And Tanita-san says: 241.2
1/5th down since Sunday. I was wondering if the increased carbs yesterday (I had a big ole serving of oatmeal with fruit as a nighttime snack) would stall things. Slow, maybe, but not stall so far. We'll see as the carb-experiment continues.
Breathing is not normal yet, but it's getting there. I was able to finally sleep--13 hours total--which is always what I do when the asthma starts to ease: I crash and make up for the crap sleep in previous days/weeks.
Hubby is picking up rotisserie chicken, rice, salad for supper. I'm totally lethargic. The Long Sleep took its toll on my energy levels. And totally freaked out my schedule. I got up at 6pm. I hate having to make corrections and be on more normalish hours. Sucks.
Nothing big to report cause, well, I've been ASLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am mellowing to Utada Hikaru music...she makes me wanna sip coffee and look out the window and chill...seriously. Gotta put some on the iPod: "Beautiful World", "Stay Gold", "Prisoner of Love", "Nichiyo no Asa" (which relaxes me so much I wanna go back to nap). Here's some Neon Genesis Evangelion clips with "Beautiful World" as the music. (The song is used in the anime, and it's really obvious the dude who put it up likes Rei, as he features her nekkid scenes, R rated):
Nice song, huh? Translation here. Love the piano bit going through. Makes me get a similar feel to the great intro theme in ANGEL BEATS, but without the initial melancholy.
So, hubby's home and it's CHICKEN time!
Food time:
BREAKFAST:
5 oz chicken breast (rotisserie, no skin) and 1 cup white rice
1 tomato and 2 cups lettuce with vinegar and 1 tbsp shredded parmesan
2/3 tbsp EVOO
2 cups coffee
1 bag Nutritious Creations hybrid cookies
8 glasses water (4 before, 4 after)
calories: 648
fluids: 80 oz
LUNCH:
Egg white omelette with 2% cheese and mushrooms
1 cup cooked spinach and 2 Morningstar soy sausage patties
2 cups decaf
8 glasses water
DINNER:
1 bag Kay's protein mix sweet BBQ flavor
1 serving sugar-free chocolate almonds
1 medium pear (mostly eaten)
2 glasses water
Calories for day: 1458
Fluids for day: 184 oz (41c/30f/29p<--more like Zone than Low-Fat/High Carb...)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Day 21 of Son of DDDY Challenge: No Weigh-In, Made it to Pilates (a bit late), wheeze is improved, and the new WW encourages more healthy produce consumption!
No good word from Tanita-san. Had to rush like the dickens to make it to Pilates, and I came close to cancelling. I was shaky from my meds and hated driving. Fortunately, the studio is just a few minutes drive away. So, got a work-out in. Not at my maximum exertion or even close, but hey, still got the muscles going.
Nothing much to report. I did sign up for the 3rd part of the Challenge--Spawn of....I forget. I won't do 1200 calories, but I'm gonna try to bring down my level from 1760, ideally to 1600. I've been making some days at that level, so it's not impossible.
Still feeling relatively calm about food. I like that. I like not feeling obssessed and wanting to stuff. Sure, I want to eat all sorts of things I am not allowing myself, and it takes some self-talk and clear NO, IT IS NOT AN OPTION. But I am also allowing myself things I enjoy, so that I don't feel utterly deprived. I think I'd feel deprived at 1200. Just saying...
I don't know why I'm calmer about food since the summer--is it the Cytomel? Is it some psychological switch that flicked? Is it temporary or a real change? I do not know. But I want it to keep happening. I want to make even better choices and stay at a lower eating level and get down.
I was happy to hear a couple months ago that Weight Watchers was making changes to encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables (or rather, more consumption of, as most veggies have had zero points for a while now). It's been a long time coming. I remember when I used to go to meetings, that the ladies (the group was mostly women) would fill their journals and discussions with talks about the lowest point cookies and candies and stock up on the WW brand Franken-treats (if you read the ingredients, you'd know what I mean). Sometimes, those journals would have 3 or 4 or more of these fake treat foods taking up points and show very poorly in the veggie and fruit department. I understand that not everyone likes veggies, but to eat several of those choco or fudgo or whatever instead of an apple or a cup of melon or a mango or papaya or a couple kiwi or oranges or bananas or pomegranates or berries was nuts.
I use fakey foods--mostly for protein, occasionally cause I crave chocolate, mostly for convenience. But when I did WW and I had X points, I tended to eat 11, 12 fruits and veggies. I figured if I got a lot of zero point veggies and some 1 point fruits, I could fill up with few points. I still try to get in at least 6 fruit/veggie servings a day, and want to work my way up to a better eating plan that has at least 9 servings. There is so much nutrition in produce, it behooves us to take advantage of the array of colors and phytonutrients and goodies in there, including the potassium that fights salt-bloat.
Bringing the points value of fruit to zero is a needed corrective to a diet that often encouraged the use of those crap ingredient-laden treats for 1 and 2 points. Non-nutritive stuff should carry a point-penalty. Healthful foods--real food that's low in calories and higher in fiber and nutrients, should have a bonus. Now, they do with POINTS PLUS, as do "satisfying" foods--foods that help you feel full longer: "You make smart choices; you won't feel deprived."
It's about healthy, filling, value-added food.
My suggestion for those doing the WW plan: Don't count your activity points. Yeah, do your movement, but don't count it to eat more. Stick with your daily + allowance points. And, if you can manage it, don't splurge the 49 points in one day. My experience (and the studies do back this) is that big overeating on one day makes it harder to get back on plan in the days/weeks that follow. You re-activate those habits to overeat--IN YOUR BRAIN.
Here are my particular Points Plus parameters:
I haven't read all the new point figuring particulars. The old points system was basically 1 point for every 50 calories (more or less). So, if I was allotted 36 points, that meant I was eating basically eating 1800 calories. Don't know what that 34 daily is now. Given they allow 7 points extra per day as needed (if the allowance is divvied up), to make for 41 points per day, I'm thinking that it definitely has changed. It will mean more calories per point. I'm sure someone has worked it out already.
If you're interested, here are the SEVEN RULES FOR FOLLOWING THE POINTS PLUS PLAN:
~Get to know PointsPlus™ values
~Don’t deprive yourself
~Make smarter food choices
~Get physical activity
~Track with the Plan Manager
Food logging:
BREAKFAST:
1 WS Vanila protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 green tea and Green Magma shake (made with 6 oz water)
2 glasses water
calories: 120
fluids: 26 oz
LUNCH:
1 Subway Meatball Salad (all veggies except pickles/banana peppers, mozza cheese)
2 cups coffee
8 glasses water
calories: 335
fluids: 80 oz
DINNER:
Leftovers: rest of Tulum Chicken salad, rest of refried beans and Mexican rice, pico de gallo
2 cups watermelon and 1 tsp sugar-free chocolate chips
8 glasses water and 2 cups decaf
calories: 664
fluids: 80 oz
SNACK:
1 WS Vanilla Shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 container Dr. McDougall's peach-raspberry oatmeal-barley cereal
1 can 100-calorie lite Peaches
2 glasses water
calories: 504
fluids: 24 oz
Total Calories: 1633
Total Fluids: 210 oz
Nothing much to report. I did sign up for the 3rd part of the Challenge--Spawn of....I forget. I won't do 1200 calories, but I'm gonna try to bring down my level from 1760, ideally to 1600. I've been making some days at that level, so it's not impossible.
Still feeling relatively calm about food. I like that. I like not feeling obssessed and wanting to stuff. Sure, I want to eat all sorts of things I am not allowing myself, and it takes some self-talk and clear NO, IT IS NOT AN OPTION. But I am also allowing myself things I enjoy, so that I don't feel utterly deprived. I think I'd feel deprived at 1200. Just saying...
I don't know why I'm calmer about food since the summer--is it the Cytomel? Is it some psychological switch that flicked? Is it temporary or a real change? I do not know. But I want it to keep happening. I want to make even better choices and stay at a lower eating level and get down.
I was happy to hear a couple months ago that Weight Watchers was making changes to encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables (or rather, more consumption of, as most veggies have had zero points for a while now). It's been a long time coming. I remember when I used to go to meetings, that the ladies (the group was mostly women) would fill their journals and discussions with talks about the lowest point cookies and candies and stock up on the WW brand Franken-treats (if you read the ingredients, you'd know what I mean). Sometimes, those journals would have 3 or 4 or more of these fake treat foods taking up points and show very poorly in the veggie and fruit department. I understand that not everyone likes veggies, but to eat several of those choco or fudgo or whatever instead of an apple or a cup of melon or a mango or papaya or a couple kiwi or oranges or bananas or pomegranates or berries was nuts.
I use fakey foods--mostly for protein, occasionally cause I crave chocolate, mostly for convenience. But when I did WW and I had X points, I tended to eat 11, 12 fruits and veggies. I figured if I got a lot of zero point veggies and some 1 point fruits, I could fill up with few points. I still try to get in at least 6 fruit/veggie servings a day, and want to work my way up to a better eating plan that has at least 9 servings. There is so much nutrition in produce, it behooves us to take advantage of the array of colors and phytonutrients and goodies in there, including the potassium that fights salt-bloat.
Bringing the points value of fruit to zero is a needed corrective to a diet that often encouraged the use of those crap ingredient-laden treats for 1 and 2 points. Non-nutritive stuff should carry a point-penalty. Healthful foods--real food that's low in calories and higher in fiber and nutrients, should have a bonus. Now, they do with POINTS PLUS, as do "satisfying" foods--foods that help you feel full longer: "You make smart choices; you won't feel deprived."
It's about healthy, filling, value-added food.
My suggestion for those doing the WW plan: Don't count your activity points. Yeah, do your movement, but don't count it to eat more. Stick with your daily + allowance points. And, if you can manage it, don't splurge the 49 points in one day. My experience (and the studies do back this) is that big overeating on one day makes it harder to get back on plan in the days/weeks that follow. You re-activate those habits to overeat--IN YOUR BRAIN.
Here are my particular Points Plus parameters:
Your PointsPlus budget
Your daily PointsPlus Target: 34
You'll continue to try to stay within this number each day.
Your weekly PointsPlus Allowance*: 49
You’ll still have this weekly Allowance for treats and extras.
I haven't read all the new point figuring particulars. The old points system was basically 1 point for every 50 calories (more or less). So, if I was allotted 36 points, that meant I was eating basically eating 1800 calories. Don't know what that 34 daily is now. Given they allow 7 points extra per day as needed (if the allowance is divvied up), to make for 41 points per day, I'm thinking that it definitely has changed. It will mean more calories per point. I'm sure someone has worked it out already.
If you're interested, here are the SEVEN RULES FOR FOLLOWING THE POINTS PLUS PLAN:
~Get to know PointsPlus™ values
~Don’t deprive yourself
~Make smarter food choices
~Get physical activity
~Track with the Plan Manager
~Set inspiring goals
~Fill up on Power Foods
~Fill up on Power Foods
Make sure to check the points on your fave foods. The Fiber Gourmet Cheese crackers no longer count 1 point per bag; now they are THREE points per bag. Your former go-to one point snacks may have gone up.
