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Healthy pasta? Pass it! Like, now, preferably.
Published: 1/1/2012 7:00 AM
Last Modified: 12/30/2011 6:16 PM

I weigh more than this cow -- for now. Moo! MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World

I weigh 259.8 pounds -- the heaviest I've ever been.

My doctor told me I was obese. And that conversation was 15 pounds ago.

I know, you're probably tired of me talking about weight AGAIN. Honestly, I'm tired of talking about it, too. But it is, appropriately enough, the elephant in the room. No use avoiding it.

So I went back to Weight Watchers (a.k.a., Dubya Dubya) last week. I followed the plan for two months last year and lost 22 pounds -- and felt awesome!

This time around, screw my old goals of looking svelte, getting into designer jeans or impressing particular people -- I want to FEEL better. I wanna not jump when I pass in front of my living room mirror. Seriously, I've actually flinched when spying my reflection. Not a good sign.

In all sincerity, I am SOOO excited to be back on the Dubya Dubya wagon, as I'm tired of tanking up on junk food and not working out. I've missed spinach salads, egg-white omelets (with spinach) and curried chicken salad (served on spinach). I have a thing for spinach, sorry.

I've also missed pasta, which -- odd as this seems -- I ate WAAAAY more of while on Dubya Dubya than I did in the past eight months of gaining 60-plus pounds.

One of the things I'm going to prepare this week is the following pasta dish, which is FABULOUS -- and a mere seven points per serving (or 28 points, if you feel compelled to eat the whole dang thing).

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Arugula

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 ounces uncooked bowtie pasta
2 cups arugula, baby leaves, stems removed
2 tablespoons chives, fresh, minced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil, extra-virgin
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon blue cheese, crumbled

1. Place walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet. Toast nuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, shaking skillet frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove from skillet and set aside.
2. Bring 3 quarts of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot. Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 11 to 13 minutes; remove 1 tablespoon of pasta cooking water and save for dressing below. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl; immediately add arugula and toss well. Cover bowl with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap; set aside until arugula is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in chives and tomatoes.
3. In a cup, stir together vinegar, oil, reserved tablespoon of pasta cooking water, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper in a cup. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss well; sprinkle with blue cheese. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Note: If you're using mature arugula leaves, chop and add them to the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of the cooking time to blanch them. Drain the pasta and arugula, and immediately move to the next step of mixing the salad ingredients together.

Peace, love and healthy pasta ... XOXO

Reader Comments

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Captain Terrific (last year)

Jason: How tall are you? If you are 6ft 6in 259lbs is not that much over weight.

Captain Terrific (last year)

At 259lbs your BMI is under 25 if you are 7ft 1in tall. At 6ft 6in it is 29.

228576 (last year)

What happened? You don't look fat in that picture.

Captain Terrific (last year)

Maybe Jason used his high school picture. He looks young.

dany (last year)

1)Don't let yourself eat more just because you exercise -- the calories from exercising are not as many as you hope.
2)Pick one thing that you are getting alot of extra calories from, but that you can permanently live without, and eliminate it. A few months, or even a year later, pick something else to eliminate.

I think that is the best way to take weight off and keep it off. I eliminated soft drinks a few years ago, then sweet tea, then crackers, then nachos, etc. Most of my extra calories now come from sweets, but I'm not willing to live without sugar. I did stop buying candy from the store though. If I want something sweet, I have to cook it.

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Living Wright

While other kids were watching "The Smurfs," Scene Writer Jason Ashley Wright was tuned in to "Style with Elsa Klensch." By fourth grade, he knew he wanted to write, and spent almost three years publishing a weekly teen-oriented magazine, Teen-Zine -- circulation: 2. After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, he became the medical reporter and teen board coordinator for the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, a Gannett newspaper. Eight months later, with visions of Elsa dancing in his head, he applied for the fashion writer position at the Tulsa World, where he began working on Aug. 3, 1998. He is now a general assignment reporter for Scene.

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