Fitness Romance Saga
Redefining the Meaning of Pizza Night
January 25th, 2012 • 26 Comments | Leave a Comment »
…but first, the time line of historical pizza-problems that led up to the need for serious change:
1987 (age 14): I was eating an average 8 slices of Domino’s Pizza every Friday with no weight gain.
1989 – 2003: I barely ate pizza at all, so no problem.
2004: My pizza addiction began. I ate an average 6 slices of takeout pizza every Friday night (plus everyone’s leftover crust) — the greasy kind made by pizza employee Joe Schmoe, who probably scratched his balls with his bare hand before prepping my order.
2004 – 2010: I gained weight, then lost weight (yay!), but STILL had a pizza-eating problem. My fitness progress was there, but slow going.
Early 2011: I decided that enough was enough. I was sick and tired of being controlled by my addiction (I call it that now, but didn’t recognize it as addiction at the time), and slowly reduced my Friday pizza-eating from 6 slices down to 2. I also identified other greedy carb overloads and reduced or eliminated them all together (good-bye entire loaves of french bread thickly smathered in butter). All of this took me many months to master.
2012: I’m through with takeout pizza forever, yet I still love pizza and see no need to give it up. I simply choose to re-define the meaning of Pizza Night to ensure my body transformation continues.
THIS was my dinner tonight…
My homemade pizza (before baking).
Fresh ingredients included: spinach, plum tomatoes and onions, plus basil, other Italian seasonings, and easy on the cheese. My homemade pizza was less expensive than takeout and definitely less calories, while bigger on taste and satisfaction. And did I mention zero guilt?
My pizza after baking.
There’s no reason to give up the foods you love. Simply scale back if that works for you. But as for me and pizza? That called for a totally new definition of what Pizza Night means to me.
Joe Schmoe is no longer taking my orders. No more delivery of greasy pizzas to my door. I’m making the damn pizza myself. Because it’s just better that way. ((burp))
26 Comments
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Emergefit January 25th, 2012 at 22:11
I have often said, “Pizza is like sex and music — there is no such hing as bad, only differently levels of good.” The older I get, the more I appreciate spinach on everything — pizza included. This looks amazing, healthy, and reasonable — a great combination!
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Reinaldo January 25th, 2012 at 22:39
Balls’ scratching before he made the piz… ok, excuse me while I throw up. *throws up* Damn it, I thought that if I didn’t click on your pics “with a warning” I wont see eerie, horrible pics of toenails and other sick sh!t. Turns out, you evolved to write sick sh!t up. Damn it.
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Yum Yucky Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 10:12 am
you’re welcome.
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quix January 25th, 2012 at 22:55
I used to make my pizza on a lo carb tortilla. Haven’t done it for a while, thanks for the reminder! Yours looks awesome!
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Molly Nitka January 25th, 2012 at 23:10
Srsly, I LOOOVEEEEE spinach. I put it on errrrrrvythannnng. Plus, I cannot wait to make my own za.
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Kyle @ Getting Better and Better January 25th, 2012 at 23:24
Yeah…I’d have a large dominos pizza myself…that was the meal (at least). Then it was the wings as a chaser…breadsticks sometimes too… gluttony.
Your ‘za looks mahvelas!
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skippymom January 26th, 2012 at 0:17
The thought of more than two slices of pizza in a sitting makes me nauseous, but I know so many people who can eat whole pies in a sitting. I like pizza, and I especially like pizza/movie night – but you are so right – homemade is the best.
I hope you made the dough in neat o blender thingy. [no, I can't remember the name of the damn thing and I have one. grrr] Homemade dough is da’ bomb.
I know what we are having on Friday. YUM. And that spinach looks so delish.
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Miz January 26th, 2012 at 6:09
great idea.
Ive been blendingsmoothie’ing spinach so long I forget it does other things
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Yum Yucky Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 10:12 am
I shall throw a spinach leaf in my next shake to honor you.
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Barbara January 26th, 2012 at 7:29
With Celiac, I miss the ease of ordering a pizza sometimes but it is a good thing. Honestly, it’s the only thing I really miss about GF except for maybe good beer. Pizza and beer…..mmmmmmm.