Food logging:
BREAKFAST:
1 WS Vanila protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 green tea and Green Magma shake (made with 6 oz water)
2 glasses water
calories: 120
fluids: 26 oz
LUNCH:
1 Subway Meatball Salad (all veggies except pickles/banana peppers, mozza cheese)
2 cups coffee
8 glasses water
calories: 335
fluids: 80 oz
DINNER:
Leftovers: rest of Tulum Chicken salad, rest of refried beans and Mexican rice, pico de gallo
2 cups watermelon and 1 tsp sugar-free chocolate chips
8 glasses water and 2 cups decaf
calories: 664
fluids: 80 oz
SNACK:
1 WS Vanilla Shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 container Dr. McDougall's peach-raspberry oatmeal-barley cereal
1 can 100-calorie lite Peaches
2 glasses water
calories: 504
fluids: 24 oz
Total Calories: 1633
Total Fluids: 210 oz
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Day 20 Son of DDDY Challenge: 3/5ths of a Pound Down and Still With the Wheeze, Anime-watching Day, and Now my Ears are Getting Stuffed Up!
Tanita-san's reckoning: 241.4
Yes, down after a day of holding. Yes! And that's after having a huge bowl of pasta and veggies yesterday (2 cups of pasta with 2.5 cups of veggies all in one bowl.) Yummy.
So close to teh 230s. It's making me eager.
Anyway, fine on water and calories yesterday. Carbs should have been higher and fats lower, but still, not bad.
Was watching some anime stuff I needed to get caught up on (ie, some stuff I've been wanting to watch and never got around to). Both of the OVA follow-ups to the excellent brief anime series, HIGASHI NO EDEN (Eden of the East). Watched our adorable Taki-kun do his thing in the fascinating Noblesse Oblige game of the "Selected" saviors of Japan. Love how Taki handled it. If you haven't seen the series or the f/u films (King of Japan and Paradise Lost), its a very nicely done anime.
Also tried out the first episode of Togainu no Chi (based on a boy love--ie, homosexual--manga, methinks), violent sorta futuristic boy-fighting thing. The black-leather-clad dude in black with the vampirish red eyes and the black-sword was hot, but I don't think I'll be watching much more. Caught up with the latest episode of BAKUMAN, a school/life teenager-protagonists anime that has a very charming, sweet and sometimes comical heart about two 15 year olds who decide to become mangaka (write a successful manga) that will become an anime by the time they turn 18. The goal is tied up to a subtle romance. The romance drives the passion of the artist teen while personal adventure and pride drives the writer-teen. Very nice anime. it's cool watching them become partners and pals.
Watching those uber-skinny Japanese characters makes one wanna stay on plan, I tell ya! (Although I've yet to see a skinnier protagonist than Watanuki from xxxHolic.)
So, anyway, caved and took a dose of Sudafed cause my ears are stuffing up. Ick. Hate that sensation. The allergy-asthma fest here continues. I'm gonna wanna die in exercise session tomorrow. Should have cancelled. REally should have.
Anyway, food log:
BREAKFAST:
Pretty much same as yesterday, excepts mushrooms in the omelette instead of tomato and a tangerine into the mix to make up for only having 1/2 cup of papaya left.
calories: 582
fluids: 80 oz
LUNCH: Hubby wants Mexican, so we're hitting a small local place with authentic fare...one of our faves. I ordered soup and a "tulum salad" which has marinated chicken breas and organic greens and corn, black beans, tomatoes. I nixed the tortilla chips and cheese this time.
Yeah, had the Mexican: Sopa de aguacate (chicken broth with some shredded chicken, pico de gallo, and avocado pieces), 1 taco al pastor, half of the tulum grilled chickens salad with 1 tbsp of the cilantro-peanut dressing, 1/2 cup refried beans and 1/4 cup Mexican rice, with 1/4 cup pico de gallo on top.
8 glasses of water
6 oz iced tea, unsweetened
calories: 959
fluids: 70 oz
DINNER:
1/2 Chocolite protein bar
2 glasses water
calories: 48
fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1588
Total Fluids: 166 oz
Yes, down after a day of holding. Yes! And that's after having a huge bowl of pasta and veggies yesterday (2 cups of pasta with 2.5 cups of veggies all in one bowl.) Yummy.
So close to teh 230s. It's making me eager.
Anyway, fine on water and calories yesterday. Carbs should have been higher and fats lower, but still, not bad.
Was watching some anime stuff I needed to get caught up on (ie, some stuff I've been wanting to watch and never got around to). Both of the OVA follow-ups to the excellent brief anime series, HIGASHI NO EDEN (Eden of the East). Watched our adorable Taki-kun do his thing in the fascinating Noblesse Oblige game of the "Selected" saviors of Japan. Love how Taki handled it. If you haven't seen the series or the f/u films (King of Japan and Paradise Lost), its a very nicely done anime.
Also tried out the first episode of Togainu no Chi (based on a boy love--ie, homosexual--manga, methinks), violent sorta futuristic boy-fighting thing. The black-leather-clad dude in black with the vampirish red eyes and the black-sword was hot, but I don't think I'll be watching much more. Caught up with the latest episode of BAKUMAN, a school/life teenager-protagonists anime that has a very charming, sweet and sometimes comical heart about two 15 year olds who decide to become mangaka (write a successful manga) that will become an anime by the time they turn 18. The goal is tied up to a subtle romance. The romance drives the passion of the artist teen while personal adventure and pride drives the writer-teen. Very nice anime. it's cool watching them become partners and pals.
Watching those uber-skinny Japanese characters makes one wanna stay on plan, I tell ya! (Although I've yet to see a skinnier protagonist than Watanuki from xxxHolic.)
So, anyway, caved and took a dose of Sudafed cause my ears are stuffing up. Ick. Hate that sensation. The allergy-asthma fest here continues. I'm gonna wanna die in exercise session tomorrow. Should have cancelled. REally should have.
Anyway, food log:
BREAKFAST:
Pretty much same as yesterday, excepts mushrooms in the omelette instead of tomato and a tangerine into the mix to make up for only having 1/2 cup of papaya left.
calories: 582
fluids: 80 oz
LUNCH: Hubby wants Mexican, so we're hitting a small local place with authentic fare...one of our faves. I ordered soup and a "tulum salad" which has marinated chicken breas and organic greens and corn, black beans, tomatoes. I nixed the tortilla chips and cheese this time.
Yeah, had the Mexican: Sopa de aguacate (chicken broth with some shredded chicken, pico de gallo, and avocado pieces), 1 taco al pastor, half of the tulum grilled chickens salad with 1 tbsp of the cilantro-peanut dressing, 1/2 cup refried beans and 1/4 cup Mexican rice, with 1/4 cup pico de gallo on top.
8 glasses of water
6 oz iced tea, unsweetened
calories: 959
fluids: 70 oz
DINNER:
1/2 Chocolite protein bar
2 glasses water
calories: 48
fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1588
Total Fluids: 166 oz
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Day 19 Son of DDDY Challenge: Where I just keep doing what needs to be done and skim through the scads of lowfat cooking books, old and new, to find recipes!
Scale: 242.0
Same as yesterday. Fine with dat. Means yesterday's low weigh-in was NOT a fluke. Yay!
I ordered 4 new cookbooks, and I have some old lowfat ones that I dug out of the dust in which they were decaying from lack of use. I want to choose at least 4 breakfast, 6 lunch, and 10 dinner recipes I like to try (and that hubby will eat, which in itself makes it a huge challenge as he's a limited eater). I don't like to cook, but the reality is that I need to at least get a good repertoire of homemade meals to keep me out of tempting restaurants and to save some moolah. Eating out is expensive. I'm getting old. I need to save for retirement. :) Or at least to pay my trainer.
I have a yen for hot cakes for breakfast, so I may make my tried-n-true WonderSlim ones and enjoy with maybe eggs. I ate so little the last couple days that I may splurge on a nice big breakfast.
I hope this holiday weekend is treating you beautifully and you're getting rest and recreation. Eat less, move more, be well:
BREAKFAST:
WS Hot cakes with 2 oz natural applesauce, cinnamon, and sugar free syrup
1/2 cup egg whites made into omelette with 1/3 cup chopped tomato, garlic, and
2 slices 2% American cheese
1 tbsp Smart Balance divvied between both pans
1 cup papaya with lime juice spritzed
assorted supplements
2 cups coffee and 8 glasses water (4 before, 1 during, 3 after)
calories: 573 (59/15/34)
fluids: 80 oz
LUNCH: made higher fiber, lower GI pasta
2 cups pasta with 1 cups sauce and
2.5 cups spinach, zucchini, mushrooms mixed in
3 tbsp shredded parmesan
2 tsp EVOO (for pan in which I cooked veggies)
3 cups decaf
8 glasses water
calories: 755
fluids: 88 oz
DINNER:
1 BariWise Rocky Road protein bar
2 glasses water
calories: 170
fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1498
Total Fluids: 184 oz
Total Calories:
Total Fluids:
Same as yesterday. Fine with dat. Means yesterday's low weigh-in was NOT a fluke. Yay!
I ordered 4 new cookbooks, and I have some old lowfat ones that I dug out of the dust in which they were decaying from lack of use. I want to choose at least 4 breakfast, 6 lunch, and 10 dinner recipes I like to try (and that hubby will eat, which in itself makes it a huge challenge as he's a limited eater). I don't like to cook, but the reality is that I need to at least get a good repertoire of homemade meals to keep me out of tempting restaurants and to save some moolah. Eating out is expensive. I'm getting old. I need to save for retirement. :) Or at least to pay my trainer.
I have a yen for hot cakes for breakfast, so I may make my tried-n-true WonderSlim ones and enjoy with maybe eggs. I ate so little the last couple days that I may splurge on a nice big breakfast.
I hope this holiday weekend is treating you beautifully and you're getting rest and recreation. Eat less, move more, be well:
BREAKFAST:
WS Hot cakes with 2 oz natural applesauce, cinnamon, and sugar free syrup
1/2 cup egg whites made into omelette with 1/3 cup chopped tomato, garlic, and
2 slices 2% American cheese
1 tbsp Smart Balance divvied between both pans
1 cup papaya with lime juice spritzed
assorted supplements
2 cups coffee and 8 glasses water (4 before, 1 during, 3 after)
calories: 573 (59/15/34)
fluids: 80 oz
LUNCH: made higher fiber, lower GI pasta
2 cups pasta with 1 cups sauce and
2.5 cups spinach, zucchini, mushrooms mixed in
3 tbsp shredded parmesan
2 tsp EVOO (for pan in which I cooked veggies)
3 cups decaf
8 glasses water
calories: 755
fluids: 88 oz
DINNER:
1 BariWise Rocky Road protein bar
2 glasses water
calories: 170
fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1498
Total Fluids: 184 oz
Total Calories:
Total Fluids:
Friday, November 26, 2010
Day 18 Son of Double Dare Challenge: Just continuing on plan cause the 230s are so close!
Today: 242.0
Today's Plan: Eat no more than 1760 calories and Drink 160+ oz of fluid
Today's Plan: Try to breathe better and not shop myself into debt. :)
Okay, nothing much to add to what I already said in my previous post. It's just another Challenge Day to me, not so much Black Friday, as I used the coupons out there to buy from 3 online vendors (Danskin, my workout wear; SaraMButcher, an artist I like who had a sale; and Curl Junkie, my fave curly hair products line that's CG Method friendly and had a 20% off sale. If you do the CG method or have curly hair that needs moisture, this is the best line. Go to CurlJunkie.com and take advantage of the 20% off the products. I stocked up several months worth.)
