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Debra Pearlman, Author at All The Single Girlfriends

Living A Healthy Life – How Social Media Saved Me...

Oct 16, 2014 by

Living A Healthy Life – How Social Media Saved Me

A little over two years ago I began a journey toward a healthier life.  I started with bariatric surgery (lap band).  There were many challenges after the surgery, some related to my eating habits and some just related to being so out of shape for so long.  I struggled with what to eat and how much to eat.  At first things went quite smoothly…in less than two months I was down 30 lbs.  I got a bit cocky about things, complacent about getting to the gym and slipping into some old habits, like stopping on the way home from work for a “small” bag of chips.  I managed to keep the weight off, but was not really committed to making the changes I needed to make. What made me change my ways?  Social Media! ...

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Sustainable Eating #1

Mar 29, 2013 by

Sustainable Eating #1

Foodie Friday

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On Being Laid-up for 4 Weeks…...

Feb 13, 2013 by

On Being Laid-up for 4 Weeks…

I recently had the pleasure of undergoing surgery on my torn Achilles tendon. The upside of the surgery is that I will be able to get back to all the things I love doing (hiking, kayaking, skiing).  The downside, I’ve had to spend the past 4 weeks either in bed or chair with my foot elevated (toes higher than nose, as they say). It all started years ago when I underwent surgery to fix a completely torn meniscus in my knee.  You’d think that would fix things, right?  Well, I was one of the 40 million who had little to no health insurance and what I did have would not cover PT unless it was post surgery.  That’s why I had the knee operated on in the first place, even through the doctor recommended...

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Small Plates Are The Key

Jun 22, 2012 by

Small Plates Are The Key

It’s now been two months since I had my bariatric surgery and I’m still struggling with some food issues. However, being Foodie Friday, I thought I’d write about some of the wonderful meals I’ve been enjoying. First let me state that the secret is to use small plates. Yes, not the regular dinner plate, but the salad or dessert plate works best.  This creates the feeling of a large amount of goodness while maintaining portion control.  I know this works because I made an amazing grilled smoked pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw party and still managed to drop another 5 pounds.  Below are the recipes and directions for the beans and pork. Howard’s Baked Beans:  Howard is my older brother and these baked beans are the easiest and best tasting I’ve ever had.  There are...

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Hiding In A Huge Way

Jun 4, 2012 by

Hiding In A Huge Way

Big Question: Why did I think gaining weight would be protective? I’m just coming up to one month post-bariatric surgery.  There are still lots of questions going through my mind.  The first couple of weeks were fairly easy, I was on an extremely restricted diet and the weight just melted off. Now I’m supposed to begin eating a more “normal” diet, but I’m not sure what normal is.  My past portion size was my real downfall.  I was not much of a junk eater, though I did love my potato chips.  I really did not over indulge in snack-type foods.  What I did do was eat huge amounts of healthy food.  Healthy or not, super sizing leads to super sizes. So I’ve decided that I really need to look at my relationship to food. ...

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Week One: Success!

May 14, 2012 by

Week One: Success!

Well, I’ve made it through my first week. Actually, it was a week last Friday since I had my lap band procedure.  The first couple of day I felt great, even energized.  Then reality set in.  As I moved into what is called the Full Liquid Diet, I found that my tolerance for pre-made protein shakes, ones I’d had no problem with prior to surgery, really upset my stomach. After nearly 4 days of  living on green tea, I thought it best to call the doctor and ask if it was normal to feel so: 1, achy in the stomach; and 2, still be running to the loo with little warning of what was to come.  They assured me that all would be fine, to stop using the Atkins shakes and switch to a...

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It’s A New Day!

Apr 23, 2012 by

It’s A New Day!

