bit crumbly.) If I stay
on top of my intake, I can make the under-210 primary goal by Monday, the end
of Week 44. I do have roast turkey planned for tomorrow night, but we’re not
doing all the traditional sides; that’s too much work and too many calories. Certainly,
there’ll be stuffing, but the green beans will be roasted and the potatoes won’t
be mashed. For sweetness, there’ll be a Waldorf salad made with yogurt. So with
some self-control, the turkey dinner shouldn’t interfere with achieving the
under-210 mark by Monday.
Well, because my brother Ted now likes to roast prime rib for
Christmas instead of turkey or ham. (Not that I complain.) Besides, roast
turkey is delicious any day of the year. Turkey is also a relatively low-calorie,
low-fat meat, which is why you see it used so often as a substitute for pork
and beef (though, to my tastes, the substitution is rarely successful). The
only reason not to do roast turkey more often is that it’s time-intensive to
prepare.
Sidebar: To stuff or not to stuff the turkey?
The crux of the issue is that the turkey insulates the stuffing,
retarding the rate at which the stuffing cooks. If you wait until the stuffing
reaches the bacteria-killing temperature of 165°, the turkey will overcook,
drying out the juices. On the other hand, if you pull the bird out at 165° for
maximum flavor, you risk developing food-borne diseases like salmonella in the (undercooked)
stuffing. Some also claim the stuffing slows down the rate at which the turkey
cooks.
Frankly, after 50 years of eating stuffing without incident,
I’m tempted to write off the “don’t stuff” camp as hypercautious. As for the
claim that stuffing slows down the roasting, I firmly believe that impatience
spoils more dishes than any other mistake. But while we never hear about people
getting sick from undercooked stuffing, it only takes one time, right? And some
people prefer their stuffing a little crispy.
Here’s the thing: Turkeys need to rest after roasting for
about 20 minutes to finish coming to temperature and reabsorb their juices. So,
don’t stuff the turkey until you’re ready to put the bird in the oven. (Actually,
I’ve never seen nor heard of anyone who’s loaded the stuffing any earlier; but,
apparently, some people do it the night before. Don’t.) Then, when the turkey comes
out, scoop out the stuffing into a casserole dish, cover it, and pop it back in
the oven. By the time the stuffing reaches 165°, you should be ready to start
carving.
If you’re also baking some stuffing that’s never been in the
turkey, avoid cross-contamination by baking the stuffing from the bird in a
separate dish and storing the leftovers separately.
One of the best things about roasting a turkey is the prospect
of turkey sandwiches. Sandwiches made from home-roasted turkey are more flavorful
and substantial than those you get from prepackaged deli-style turkey. We also
like to make turkey broth from boiling the rack and the giblets. This, of
course, goes to make homemade turkey noodle soup. And, as I mentioned Monday,
there’s our family’s traditional turkey hash — a fried combination of turkey,
mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy which helps to get rid of the leftovers in
a tasty way. Around our house, turkey rarely stays long enough in the fridge to
go bad.
Yes, I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s turkey. However,
as close to the next primary goal as I am, I can’t afford to get too confident.
There’s still plenty of December to go through and I’m still committed to the
90-Day Challenge calorie deficit. I may not make 199.8 by New Year’s Day, but I
can still get within 4 – 5 pounds of it. And there’s still the possibility that
I can make < 196 by my birthday. All things considered, I’m glad the holiday
traditional meal is turkey rather than, say, lasagna or eggplant parmesan.
The goal for Jan. 11 is 202.0. Let’s go for it.
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