Make today work for you, whether you need to burn off TD overeating or whether you need to get in your bargain-shopping (put on the sneakers and powerwalk that mall!), make it count towards your weight loss efforts.
We're playing couch-potato (well, I don't have much choice as my breathing is constricted) and I asked hubby if we could share a Volcano Chicken order from the Thai restaurant for supper. He's fine with that. I'll get steamed veggies for a side and get those amazing and super-low-fat-low-cal fresh Vietnamese veggie rolls. Looking forward to that.
Food and fluid log time:
BREAKFAST: Take-out from Thai place
4 vegetarian Vietnamese rolls (these babies are less than 20 cals each)
3 oz grilled chicken with 8 tbsp chili sauce and 1.5 cups steamed veggies
3 pieces avocado sushi with soy sauce and wasabi and pickled ginger
1 cup papaya chunks and 1/2 cup fresh cherries
assorted supplements
3 cups coffee and 8 glasses water (total fluids = 88 oz)
LUNCH:
2 eggs fried and 2 slices Ezekiel bread, toasted
1 Morningstar Farms soy breakfast sausage patty
2 tbsp Nature's Hollow sugar free apricot preserves
1 medium pear
assorted supplements
8 glasses water and 2 cups decaf (total fluids = 80 oz)
DINNER: None. Not hungry.
Total Calories: 1139 (56c/25f/19p; fat was kept at desirable levels at last)
Total Fluids: 168 oz (less than I wanted, but quite a bit more than the "accelerated rate" amount as per the challenge parameters)
Today's Plan: Eat no more than 1760 calories and Drink 160+ oz of fluid
Today's Plan: Try to breathe better and not shop myself into debt. :)
Okay, nothing much to add to what I already said in my previous post. It's just another Challenge Day to me, not so much Black Friday, as I used the coupons out there to buy from 3 online vendors (Danskin, my workout wear; SaraMButcher, an artist I like who had a sale; and Curl Junkie, my fave curly hair products line that's CG Method friendly and had a 20% off sale. If you do the CG method or have curly hair that needs moisture, this is the best line. Go to CurlJunkie.com and take advantage of the 20% off the products. I stocked up several months worth.)
Make today work for you, whether you need to burn off TD overeating or whether you need to get in your bargain-shopping (put on the sneakers and powerwalk that mall!), make it count towards your weight loss efforts.
We're playing couch-potato (well, I don't have much choice as my breathing is constricted) and I asked hubby if we could share a Volcano Chicken order from the Thai restaurant for supper. He's fine with that. I'll get steamed veggies for a side and get those amazing and super-low-fat-low-cal fresh Vietnamese veggie rolls. Looking forward to that.
Food and fluid log time:
BREAKFAST: Take-out from Thai place
4 vegetarian Vietnamese rolls (these babies are less than 20 cals each)
3 oz grilled chicken with 8 tbsp chili sauce and 1.5 cups steamed veggies
3 pieces avocado sushi with soy sauce and wasabi and pickled ginger
1 cup papaya chunks and 1/2 cup fresh cherries
assorted supplements
3 cups coffee and 8 glasses water (total fluids = 88 oz)
LUNCH:
2 eggs fried and 2 slices Ezekiel bread, toasted
1 Morningstar Farms soy breakfast sausage patty
2 tbsp Nature's Hollow sugar free apricot preserves
1 medium pear
assorted supplements
8 glasses water and 2 cups decaf (total fluids = 80 oz)
DINNER: None. Not hungry.
Total Calories: 1139 (56c/25f/19p; fat was kept at desirable levels at last)
Total Fluids: 168 oz (less than I wanted, but quite a bit more than the "accelerated rate" amount as per the challenge parameters)
Face the Truth Friday: Black Friday Edition, with my best weekly weight loss of the year and one old and one new truth in my face....
 |
| Shinjitsu/Truth |
Weigh-in: 242.0
That's a 3 pound loss from last Friday. More than twice my usual weight loss rate. I'm ridiculously pleased. Makes up for the asthma-crap.
I stayed well within my weekly caloric allotment and I drank my "accelerated rate" of water every day and then some. I will say it again: Lots of water helps. Lots of water right before eating helps the most. Drink water until you feel the pangs of a "stretching stomach", that "fullness pang", and then eat. You'll eat less unless you're bound and determined to binge.
What truths am I facing? Again, that even sick, I don't have to turn to food to comfort me. I normally would not lose weight when ill, cause I stuff up with the creamy/fatty/carby comfort foods. I didn't do it. I dropped pounds.
I learned that it's not gonna kill me to throw out holiday leftovers if they are too tempting. I grew up in the era of "hungry kids in China, so finish your food", a member of the plate-cleaning club and leftover-packaging club. Yesterday, I dumped all but one of the leftovers, and I won't cry over it.
Okay, I'm still gaspy but I'm happy and I plan to stay within my 1760 calories today. And to drink a bunch of water. Cause I've got many more stubborn old pounds that need to be tossed in the trash with the leftovers.
Happy Black Friday to you all. Don't spend more than you can frugally afford to. Debt is as bad as fat.
Thanksgiving is past (maybe the leftovers aren't though). Start a Controlled Eating PlanH for CHRISTMAS today!
Here's one way to do it courtesy of the EATING LESS Newsletter from September 2010, link at the site for all archived newsletters. This one is targeted at buffets, but the idea is sound for all major eating occasions. Practice beforehand. Have a plan:
| QUESTION TIME |
 THE PROBLEM: It's only September and already I'm worried about Christmas and I really hope you can help. The reason is that I've worked really hard this year to lose the weight I gained last Christmas and I'm afraid it's just all going to go back on again this year. I'm fairly safe at home, it's the buffets at the parties are what really do me in. It's on my mind already and I'm thinking about going away somewhere to avoid it all but that's not something I'm going to want to do every year. MY ANSWER: I think it's great that you've brought this up so far ahead because this means you've got lots of time to practice, to get into training for The Buffet Table Challenge. I wonder if you've ever used the technique of 'Plans' described in Chapter 6 of EATING LESS, because that's what will help you most. What you do to make a Plan is simply to decide what and how much you intend to eat, preferably just before you start eating. Try to picture it, and as you make that Plan, keep in mind how you will expect to feel after you've finished eating that amount, for the rest of the evening and even the following morning. So it's something like, "do I want to eat so much that I feel bloated, uncomfortably full and miserable, or do I want to eat less and feel energised, happy and in control?" So you make your Plan with that - what sort of experience you intend to create afterward - in mind. Assuming you've made a moderate Plan, the real challenge will be keeping to it, because when you've finished eating a significant amount smaller than usual, you will almost certainly feel an addictive desire to eat more. Keeping to your Plan will depend on your management of that feeling of desire. The more you can use any opportunity to practice making and keeping Plans over the next three months, the less anxious you'll be feeling and the more control you'll have when the parties begin. |
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Day 17 Son of DDDY Challenge: The Asthma-Plagued Thanksgiving Edition and where drinking 40+ fewer ounces of water when eating high-sodium foods does actually take a 1/5th of a pound toll....food and water log....HAPPY THANKSGIVING! FELIZ DIA DE ACCION DE GRACIAS!
Scale: 243.4
I think it would have been a maintain or a loss had I drank the 200+ ounces of water. I had a very salty pre-bed snack (high fiber cheesy crackers, cheese along with the protein shake and apple for carbs). Without the usual evening barrage of water, I think it did bloat me a tiny bit. I felt it when I was lying in bed and touched my stomach/hips/torso as I always do before getting up to see if I "feel" less-of-me. Sometimes, I know a weigh-in is gonna be great cause I really do feel minimized in the belly/hips. Some days, I feel the actual bloat (you feel fewer bones, you feel squishier).
So, more proof for the benefits of La Agua.
I was not well enough to risk cat exposure at my brother's, so I asked hubby to take the dessert which was our menu contribution (two cakes for adults, one strawberry white chocolate, one carrot, and two chocolate cupcakes for the grandniece and grandnephew). Told him to feast, enjoy himself, hang with the guys and bring me back goodies. I was very clear on what to bring--turkey, very small bits of stuffing, gravy and cranberry relish (my family makes it, not the cans), and two sides I love--sweet potato casserole (my sister makes it lower fat than tradtional recipes, no marshmallows, spiked with amaretto) and green bean casserole (henceforward GBC, niece makes one regular recipe, one lower fat recipe). This year, sis made two versions of my most-beloved sweet potato casserole (henceforward SPC) : One her lower-fat version, one her lower fat with mango butter added (and by "butter" meaning a compote, not a fatty thing, for those unfamiliar with fruit butters). Mango is my fave fruit. Yay.
I served myself 5.3 oz of turkey, 1/2 cup stuffing (also reduced fat), 1/2 cup SPC, 1/2 cup lower cal GBC, 2 tbspp relish, 1 tbsp turkey gravy.
What I ended up eating: all the SPC, only the green beans plucked out of the GBC (about 1/8th of a cup total), 1.5 to 2 oz of the turkey breast, 1 tsp of the gravy, all the stuffing, 1 tbsp of the relish. I drank 4 glasses of water beforehand and it fille dme up fine. Had 2 cups of coffee and one small bite of the strawberry-white chocolate cake. Decided to finish my second cuppa with some lower-carb and high-fiber chocolate mint brownie bites by Chocolite (30 cals each).
Hubby finished my cake. I threw out the remainder of the stuffing and GBC. I refrigerated the SBC, cause I love the stuff and plan to enjoy it in small doses in the coming days. Yum.
Total calories for my Thanksgiving "Feast": 337 cals
I talked to my siblings on the phone, wished them well, then chatted with my middle sis for an hour after eating. Would have preferred being there, but I have fallen ill pretty regularly round Thanksgiving. Haven't missed one in about 4 or 5 years, but happens. Something blooms this time of year that sets off my immune response/allergies/asthma....
Hope you all stayed on plan and enjoyed your family time to the max. Family rocks!
Food Log:
Breakfast:
2 organic eggs fried (PAM spray in nonstick pan)
2 toasted slices Ezekiel Bread, 1 slice 2% American Cheese single
1 cup fresh papaya with lime juice
2 cups coffee
8 glasses water (4 before, 4 after)
Thanksgiving Food Lunch:
As described above.
8 glasses water
2 cups coffee
Dinner: None
calories total so far: 756 (102c/22f/41p)
fluids so far: 160 oz
I think it would have been a maintain or a loss had I drank the 200+ ounces of water. I had a very salty pre-bed snack (high fiber cheesy crackers, cheese along with the protein shake and apple for carbs). Without the usual evening barrage of water, I think it did bloat me a tiny bit. I felt it when I was lying in bed and touched my stomach/hips/torso as I always do before getting up to see if I "feel" less-of-me. Sometimes, I know a weigh-in is gonna be great cause I really do feel minimized in the belly/hips. Some days, I feel the actual bloat (you feel fewer bones, you feel squishier).
So, more proof for the benefits of La Agua.