This weekend has been a reawakening of my life. Friday, I had my lap-band surgery and all went really well.  Now the real work begins.  Truth be told, I’ve been holding back on so many emotions.  I feel like I have to say good-bye to old friends like pasta, bread and fried food.  But then that makes me wonder about why I would have thought them my friends. My friends would not hurt me or look to console me in a way that would threaten my health.  My friends would support me and help me make good choices.  So now I have to delve into the world of my food addiction and try to understand exactly what the attraction was/is all about. I think of it as my 12 step program to health.  First…admit...

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Five Days and Counting

Apr 16, 2012 by

Five Days and Counting

In five days my life changes.  No, not the bit 6-0 just yet, that will happen soon enough. I’m talking about my bariatric surgery.  On Friday, April 20th at 8:45 am, my life is going to add a new tool to its arsenal.  I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’ve been wrestling with my emotions since making this decision.  I thought I’d blog about it on a weekly basis, but what I really did was sort of let work take over my life and push this reality onto the proverbial “back burner.”  Not to push the food analogies too far, but it’s simmered and now is ready to be ingested. So down to reality…all sort of things are running through my mind.  Will I ever eat bread again?  What about a cocktail?...

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Holiday Food Challenge Reduex

Dec 9, 2011 by

Holiday Food Challenge Reduex

This being Foodie Friday on atsGf’s I decided to write about the one food challenge I’m facing with the step to gain back my life through bariatric surgery.  …. pureed food. I’m supposed to start incorporating at least one protein shake a day into my diet.  The reason for this is that for 6 weeks after the surgery, I’ll be on a liquid and pureed food diet. Part of the process for this surgery is 6 months working with a team to prepare you for life during and after the surgery.  Today I met with the psychologist I’ll be seeing every month.  There were a lot of question dealing with my emotional history.  Everything from, “were you raised by a mother and a father? to were you ever abused (physically, emotionally)?”  We talked about all my...

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Holiday Challenges For Dieters

Dec 1, 2011 by

Holiday Challenges For Dieters

Holiday time is always a challenge for dieters but this year is especially hard for me. I managed Thanksgiving fairly well until most of the guests went home.  Then the “sneak” eating commenced.  I thought, “well, just a taste of Sheila’s apple pie won’t hurt….” but she made two different types of apple pie so that was two pieces.  Of course, there was Laura’s amazing brownies with an Oreo cookie in the middle and when else do you get to have pumpkin pie.  Before I knew it, I’d had 4 desserts and felt like a fool.  Resolve to eat better tomorrow. And I did start the day well.  I made good choices when I went out for breakfast with friends.  I kept “on-track” while driving up to my rental property in upstate New York...

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A New Journey

Nov 23, 2011 by

A New Journey

1 Step Thanksgiving, what to post for Thanksgiving?  It’s a holiday that I have a love/hate relationship with.  You see, I love to eat.  I love all the wonderful food prepared for the traditional feast.  Root veggies, roasted to perfection, homemade breads and pies, all sorts of yummy treats to delight the pallet.  I love to cook and share what I prepare with friends and family.  But I’m now in what they call the morbidly obese category.  Thanksgiving is coming and I’m in the process of preparing for a major life change, bariatric surgery.  This scares the b-Jesus out of me. They say each journey begins with just one step.  With some trepidation I’m going to take the step to gain back my life through bariatric surgery.  It has taken me years to reach...

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To Color or Not to Color, Is That The Question?...

Sep 10, 2011 by

To Color or Not to Color, Is That The Question?

I recently read an interesting article in the Huffington Post about hair color for women over 50.  Barbara Hannah Grufferman’s article had some very interesting points to make.  I especially like the reference to actress Helen Mirren.  Is there a double standard being applied?  Why is grey hair in men considered distinguished and sexy, like George Clooney when you can look like Ms. Mirren? I’ve been playing with hair color since high school.  In the ’80’s I embraced the wild cuts and colors of punk rock, in the 90’s I went for the streak/highlights thing in my dark hair and hated that.  I’ve had blue hair (that’s royal blue), green hair, tri-colored hair (base color and red & white highlights) and everything in between.  Now that I’m of a certain age, I color my hair...

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