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Karen January 26th, 2012 at 9:28
Looks DELICIOUS! I was so worried the first time I tried spinach on pizza – I had only recently started eating it. Amazing! Elevates ‘za to a whole ‘nother level. Looking forward to making a homemade one myself for Superbowl Sunday dinner. Do you make your own crust or use store bought?
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Yum Yucky Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 10:11 am
Hey Karen. This was a spur of the moment dinner, so no homemade crust (boo), but the husband is a master of whole wheat crustiness. As long as I plan ahead from now on, we’ll be able to enjoy his homemade crust.
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Karen@WaistingTime January 26th, 2012 at 15:39
I’m very happy to make pizza on whole grain flatbread with low fat cheese and healthy toppings. I’ve tried cauliflower pizza three times now and just am not loving it:(
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Jody - Fit at 54 January 26th, 2012 at 17:50
That looks delish Josie!! I so remember when I first “found” you & you were writing to me about your love of pizza & cake & how you HAD to have the pizza every Friday night & that meant many pieces & cake whenever it was in front of you. How far you have come!
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Jody - Fit at 54 January 26th, 2012 at 17:53
YUM! I remember when I first “met” you & you told me about your Friday night pizza nights of at least 4 pieces & your love of cake & any time it was in front of you, you had to eat it. How far you have come!!!!
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Jody - Fit at 54 January 26th, 2012 at 17:53
OOPS – sorry! I thought the first one did not go thru!
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KCLAnderson (Karen) January 26th, 2012 at 21:47
Yep, that’s pretty much how I make ‘em too! And we have a similar history
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Manda January 27th, 2012 at 15:58
There is this place by my house called Papa Murphys. The really cool thing about this pizza place is that they make the pizza there for you.. and then you take it home and cook it yourself.. It’s kind of like a subway line and you see all the fresh ingredients there and pick what you want on your pizza.. what kind of cheese or no cheese. they prepare it for you and then you take it home and pop it in the oven! It’s really good and super healthy! ..well… if you make it healthy. which i always do! lo.
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Kimberly January 27th, 2012 at 18:26
Amen! Amen! I am a fellow pizza lover and have discovered that, most nights, I prefer my homemade concoctions over delivery (and definitely over frozen.) LOVE your before/after photos. I didn’t know spinach would could down like that. I’ll have to give it a go!
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Tammy January 28th, 2012 at 10:16
Pizza is my downfall and to make it worse I have to add Ranch dressing. Your post reminds mw that it is ok to stoll eat just be smarter about my choices. I now have an excuse to use my piza stone.
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angela@spinachtiger January 28th, 2012 at 10:53
Pizza is my husband’s downfall, but last night I gave in too. But, I wish you could see the pizza we ate in Italy one night. You don’t tell them what to put on it. It’s called Giant Pizza and they do what they want (which was fab) and we ate the whole thing and it was the best pizza of our life. Your timeline cracked me up.
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jim January 28th, 2012 at 14:31
Pizza is my downfall. I can knock down a quick 4-6 slices without blinking an eye. I used to have it every friday and almost every wednesday until I weighed myself and I was 50 pounds over weight. Pizza wasn’t the only culprate but i didn’t help. I look forward to the day I can have a slice or two but until I get my weight down it’s salad and chicken.
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Daphne (aka Mushy Mamma) January 28th, 2012 at 17:24
From your Strawberry Shortcake Dessert to this Pizza you are surely showing me that there are ways to still have little treats without feeling like I totally botched a good week of working out.
Thanks for this1
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Pocket January 29th, 2012 at 18:00
That pizza looks amazing…I’ll need two of those though (there goes portion control). Ever since I had pizza from Whole Foods last year I’ve decided to make my own pizza with dough that was purchased & started making it the way the Italians do (like the one you made). Fresher ingredients, less cheese, & most importantly you’ll know the origin of the ingredients
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merri February 1st, 2012 at 18:56
yum that looks good! the nice thing about living in a city is while we still have the gross, greasy House of Pizza type places which i’ve never liked, we also have these organic, local pizza places that make everything out of real food. ive recently tried the one that’s best in the city, supposedly, and i have to agree – it has the freshest tomato sauce, organic cheese, lotsa mushrooms, spinach and other veggies and no meat. and of course, no grease! LOVE it. yay pizza!
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Sparkina February 5th, 2012 at 2:31
That pizza looks like a dish fit for a Roman Emperor
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