I was not well enough to risk cat exposure at my brother's, so I asked hubby to take the dessert which was our menu contribution (two cakes for adults, one strawberry white chocolate, one carrot, and two chocolate cupcakes for the grandniece and grandnephew). Told him to feast, enjoy himself, hang with the guys and bring me back goodies. I was very clear on what to bring--turkey, very small bits of stuffing, gravy and cranberry relish (my family makes it, not the cans), and two sides I love--sweet potato casserole (my sister makes it lower fat than tradtional recipes, no marshmallows, spiked with amaretto) and green bean casserole (henceforward GBC, niece makes one regular recipe, one lower fat recipe). This year, sis made two versions of my most-beloved sweet potato casserole (henceforward SPC) : One her lower-fat version, one her lower fat with mango butter added (and by "butter" meaning a compote, not a fatty thing, for those unfamiliar with fruit butters). Mango is my fave fruit. Yay.
I served myself 5.3 oz of turkey, 1/2 cup stuffing (also reduced fat), 1/2 cup SPC, 1/2 cup lower cal GBC, 2 tbspp relish, 1 tbsp turkey gravy.
What I ended up eating: all the SPC, only the green beans plucked out of the GBC (about 1/8th of a cup total), 1.5 to 2 oz of the turkey breast, 1 tsp of the gravy, all the stuffing, 1 tbsp of the relish. I drank 4 glasses of water beforehand and it fille dme up fine. Had 2 cups of coffee and one small bite of the strawberry-white chocolate cake. Decided to finish my second cuppa with some lower-carb and high-fiber chocolate mint brownie bites by Chocolite (30 cals each).
Hubby finished my cake. I threw out the remainder of the stuffing and GBC. I refrigerated the SBC, cause I love the stuff and plan to enjoy it in small doses in the coming days. Yum.
Total calories for my Thanksgiving "Feast": 337 cals
I talked to my siblings on the phone, wished them well, then chatted with my middle sis for an hour after eating. Would have preferred being there, but I have fallen ill pretty regularly round Thanksgiving. Haven't missed one in about 4 or 5 years, but happens. Something blooms this time of year that sets off my immune response/allergies/asthma....
Hope you all stayed on plan and enjoyed your family time to the max. Family rocks!
Food Log:
Breakfast:
2 organic eggs fried (PAM spray in nonstick pan)
2 toasted slices Ezekiel Bread, 1 slice 2% American Cheese single
1 cup fresh papaya with lime juice
2 cups coffee
8 glasses water (4 before, 4 after)
Thanksgiving Food Lunch:
As described above.
8 glasses water
2 cups coffee
Dinner: None
calories total so far: 756 (102c/22f/41p)
fluids so far: 160 oz
Wired from Sudafed, Some Assorted Thoughts on the Biggest Loser Show With Past Contestants/Winners, thoughts on losing and regaining, and on Thanksgiving....
Man, it's 4:40 AM here in Miami and I am not at all sleepy. I finally caved and took Sudafed today, two doses, one mid-afternoon, one at 11 PM. My respiratory passages are clearer, for sure, but I'm not getting Zzzzzzs.
I watched the reunion Biggest Loser show. Hubby watched part with me and said, "Seems like the ones who keep it off are the ones who make diet/exercise a mission, either with charity work or have endorsements that motivate them to stay thinner." Yep. Looks that way. There seems to be something in the ones who manage to mostly maintain that keeps the exercise-diet fire going in their bellies in the months and years after leaving the TBL ranch.
It was a bit disheartening, a bit "yeah, expected it", a bit scary, a bit sad to see the winners of seasons past (except for Michelle A, and wonder why she didn't show up) file in. The heaviest being the one who won the first season, Ryan, who is back up to about 300 lbs. Then Matt Hoover, he's looking quite porky again, though nowhere as big as his first days on the show. And so forth. The most recent losers were the slimmest. Ali Vincent has made a career of fitness post TBL, so I don't understand why she was wearing that ungainly, loose outfit that made her look bigger than she is.
I wonder if the more recent winners were looking at the first two winners and thinking, "Oh-oh, I do not want that to happen to me!"
But the truth is, very few, very very very very very few weight LOSERS become weight loss MAINTAINERS. Regain is a huge, huge issue. Whether it's diet. Whether it's gastric bypass. Whether it's lap band. Whether it's VLCD or Clean Diet or Atkins or South Beach or Weight Watchers or eDiets...regain is far far far more common than maintain. I've seen varying figures, but none are encouraging. Maybe 5 percent keep it off. Some say 2%. I don't know who's right, but saying the 95% who lose then go on to regain is depressing as shit.
I have been following the blog of a person who inspired me, a person who lost more than 100 lbs and looked faboo. That person is way off the wagon now and though weigh-ins are no longer updated, there has already been some recorded regain. It hurts to see it. Hurts cause, well, it could be a snapshot of any of us in the future. Lose....to regain.
Ryan. Matt. Suzy. Erik......you...me? Could we become Big Losers who turn into Big Regainers? The stats say yes.
Which is why I read books NOW on how to maintain. May seem nuts, but I bought two of them, and I read them along with diet cookbooks, diet motivational books, scientific books on causes and treatments of overeating and so forth. I want to look ahead with hope. I want to be one of the 2 or 5 percent who keep it off. So I read about those who maintain and how they do it.
Guess what. It's as hard as losing. In some ways harder, in some easier, but it's still hard. It still requires vigilance and discipline and not caving and not giving up.
Some of you are thinking, "Well, first I gotta lose it. It's a moot point if it's not gone first. Then worry about maintenance."
I don't think so. I think that understanding that the struggle never ends, that there isn't a skinny rainbow waiting with a pot of "always thin" gold and a fairy godmother to boink our disordered eating and cravings away with her wand. Not gonna happen. Some people do have a major switch flipped and lose and never regain and just do it and we marvel. They are not the majority.
For anyone thinking losing it is the battle, I think the TBL reunion show is a wake-up call. No. It's gonna still be hard. This does not end. Which is why Allan's challenges encouraging us to eat at goal weight caloric level are a great help. It shows us what must be, what MUST be, like it or not.
So, this Thanksgiving, I'm not pigging out. And if I do--no, I'm just not gonna. I choose not to. Well, if I make it to the dinner, given I can't sleep and am ill.
I am thankful that I am able to learn new habits and that I have this opportunity. I'm thankful that I can hope to be in the golden minority. I choose to have faith, because if we don't believe we CAN do it, then we won't. So, even if it's blind faith, faith against the numbers, faith against the stark reality, I choose to believe it's possible and I can do it.
I choose to focus on the fact that some folks on TBL kept it off and stayed alert and on top of their eating. Some succeed. SOME MAKE IT. Let's learn from the ones who do it year in and year out. They have something to teach us about discipline, changed habits, and sacrifice.
And that the grind never ends, so find a passion for it.
Be thankful for food, but be thankful for the ability not to have too much of it, not even on holidays.
Blessings on you all this Thanksgiving. God has been gracious and good to this country that brims with so much that is positive even in an economic downturn and time of war. Remember to thank Him for all the blessings on your table, in your heart and mind, around you in your loved ones, and out there in this cosmos. Pray for those who are less blessed.
If you have pretty good health, if you can normally breathe freely or walk unhindered or see and hear without impediment, be thankful. If you have a solid roof over your head and someone in your life who gives a damn about you, be thankful. If you have a job, be thankful. If you have people to help you if you do NOT have a job, be thankful. If you could afford a ham or turkey or tofurkey or whatever it is that is your piece de resistance, be thankful.
Thank you, Lord, for your graces and mercies and blessings.
Gracias....te doy gracias, mi Dios...
I watched the reunion Biggest Loser show. Hubby watched part with me and said, "Seems like the ones who keep it off are the ones who make diet/exercise a mission, either with charity work or have endorsements that motivate them to stay thinner." Yep. Looks that way. There seems to be something in the ones who manage to mostly maintain that keeps the exercise-diet fire going in their bellies in the months and years after leaving the TBL ranch.
It was a bit disheartening, a bit "yeah, expected it", a bit scary, a bit sad to see the winners of seasons past (except for Michelle A, and wonder why she didn't show up) file in. The heaviest being the one who won the first season, Ryan, who is back up to about 300 lbs. Then Matt Hoover, he's looking quite porky again, though nowhere as big as his first days on the show. And so forth. The most recent losers were the slimmest. Ali Vincent has made a career of fitness post TBL, so I don't understand why she was wearing that ungainly, loose outfit that made her look bigger than she is.
I wonder if the more recent winners were looking at the first two winners and thinking, "Oh-oh, I do not want that to happen to me!"
But the truth is, very few, very very very very very few weight LOSERS become weight loss MAINTAINERS. Regain is a huge, huge issue. Whether it's diet. Whether it's gastric bypass. Whether it's lap band. Whether it's VLCD or Clean Diet or Atkins or South Beach or Weight Watchers or eDiets...regain is far far far more common than maintain. I've seen varying figures, but none are encouraging. Maybe 5 percent keep it off. Some say 2%. I don't know who's right, but saying the 95% who lose then go on to regain is depressing as shit.
I have been following the blog of a person who inspired me, a person who lost more than 100 lbs and looked faboo. That person is way off the wagon now and though weigh-ins are no longer updated, there has already been some recorded regain. It hurts to see it. Hurts cause, well, it could be a snapshot of any of us in the future. Lose....to regain.
Ryan. Matt. Suzy. Erik......you...me? Could we become Big Losers who turn into Big Regainers? The stats say yes.
Which is why I read books NOW on how to maintain. May seem nuts, but I bought two of them, and I read them along with diet cookbooks, diet motivational books, scientific books on causes and treatments of overeating and so forth. I want to look ahead with hope. I want to be one of the 2 or 5 percent who keep it off. So I read about those who maintain and how they do it.
Guess what. It's as hard as losing. In some ways harder, in some easier, but it's still hard. It still requires vigilance and discipline and not caving and not giving up.
Some of you are thinking, "Well, first I gotta lose it. It's a moot point if it's not gone first. Then worry about maintenance."
I don't think so. I think that understanding that the struggle never ends, that there isn't a skinny rainbow waiting with a pot of "always thin" gold and a fairy godmother to boink our disordered eating and cravings away with her wand. Not gonna happen. Some people do have a major switch flipped and lose and never regain and just do it and we marvel. They are not the majority.
For anyone thinking losing it is the battle, I think the TBL reunion show is a wake-up call. No. It's gonna still be hard. This does not end. Which is why Allan's challenges encouraging us to eat at goal weight caloric level are a great help. It shows us what must be, what MUST be, like it or not.
So, this Thanksgiving, I'm not pigging out. And if I do--no, I'm just not gonna. I choose not to. Well, if I make it to the dinner, given I can't sleep and am ill.
I am thankful that I am able to learn new habits and that I have this opportunity. I'm thankful that I can hope to be in the golden minority. I choose to have faith, because if we don't believe we CAN do it, then we won't. So, even if it's blind faith, faith against the numbers, faith against the stark reality, I choose to believe it's possible and I can do it.
I choose to focus on the fact that some folks on TBL kept it off and stayed alert and on top of their eating. Some succeed. SOME MAKE IT. Let's learn from the ones who do it year in and year out. They have something to teach us about discipline, changed habits, and sacrifice.
And that the grind never ends, so find a passion for it.
Be thankful for food, but be thankful for the ability not to have too much of it, not even on holidays.
Blessings on you all this Thanksgiving. God has been gracious and good to this country that brims with so much that is positive even in an economic downturn and time of war. Remember to thank Him for all the blessings on your table, in your heart and mind, around you in your loved ones, and out there in this cosmos. Pray for those who are less blessed.
If you have pretty good health, if you can normally breathe freely or walk unhindered or see and hear without impediment, be thankful. If you have a solid roof over your head and someone in your life who gives a damn about you, be thankful. If you have a job, be thankful. If you have people to help you if you do NOT have a job, be thankful. If you could afford a ham or turkey or tofurkey or whatever it is that is your piece de resistance, be thankful.
Thank you, Lord, for your graces and mercies and blessings.
Gracias....te doy gracias, mi Dios...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Been Looking for Plus Size Workout Wear? Get 40% off starting NOW at Danskin's Black Friday Sale!
Right now, they're having their Black Friday sale: 40% off. Over 75 bucks gets free shipping. I got a haul--leggings, t-shirts, capri, bootcut pants. I even bought some 1x (I started at 4x in 2008 and now I wear 2x comfortably) for future use, since this is a great discount.
In these pics, I'm wearing:
Upper left: the navy bike shorts with the navy racerback workout top (didn't see it at the site) in 3x.
Right: 3x Black capri leggings. (t-shirt is not from them, it's a comfy $7 cheapie from Old Navy).
Go work out in comfort!
Day 16 Son of Double Dare Challenge: Still with the asthma/congestion, down another 1/5th pound, the quest to up carbs even as my subconscious objects, and Thanksgiving Eve thoughts! Plus food/water log...
Scale = 243.2
A small downtick that pleases me, though yesterday's "whoosh" was fun.
Breathing is crap. Looks like I will miss Thanksgiving. Sucks. Guess I'll have to make Christmas even merrier to make up for it. What makes me even more frustrated is hubby has today through Sunday off, and I 'm not well to go out and enjoy the good weather and happy city with him. I want to go out and DO FUN STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, well.
So, yesterday didn't fit the genetic plan. Was low calorie and lower carb. I had 135 grams of carbs (the minimum according to the 65-20-15 plan of c/f/p would have been about 100 more for the caloric level yesterday, a bit under 1400), 100 g of protein. Fat was 57 grams, and I should have been closer to the low 30s.
I'm so used to eating lower carb, higher protein, that breaking the pattern is tough. I instinctively make take-out choices that fit the previous plan. I did meet the plan numbers at lunch and got close to breakfast, which I made at home and was able to tweak.
Well, I knew the first couple weeks would be bumpy with the reconfigurations. I need to go to Whole Foods when I'm better and get some high fiber, low sugar breakfast cereal (like a multigrain flakes type thing that I can add raisins and bananas, too, and man, it's been a while since I ate bananas), and more low fat and maybe fat free dairy to get the fat down and good carbs up. Some sweet potatoes, some bulgur maybe. Brown rice. Lean cuts of meat (I have no meats/poultry in my freezer right now). Some breakfast soy sausages. Canadian bacon. Whole wheat tortillas (regular, not low carb, which I think taste better, anyhow). More fruit.
So, happy about continuing to see progress. Confused a bit about the eating plan journey. Sad that the holiday is nixed due to my gaspy bronchii. But life goes on and we will overcome, right? :)
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, people. Do NOT overeat tomorrow. Make the conscious decision now to eat light at breakfast, drink loads of water, get in some exercise before the visit to the relatives or feasting begins (even if it's putting on music and dancing with family), and enjoy the things you LOVE MOST and skip the stuff that's just okay or you can have anytime. I mean, really, mashed potatoes is common. Have the rarer, more special, more holiday stuff. Enjoy it in moderate portions. Eat it slowly and SAVOR the wonderfulness of that sweet potato casserole or herbed stuffing or roasted veggies or homemade cranberry relish with the turkey. Savor every bite. Look at it, smell it, let it sit on your tongue. Make that one healthful serving LAST. Be grateful for food and love and laughter. If you have a faith, give a word up to your deity to say you appreciate life and nourishment. Give thanks for the farmers and ranchers and all the people who make nourishment possible.
Overeating won't make you more thankful. Eating with joy and moderation will.
Okay, food log time:
BREAKFAST: (The balance ended up about 52%c/25%f/22p--not too bad)
Diet To Go mushroom-leek strata with soy sausage
1 2/3 cups papaya with 1/8th cup lime juice drizzed over
3 cups spinach cooked in 1 tsp EVOO and garlic
2 cups coffee and 6 glasses water (4 before, 2 after)
calories: 487
fluids: 64 oz
LUNCH: (wasn't overtly hungry, but had something that was in the fridge anyway to keep things stable)
1 cup pear and watercress soup (raw, organic, vegan)
3 small bites of raw vegan zucchini lasagna
2 cups decaf
4 glasses water
calories: 221
fluids: 48 oz
DINNER: Today is organic co-op pick-up day, and Hubby is going to the kosher Israeli restaurant, so I'm getting their very low fat bean soup, a bit of rice to dump on it, some Israeli salad, and maybe steal a couple of falafel and hummus from hubby's appetizers. There should be greens and fruits in the co-op share.
2.5 falafel with 2.5 tbsp hummus
1 cup white bean and carrot soup and 2/3 cup white rice
1/4 cup Israeli Salad
4 glasses water
calories: 681
fluids: 16 oz (should have had more)
SNACK: Got hungry around 1am
1 organic apple
1 bag FiberGourmet cheese crackers
1 slice 2% Kraft deli select cheddar cheese
1 WS Vanilla protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
4 glasses water
calories: 331
fluids: 32 oz
TOTAL CALORIES: 1720 (46/34/20, getting closer to 50/30/20, the intermediary step)
TOTAL FLUIDS: 168 oz (enough to meet and exceep accelerated rate of oz, but less than I've been having. I attribute this to the bit of difficulty I had swallowing...harder to drink. But, must try harder.)
A small downtick that pleases me, though yesterday's "whoosh" was fun.
Breathing is crap. Looks like I will miss Thanksgiving. Sucks. Guess I'll have to make Christmas even merrier to make up for it. What makes me even more frustrated is hubby has today through Sunday off, and I 'm not well to go out and enjoy the good weather and happy city with him. I want to go out and DO FUN STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, well.
So, yesterday didn't fit the genetic plan. Was low calorie and lower carb. I had 135 grams of carbs (the minimum according to the 65-20-15 plan of c/f/p would have been about 100 more for the caloric level yesterday, a bit under 1400), 100 g of protein. Fat was 57 grams, and I should have been closer to the low 30s.
I'm so used to eating lower carb, higher protein, that breaking the pattern is tough. I instinctively make take-out choices that fit the previous plan. I did meet the plan numbers at lunch and got close to breakfast, which I made at home and was able to tweak.
Well, I knew the first couple weeks would be bumpy with the reconfigurations. I need to go to Whole Foods when I'm better and get some high fiber, low sugar breakfast cereal (like a multigrain flakes type thing that I can add raisins and bananas, too, and man, it's been a while since I ate bananas), and more low fat and maybe fat free dairy to get the fat down and good carbs up. Some sweet potatoes, some bulgur maybe. Brown rice. Lean cuts of meat (I have no meats/poultry in my freezer right now). Some breakfast soy sausages. Canadian bacon. Whole wheat tortillas (regular, not low carb, which I think taste better, anyhow). More fruit.
So, happy about continuing to see progress. Confused a bit about the eating plan journey. Sad that the holiday is nixed due to my gaspy bronchii. But life goes on and we will overcome, right? :)
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, people. Do NOT overeat tomorrow. Make the conscious decision now to eat light at breakfast, drink loads of water, get in some exercise before the visit to the relatives or feasting begins (even if it's putting on music and dancing with family), and enjoy the things you LOVE MOST and skip the stuff that's just okay or you can have anytime. I mean, really, mashed potatoes is common. Have the rarer, more special, more holiday stuff. Enjoy it in moderate portions. Eat it slowly and SAVOR the wonderfulness of that sweet potato casserole or herbed stuffing or roasted veggies or homemade cranberry relish with the turkey. Savor every bite. Look at it, smell it, let it sit on your tongue. Make that one healthful serving LAST. Be grateful for food and love and laughter. If you have a faith, give a word up to your deity to say you appreciate life and nourishment. Give thanks for the farmers and ranchers and all the people who make nourishment possible.
Overeating won't make you more thankful. Eating with joy and moderation will.
Okay, food log time:
BREAKFAST: (The balance ended up about 52%c/25%f/22p--not too bad)
Diet To Go mushroom-leek strata with soy sausage
1 2/3 cups papaya with 1/8th cup lime juice drizzed over
3 cups spinach cooked in 1 tsp EVOO and garlic
2 cups coffee and 6 glasses water (4 before, 2 after)
calories: 487
fluids: 64 oz
LUNCH: (wasn't overtly hungry, but had something that was in the fridge anyway to keep things stable)
1 cup pear and watercress soup (raw, organic, vegan)
3 small bites of raw vegan zucchini lasagna
2 cups decaf
4 glasses water
calories: 221
fluids: 48 oz
DINNER: Today is organic co-op pick-up day, and Hubby is going to the kosher Israeli restaurant, so I'm getting their very low fat bean soup, a bit of rice to dump on it, some Israeli salad, and maybe steal a couple of falafel and hummus from hubby's appetizers. There should be greens and fruits in the co-op share.
2.5 falafel with 2.5 tbsp hummus
1 cup white bean and carrot soup and 2/3 cup white rice
1/4 cup Israeli Salad
4 glasses water
calories: 681
fluids: 16 oz (should have had more)
SNACK: Got hungry around 1am
1 organic apple
1 bag FiberGourmet cheese crackers
1 slice 2% Kraft deli select cheddar cheese
1 WS Vanilla protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
4 glasses water
calories: 331
fluids: 32 oz
TOTAL CALORIES: 1720 (46/34/20, getting closer to 50/30/20, the intermediary step)
TOTAL FLUIDS: 168 oz (enough to meet and exceep accelerated rate of oz, but less than I've been having. I attribute this to the bit of difficulty I had swallowing...harder to drink. But, must try harder.)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Day 15 Son of DDDY Challenge: 4/5ths of a pound down in one day (did I poop it all out or what?), and where the wheeze continues, making me worry about health and the holiday, and where carby love continues, and where I ask you to recommend a "buttery" lite spread that mono-sat heavy...food/water log, too
Whoosh. Yes, you just heard my sigh of relief. I was afraid that with my 1. super salty lunch from Pollo Tropical and 2. Super Carby Day of eating--268 grams of carbs, to be exact, when previously I tried to stay between 100 and 160-- that I'd have a water gain.
Maybe I pooped out more than water weight. hahaha.
Tanita-san says: 243.4
Yesterday was 244.2
Me happy.
I did feel hungry pre-bedtime. Very hungry last night. This may be a function of less protein in the raw vegan dinner meal. Mebbe. The protein oatmeal helped loads, but I definitely went to bed hungry. That hadn't happened but one other time on this challenge, early on. Carbs do make me hungrier, but I just did what Allan said: add more water.
It doesn't help that when I'm all asthmatic and crap, I have to increase my steroid intake. Yes, I take TWO types of medications (maybe more, didn't research the others) that INCREASE APPETITE: steroids, antihistamines. Without these, I could not function. I know. When the allergens increase in the environment, not much I can do but suffer, as I am already dosed to the gills with asthma and allergy meds. Except for my low-dose blood pressure med (which I may not need anymore in about 25 to 30 pounds), all thre rest are to manage my asthma and allergies--a boatload of em. More than 250 bucks in co-pay's worth a month. But I can function, not fully normally, but enough not to want to slit my throat.
I do worry that my breathing won't clear up in time for Thanksgiving, or get worse, and then I'll miss the family to-do. Screw the food --though last year's was so delicious I wanted to swoon, and I didn't have pie or cake, I'm talking just the yummy bird and sides--I like seeing everyone together and play games and laugh at the hijinks from the wee ones.
Well, worry fixes nothing. I'll just keep the hope all will be well. And eat my lower fat, higher carb food. I have to say, I look forward to chomping away on legumes. Love my legumes! Today, I wanna hit the pineapple and cherries, all nice and anti-inflammatory.
I may try to the the low fat Mayo Clinic type diet (more protein, cause I'm all about satiety) and then segue as needed to lower protein, more good carbs. In fact, for those who like their fruits, veggies and carbs, and who prefer lower fat, and who plan to do the next stage of Allan's Challenges Series (I forget the name, Spawn of Son of DDDY? Demon Spawn of...hehheh), here is a 1200 calories sample Mayo Clinic Diet menu.You could google up 1200 calories diet plan, and you'll get various options.
Anyone know any good, not freaky, not yucky lower-fat buttery spread thing with no trans fats and more on the monounsaturated side of things? Let me know.
Boring food log now:
BREAKFAST: (I tend to feel fuller with eggs/egg whites, and I still had some high fiber/low carb tortillas, so guess what I had...yep.)
Egg, lowfat cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, salsa in a 50-cal tortilla wrap.
1 cup fresh pineapple and 3 cups coffee
6 glasses water
calcium, fiber, and vit C with quercetin supplements
calories: 335 (30/13/33--the fat was okay, but need to reduce amount of egg whites next time to get more in "line")
fluids: 72 oz
LUNCH: (ooooh, look, I get to have TWO slices of bread!)
2 oz lean ham and 1 slice 2% American cheese on
2 slices lower-cal whole wheat bread
1/4 cup cucumber slices, 1/4 cup tomato slices, a few leaves of spinach
1 tsp lite mayo, 2 tsp dijon mustard
2 cups coffee
6 glasses water
magnesium, vit C and quercetin, Multivit, & cinnamon supplements
calories: 366 (49/9/26--this is more like it, low in fat, still a lot but less protein, more carbs)
fluids: 64 oz
Snack:
2 glasses water
Calories so far:701 (79/23/59)--about 49% carbs, 14% fat, 37% protein
Fluids so far: 136 oz
DINNER: (hubby wants Mexican, so it's gonna be Lime. I asked for two chicken tacos and a very small guacamole, small pico, small salsa--small meal for me, cause I loves me Mexican and usually order more. He's not home yet, but that will be the plan.)
2 crispy grilled chicken breast tacos (lettuce, light sprinkle of cheese)
salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, black beans and mixed lettuces in a bowl for salad.
fresh cilantro
3 cups decaf
6 glasses water (4 before, 1 during, 1 after)
calories: 667 (56/34/41) balance is off again...
fluids: 72 oz
Total Calories: 1368 (37-28-35 <---total fail in terms of test rec's, this is "Better Balancer", not "Fat Trimmer")
Total Fluids: 208 oz
Note: I felt pretty unhungry most of the day, which is good. No snacks needed. However, about 1:30 in the AM I was mighty peckish. Was gonna have a protein smoothie (60 cals) but saw how late it was and nixed the idea. I kept the fat lower, but not low enough (should be UNDER 40 grams. The higher protein kept me satisfied. I think I'm gonna aim at first for 50/30/20, cause it's hard so far minimizing protein and optimizing carbs. I think I need to stepladder it to the genotype balance.
Maybe I pooped out more than water weight. hahaha.
Tanita-san says: 243.4
Yesterday was 244.2
Me happy.
I did feel hungry pre-bedtime. Very hungry last night. This may be a function of less protein in the raw vegan dinner meal. Mebbe. The protein oatmeal helped loads, but I definitely went to bed hungry. That hadn't happened but one other time on this challenge, early on. Carbs do make me hungrier, but I just did what Allan said: add more water.
It doesn't help that when I'm all asthmatic and crap, I have to increase my steroid intake. Yes, I take TWO types of medications (maybe more, didn't research the others) that INCREASE APPETITE: steroids, antihistamines. Without these, I could not function. I know. When the allergens increase in the environment, not much I can do but suffer, as I am already dosed to the gills with asthma and allergy meds. Except for my low-dose blood pressure med (which I may not need anymore in about 25 to 30 pounds), all thre rest are to manage my asthma and allergies--a boatload of em. More than 250 bucks in co-pay's worth a month. But I can function, not fully normally, but enough not to want to slit my throat.
I do worry that my breathing won't clear up in time for Thanksgiving, or get worse, and then I'll miss the family to-do. Screw the food --though last year's was so delicious I wanted to swoon, and I didn't have pie or cake, I'm talking just the yummy bird and sides--I like seeing everyone together and play games and laugh at the hijinks from the wee ones.
Well, worry fixes nothing. I'll just keep the hope all will be well. And eat my lower fat, higher carb food. I have to say, I look forward to chomping away on legumes. Love my legumes! Today, I wanna hit the pineapple and cherries, all nice and anti-inflammatory.
I may try to the the low fat Mayo Clinic type diet (more protein, cause I'm all about satiety) and then segue as needed to lower protein, more good carbs. In fact, for those who like their fruits, veggies and carbs, and who prefer lower fat, and who plan to do the next stage of Allan's Challenges Series (I forget the name, Spawn of Son of DDDY? Demon Spawn of...hehheh), here is a 1200 calories sample Mayo Clinic Diet menu.You could google up 1200 calories diet plan, and you'll get various options.
Anyone know any good, not freaky, not yucky lower-fat buttery spread thing with no trans fats and more on the monounsaturated side of things? Let me know.
Boring food log now:
BREAKFAST: (I tend to feel fuller with eggs/egg whites, and I still had some high fiber/low carb tortillas, so guess what I had...yep.)
Egg, lowfat cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, salsa in a 50-cal tortilla wrap.
1 cup fresh pineapple and 3 cups coffee
6 glasses water
calcium, fiber, and vit C with quercetin supplements
calories: 335 (30/13/33--the fat was okay, but need to reduce amount of egg whites next time to get more in "line")
fluids: 72 oz
LUNCH: (ooooh, look, I get to have TWO slices of bread!)
2 oz lean ham and 1 slice 2% American cheese on
2 slices lower-cal whole wheat bread
1/4 cup cucumber slices, 1/4 cup tomato slices, a few leaves of spinach
1 tsp lite mayo, 2 tsp dijon mustard
2 cups coffee
6 glasses water
magnesium, vit C and quercetin, Multivit, & cinnamon supplements
calories: 366 (49/9/26--this is more like it, low in fat, still a lot but less protein, more carbs)
fluids: 64 oz
Snack:
2 glasses water
Calories so far:701 (79/23/59)--about 49% carbs, 14% fat, 37% protein
Fluids so far: 136 oz
DINNER: (hubby wants Mexican, so it's gonna be Lime. I asked for two chicken tacos and a very small guacamole, small pico, small salsa--small meal for me, cause I loves me Mexican and usually order more. He's not home yet, but that will be the plan.)
2 crispy grilled chicken breast tacos (lettuce, light sprinkle of cheese)
salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, black beans and mixed lettuces in a bowl for salad.
fresh cilantro
3 cups decaf
6 glasses water (4 before, 1 during, 1 after)
calories: 667 (56/34/41) balance is off again...
fluids: 72 oz
Total Calories: 1368 (37-28-35 <---total fail in terms of test rec's, this is "Better Balancer", not "Fat Trimmer")
Total Fluids: 208 oz
Note: I felt pretty unhungry most of the day, which is good. No snacks needed. However, about 1:30 in the AM I was mighty peckish. Was gonna have a protein smoothie (60 cals) but saw how late it was and nixed the idea. I kept the fat lower, but not low enough (should be UNDER 40 grams. The higher protein kept me satisfied. I think I'm gonna aim at first for 50/30/20, cause it's hard so far minimizing protein and optimizing carbs. I think I need to stepladder it to the genotype balance.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Day 14 of Son of DDDY Challenge: Where I begin my Carby Path, and Where I Still Can't Breathe Like a Normal Person, But Go Work-Out Anyway to Find that Lost Fat Makes some Pilates Stretches and Moves Soooooo Much Easier...plus food and water log...
Wow. Two more weeks of challengy accountability. What's this now? Four Weeks of Allan-Led Challenges?
It has been a long, long time since I've stayed on plan this consistently and this long and drank this much in fluids. Amazing to me. Gives me hope, I tell you.
Today's weigh-in kept me stable: 244.2
I did go to Pilates, even though I was gasping through it, couldn't control my breaths to coordinate with movements, and was suffering. I figured I needed the stretching and strength-training to keep me in the right focus. She tones it down some and I got through it. I must say, this asthmatic chick is proud of herself.
Since I am on the New Carb-riddled and Fat-eschewing Journey, I drove by Pollo Tropical to get beans, yuca, and rice. Oh, my. Granted, this is the food I grew up on and I love boiled yuca with garlic and EVOO. I love my black beans with a bit of rice (as opposed to the folks who do rice with some beans, I like a lot of beans and a little rice, even as a kid). Because of the congestion, got me some Caribbean chicken soup for later. Got a salad at Subway (just veggies and some mozzarella) to split between lunch and dinner.
I really like seeing the progress in the mirror at the studio and in how much more I can move my arms behind me on the ladder barrel. I used to NOT be able to place my hands on the barrel when facing away from it to do a quad stretch--too much fat in my upper back and upper arms. I had to hold on to the ladder. Now, I can not only touch the barrel behind me, I can place my hands partway towards the middle of the barrel. I felt like throwing a party. Losing fat from your upper arms makes life easier, or at least Pilates. I totally feel the difference in some leg moves. More fat must have dropped from my belly and thighs, natch.
Okay, food loggie time--turn away if you get horrified by carbs, k?---->
BREAKFAST:
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
1 slice 2% Kraft deli select cheddar cheese
1/2 cup scrambled Egg Beaters
1 tsp Smart Balance spread
(made a sandwich with the above)
3/4 cup papaya, fresh, with wedge of lime's worth of juice on top
2 cups regular coffee
6 glasses of water
calories: 325
fluids: 64 oz
Snack:
2 glasses water
Iced coffee with some 2% milk (Starbucks) and sugar free cinnamon syrup (The Starbucks site calls it 24 oz, but with all that ice, I'm calling it 16 oz).
Calories: 190
Fluids: 32 oz
Calories So Far: 515
Fluids so far: 96 oz
LUNCH: Didn't feel very hungry 4 hours after BKFST (fiber!), but ate so as not to get overly hungry and then go nuts. Pre-emptive foodsy!
3/4 cup Pollo Tropical black beans
1/4 cup white rice
1 cup boiled yuca with 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
(felt full so saved salad for later)
4 glasses water
calories: 381 (calories so far-- 895)
fluids: 32 oz (met minimum)
DINNER: Wow. Definitely hungry 3 hours later. Had raw organic vegan stuff delivered.
3 cups corn and leek raw soup
1 serving raw green bean casserole
2.5 cups decaf
6 glasses water (2 before, 2 during, 2 after)
assorted supplements (Zinc, Calcium, Magnesium, C, quercetin, Multi)
(I had to deconstruct and guesstimate calories, but man, didn't know tahini was THAT loaded in calories/fat. Shoot, that threw off my ratios and ate up a lot of calories. Shoot. But that raw vegan green bean casserole was amazing, better than the Thanksgiving one. Yum.)
Calories: 717 (calories so far = 1613)
Fluids: 68 oz (fluids so far & not counting soup= 196 oz )
Snack: Hadn't planned on one, but was very hungry. Had intended to make a small bit of regular oatmeal with some milk, but the Quaker Oats I had had expired. So, I resorted to the WonderSlim protein oatmeal:
1 WS oatmeal
1/8th cup skim milk
2 glasses water
calories: 141
Total Calories: 1754
Total Fluids: 212
It has been a long, long time since I've stayed on plan this consistently and this long and drank this much in fluids. Amazing to me. Gives me hope, I tell you.
Today's weigh-in kept me stable: 244.2
I did go to Pilates, even though I was gasping through it, couldn't control my breaths to coordinate with movements, and was suffering. I figured I needed the stretching and strength-training to keep me in the right focus. She tones it down some and I got through it. I must say, this asthmatic chick is proud of herself.
Since I am on the New Carb-riddled and Fat-eschewing Journey, I drove by Pollo Tropical to get beans, yuca, and rice. Oh, my. Granted, this is the food I grew up on and I love boiled yuca with garlic and EVOO. I love my black beans with a bit of rice (as opposed to the folks who do rice with some beans, I like a lot of beans and a little rice, even as a kid). Because of the congestion, got me some Caribbean chicken soup for later. Got a salad at Subway (just veggies and some mozzarella) to split between lunch and dinner.
I really like seeing the progress in the mirror at the studio and in how much more I can move my arms behind me on the ladder barrel. I used to NOT be able to place my hands on the barrel when facing away from it to do a quad stretch--too much fat in my upper back and upper arms. I had to hold on to the ladder. Now, I can not only touch the barrel behind me, I can place my hands partway towards the middle of the barrel. I felt like throwing a party. Losing fat from your upper arms makes life easier, or at least Pilates. I totally feel the difference in some leg moves. More fat must have dropped from my belly and thighs, natch.
Okay, food loggie time--turn away if you get horrified by carbs, k?---->
BREAKFAST:
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
1 slice 2% Kraft deli select cheddar cheese
1/2 cup scrambled Egg Beaters
1 tsp Smart Balance spread
(made a sandwich with the above)
3/4 cup papaya, fresh, with wedge of lime's worth of juice on top
2 cups regular coffee
6 glasses of water
calories: 325
fluids: 64 oz
Snack:
2 glasses water
Iced coffee with some 2% milk (Starbucks) and sugar free cinnamon syrup (The Starbucks site calls it 24 oz, but with all that ice, I'm calling it 16 oz).
Calories: 190
Fluids: 32 oz
Calories So Far: 515
Fluids so far: 96 oz
LUNCH: Didn't feel very hungry 4 hours after BKFST (fiber!), but ate so as not to get overly hungry and then go nuts. Pre-emptive foodsy!
3/4 cup Pollo Tropical black beans
1/4 cup white rice
1 cup boiled yuca with 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
(felt full so saved salad for later)
4 glasses water
calories: 381 (calories so far-- 895)
fluids: 32 oz (met minimum)
DINNER: Wow. Definitely hungry 3 hours later. Had raw organic vegan stuff delivered.
3 cups corn and leek raw soup
1 serving raw green bean casserole
2.5 cups decaf
6 glasses water (2 before, 2 during, 2 after)
assorted supplements (Zinc, Calcium, Magnesium, C, quercetin, Multi)
(I had to deconstruct and guesstimate calories, but man, didn't know tahini was THAT loaded in calories/fat. Shoot, that threw off my ratios and ate up a lot of calories. Shoot. But that raw vegan green bean casserole was amazing, better than the Thanksgiving one. Yum.)
Calories: 717 (calories so far = 1613)
Fluids: 68 oz (fluids so far & not counting soup= 196 oz )
Snack: Hadn't planned on one, but was very hungry. Had intended to make a small bit of regular oatmeal with some milk, but the Quaker Oats I had had expired. So, I resorted to the WonderSlim protein oatmeal:
1 WS oatmeal
1/8th cup skim milk
2 glasses water
calories: 141
Total Calories: 1754
Total Fluids: 212
So, How Much Water Weight Is Gonna Return?
 |
| CarbTripper's Water Doodle! |
As anyone who has ever done a low to lower carb eating plan--South Beach, Atkins, even the Zone--knows, when you cut carbs, you dump a nice amount of water weight that first week. You just piss out a bunch of pounds. On South Beach, I lost more in one week than I ever have, but I know it wasn't all or most fat. It was mostly water. I know cause I was in the bathroom a lot. :)
The weeks after I stopped Atkins and South Beach, I gained 6 to7 pounds of water weight. In days. That's what happens when you add back carbs. It's not fat, but it is a bit disconcerting.
So, I do wonder how many water pounds will rebound.
Today, scale: 244.2
Same as yesterday. I expected that. I slept 5.5 hours, which is not enough for me to drop weight in one day. I know from years of dieting experience that--barring VLCDieting--if I sleep poorly, the weight kind of maintains or goes up.
Or it might be a function of me adding a bit more carbs yesterday. I had a big bowl of legumey soup for lunch. I had a chunk of carby bread. I had 3 fruits.
This morning, I had 2 slices of bread and fruit with my eggs, instead of the protein hot cakes.
We shall see....
Just Changed Settigns on my SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker to Reflect Genetic Test Suggestions
So, I took a while to figure out the calories per macronutrient and the grams to reflect between 1400 and 1600 cals for the 65/15/20 recommended breakdown.
I'm really nervous. That's A LOT OF CARBS!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been eating way, way fewer carbs and way, way more protein and fat.
It's making me jittery.
But part of me is excited and curious to see how this affect 1. appetite 2. sense of well-being and 3. weight loss rate.
I've calcuated ranges of grams/calories for fats, protein and carbs. It looks tough. A big change from how I've been eating since around May/June.
Ranges:
carbs-- 227 grams/910 calories to 260 grams/1040 cals daily
protein--52 grams/210 calories to 60 grams/240 calories
(that seems such a piddling amount!)
fats--31 grams/280 to 35 grams/320
Man. Man. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
I figure I'll be bumping along trying to figure out how to fit stuff in to make the day balance out. Having it on my nutrition tracker will at least let me see how the day is working out meal by meal, snack by snack, and give me a pie chart to see the breakdown once the day is done, and then I can analyze to see how to tweak.
I'll give it a month, maybe more. If it works out well in terms of appetite/rate of loss and my labwork comes out good, fine. I'll consider it a successful experiment. If it makes my appetite rage and my glucose in the labs changes for the worse, then, back to the higher-protein, lower carb. Cause...man, that sure is a ton of carbs.
Oh, I found an article that discusses the particular genetic variances. It's not happy reading for me, given how I turned out on the tests, but it is illuminating for those who are curious. And yes, science-speak: Genotyping and the diets to lose weight
One lady did comment over on the Facebook for Inherent Health that her hubby, also a Fat Trimmer, lost a lot of weight and got to goal weight in a relatively short time (months, not years). Like 50 lbs in 3 months using the recommendations.
I have a lot of my protein stuff around, and fortunately most are low-fat, too, so I don't have to ditch them. Just figure out how to incorporate.
Here is a blog post by someone else who is a Fat Trimmer/High Met.
Onward to the experiment....
I'm really nervous. That's A LOT OF CARBS!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been eating way, way fewer carbs and way, way more protein and fat.
It's making me jittery.
But part of me is excited and curious to see how this affect 1. appetite 2. sense of well-being and 3. weight loss rate.
I've calcuated ranges of grams/calories for fats, protein and carbs. It looks tough. A big change from how I've been eating since around May/June.
Ranges:
carbs-- 227 grams/910 calories to 260 grams/1040 cals daily
protein--52 grams/210 calories to 60 grams/240 calories
(that seems such a piddling amount!)
fats--31 grams/280 to 35 grams/320
Man. Man. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
I figure I'll be bumping along trying to figure out how to fit stuff in to make the day balance out. Having it on my nutrition tracker will at least let me see how the day is working out meal by meal, snack by snack, and give me a pie chart to see the breakdown once the day is done, and then I can analyze to see how to tweak.
I'll give it a month, maybe more. If it works out well in terms of appetite/rate of loss and my labwork comes out good, fine. I'll consider it a successful experiment. If it makes my appetite rage and my glucose in the labs changes for the worse, then, back to the higher-protein, lower carb. Cause...man, that sure is a ton of carbs.
Oh, I found an article that discusses the particular genetic variances. It's not happy reading for me, given how I turned out on the tests, but it is illuminating for those who are curious. And yes, science-speak: Genotyping and the diets to lose weight
One lady did comment over on the Facebook for Inherent Health that her hubby, also a Fat Trimmer, lost a lot of weight and got to goal weight in a relatively short time (months, not years). Like 50 lbs in 3 months using the recommendations.
I have a lot of my protein stuff around, and fortunately most are low-fat, too, so I don't have to ditch them. Just figure out how to incorporate.
Here is a blog post by someone else who is a Fat Trimmer/High Met.
Onward to the experiment....
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Day 13 of Son of DDDY Challenge: Down 1/2 pound, Not hungry at all so far, drinking my water, still breathing poorly and itchy and congested, and wish I'd cancelled training tomorrow...
Tanita-san says: 244.2 (already sent Allan the weigh-in for SofDDDY)
I am wanting to kiss Tanita-san today. Another tick down and it will be officially 55 lbs down.
Today, I'm moving towards cutting the fat as per my DNA test results (see previous post). I'm too breathing-impaired to move (activity makes me gasp really bad, asthma sucks). I'm not keen on adding too much carbs in right off, but I will begin to add more fruit and starches in the fiberlicious forms (whole grain breads, higher fiber resistant pasta, beans) and cut back on the fats. Hard, cause I'm a cheese freak.
Wish I felt better. I have a scheduled Pilates training session on Monday, as usual, and if I had cancelled 24 hours or earlier, I'd keep my moolah. Cancel later (like I did Thursday), and you lose your training fee. (Nearly 70 bucks.) Damn. I'll have to go or lose another wad of cash. I gotta learn to just cancel a couple weeks' worth when I'm sick, then reschedule when I can see I'm on the mend. Damn, I hate wasting the moolah like that.
Nothing much else to say. I'm sick. Got my test results. My hips are tired of sitting. I want to breathe like a normal person. I want a metabolism like a normal person. I'm feeling a tad sorry for myself, but just a tad. Mostly, I'm glad I have a magnificent, wonderful, astonishingly great husband who got me a bit of groceries so I could just rest and recover, and who kisses me and tells me I'm doing great and how beautiful I am. This you can't put a price on, this sort of blessing.
Plus he's so hot he nearly makes me faint.
So, gotta focus on the positive. Not hungry, scale going down, hopeful that rejiggering diet may speed loss, and hubby rocks like Gibraltar.
Have a Sunday with some dose of bliss and beauty, okay?
Food log time:
BREAKFAST: (usual boring stuff, nothing to see here)
Egg whites with onions and mushrooms and 2 slices 2% singles
WS hotcakes with sugar free syrup and 2 oz natural applesauce
1 organic kiwi
1 tbsp Smart Balance to grease both pans used (1/2 of yesterday's usage)
2 cups regular coffee, 10 glasses of water, then 4 oz hot tea
calories: 464
fluids: 100 oz
LUNCH:
2 cups Turkish lentil beef soup
3/4 cup fresh papaya
2 cups decaf
4 glasses water
calories: 547
fluids: 48 oz
DINNER:
didn't really have dinner. More like 2 snacks
Snack 1:
1 apple
1.3 oz multigrain toast with 1 slice Deli Select 2% cheddar
1 cup decaf
2 glasses water
calories: 246
fluids: 24 oz
Snack 2:
1 WS vanilla protein shake
1 bag Kay's Sweet BBQ Mix protein snack
1 serving ChocoRite sugar free chocolate almonds
2 glasses water
calories: 395
fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1652 (39c-28p-33f)
Total Fluids: 188 oz
I am wanting to kiss Tanita-san today. Another tick down and it will be officially 55 lbs down.
Today, I'm moving towards cutting the fat as per my DNA test results (see previous post). I'm too breathing-impaired to move (activity makes me gasp really bad, asthma sucks). I'm not keen on adding too much carbs in right off, but I will begin to add more fruit and starches in the fiberlicious forms (whole grain breads, higher fiber resistant pasta, beans) and cut back on the fats. Hard, cause I'm a cheese freak.
Wish I felt better. I have a scheduled Pilates training session on Monday, as usual, and if I had cancelled 24 hours or earlier, I'd keep my moolah. Cancel later (like I did Thursday), and you lose your training fee. (Nearly 70 bucks.) Damn. I'll have to go or lose another wad of cash. I gotta learn to just cancel a couple weeks' worth when I'm sick, then reschedule when I can see I'm on the mend. Damn, I hate wasting the moolah like that.
 |
| The sweetest hubby in the Cosmos! |
Plus he's so hot he nearly makes me faint.
So, gotta focus on the positive. Not hungry, scale going down, hopeful that rejiggering diet may speed loss, and hubby rocks like Gibraltar.
Have a Sunday with some dose of bliss and beauty, okay?
Food log time:
BREAKFAST: (usual boring stuff, nothing to see here)
Egg whites with onions and mushrooms and 2 slices 2% singles
WS hotcakes with sugar free syrup and 2 oz natural applesauce
1 organic kiwi
1 tbsp Smart Balance to grease both pans used (1/2 of yesterday's usage)
2 cups regular coffee, 10 glasses of water, then 4 oz hot tea
calories: 464
fluids: 100 oz
LUNCH:
2 cups Turkish lentil beef soup
3/4 cup fresh papaya
2 cups decaf
4 glasses water
calories: 547
fluids: 48 oz
DINNER:
didn't really have dinner. More like 2 snacks
Snack 1:
1 apple
1.3 oz multigrain toast with 1 slice Deli Select 2% cheddar
1 cup decaf
2 glasses water
calories: 246
fluids: 24 oz
Snack 2:
1 WS vanilla protein shake
1 bag Kay's Sweet BBQ Mix protein snack
1 serving ChocoRite sugar free chocolate almonds
2 glasses water
calories: 395
fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1652 (39c-28p-33f)
Total Fluids: 188 oz
The Results of my DNA testing for optimal diet/exercise as per my genes
Actually, it took a couple weeks and that's what they said.
First, if you don't know what I'm talking about, I used one of those little brushes to swab cells from the sides of my mouth (like you see in CSI on tv) and sent them in. I paid for two tests done by the company that was referred to in the plethora of television show segments and news reports back in spring talking about the type of diet basedo n DNA: one for a marker that shows a predisposition for heart attack based on inflammation, the other for what would be the type of diet and exercise level most suited for my genotype. There are some categories people fall in:
1. Fat Trimmer
2. Carb Reducer
3. Balancer
There are also differing optimal exercise levels based on genes. For some, moderate exercise is optimal. Others require high intensity exercise.
I thought I'd be a Carb Reducer or Balancer. I was wrong. I tested out as a Fat Trimmer. Here is the "interpretation" of the results:
Individuals with this genetic pattern absorb more dietary fat into the body and have a slower metabolism. They have a greater tendency for weight gain. Clinical studies have shown these individuals have an easier time reaching a healthy body weight by decreasing total dietary fat. They may have greater success losing weight by following a reduced fat, reduced calorie diet. In addition, they benefit from replacing saturated fats with monosaturated fats within a reduced calorie diet. Clinical studies have also shown these same dietary modifications improve the body's ability to metabolize sugars and fats.
I hoped I was a moderate exerciser, but I'm a "High Met" (Higher Intensity):
High Met: Individuals with this genetic pattern are less able to break down body fat for energy in response to exercise than those with the alternative genetic pattern. They tend to lose less weight and body fat than expected with moderate exercise. These individuals require more exercise to activate the breakdown of body fat for energy and weight loss. They must also maintain a consistent exercise program to keep the weight off.
Their recommendations for me are:
1. Diet--Reduced-FatMy intermediate level Pilates that I do 2x a week with a trainer falls in the 5-6 MET range, with some bursts of up to 8, but probably averaging closer to 5-6. So, I've been doing 10 to 12 METs. Not enough.
65% carbs, 20% fat, 15% protein
2. Exercise --High Metabolic Equivalents
High intensity activity of 6 mets or more at least 3x per week.
Total weekly MET score of 13 or greater.
I can't jog or run or do treadmill or elliptical (bad knees/ankle). So, my options for higher MET would be recumbent bike (at a particular level, of course) or rowing (OMG!). I've tried rowing. That is not for me.
I've been doing higher fat/lower carb/higher protein. I'm gonna start to play with the diet. I want to decrease fats, not overly decrease protein, and start to slowly raise carbs (ideally, good carbs, right?) I don't want to face hunger pangs again (which I do tend to get with carbs). But I like the idea of having more fruit (which I have restricted some). I don't know if 65% carb is really ideal--appetite-wise. But I"m willing to give it a go. I just have to figure out how to make the meals fit.
If anyone has a recommendation of a diet that fits this profile, do let me know.
You can google up METs (lots of charts out there) to see where your activity falls.
Hope this was interesting for y'all.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Day 12 Son of DDDY Challenge: Where breathing issues persist, where I'm 1/5th of a pound down, and where I refuse to self-comfort with food...
244.8
Yes. Another 1/5th of a pound down.
Tomorrow I'll post about the results of my DNA test--the one I posted about a couple weeks ago, the one to detect what would be my optimal diet.
Today, I woke up late, but then I went to bed late...er, early. Almost 7 am. Breathing issues kept me up. When I finally conked out, it was a blessing. I did have an extra snack cause staying up so long left me hungry in the wee hours. I kept it modest and didn't go over my calories. Been drinking a ton of decaf--gourmet from Paradise Roasters early, easy to mix VIA instant (no sugar, Italian roast) late at night when I don't wanna make a pot. I prefer regular coffee, but in the last couple weeks, been trying to do more decaf so it doesn't mess with my sleep.
I've done fine not giving in to crazed comfort food cravings. They're hitting hard on and off, but so far, so good. I just keep reminding myself that I have far too many pounds to lose before I sleep (and Carb Tripper put that metaphor in my head).
Food log:
BREAKFAST: Ate it at 5pm, so ate with hubby and had non-breakfasty food
6 oz grilled chickens trips in herbs and olive oil
grilled veggies, brushed with EVOO
1/2 cup rice, basmati
2 cups salad with 1 tbsp Italian dressing
3 cups regular coffee (24 oz fluid)
10 cups water (6 before eating, 2 while, 2 in the hour or so after)
calories: 800
fluids: 104 oz
LUNCH: More like BKFST, as I reversed meals
3/4 cup AllWhites egg whites
2 Kraft 2% singles
1/2 cup mushrooms and 1/4 cup onions
WS hot cakes with sugar-free syrup and 2 oz applesauce
1 tbsp Smart Balance (to grease pans)
3 cups decaf with sucralose
6 glasses water
calories: 469
fluids: 72 oz
Calories so far: 1269
Fluids so far: 176 oz
This may be it , depending on when I manage to hit the sack.
Yes. Another 1/5th of a pound down.
Tomorrow I'll post about the results of my DNA test--the one I posted about a couple weeks ago, the one to detect what would be my optimal diet.
Today, I woke up late, but then I went to bed late...er, early. Almost 7 am. Breathing issues kept me up. When I finally conked out, it was a blessing. I did have an extra snack cause staying up so long left me hungry in the wee hours. I kept it modest and didn't go over my calories. Been drinking a ton of decaf--gourmet from Paradise Roasters early, easy to mix VIA instant (no sugar, Italian roast) late at night when I don't wanna make a pot. I prefer regular coffee, but in the last couple weeks, been trying to do more decaf so it doesn't mess with my sleep.
I've done fine not giving in to crazed comfort food cravings. They're hitting hard on and off, but so far, so good. I just keep reminding myself that I have far too many pounds to lose before I sleep (and Carb Tripper put that metaphor in my head).
Food log:
BREAKFAST: Ate it at 5pm, so ate with hubby and had non-breakfasty food
6 oz grilled chickens trips in herbs and olive oil
grilled veggies, brushed with EVOO
1/2 cup rice, basmati
2 cups salad with 1 tbsp Italian dressing
3 cups regular coffee (24 oz fluid)
10 cups water (6 before eating, 2 while, 2 in the hour or so after)
calories: 800
fluids: 104 oz
LUNCH: More like BKFST, as I reversed meals
3/4 cup AllWhites egg whites
2 Kraft 2% singles
1/2 cup mushrooms and 1/4 cup onions
WS hot cakes with sugar-free syrup and 2 oz applesauce
1 tbsp Smart Balance (to grease pans)
3 cups decaf with sucralose
6 glasses water
calories: 469
fluids: 72 oz
Calories so far: 1269
Fluids so far: 176 oz
This may be it , depending on when I manage to hit the sack.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Day 11 Son of DDDY Challenge: Weight Loss goals met so far since September, plans calorically for 2011, comparisons with older sis aka The Body, and accepting limitations on one's future food life...
653 days and 85 pounds to go...
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| Looking Toward 2011 |
I'm 13 pounds down to 245, so I have met that weekly goal that I set and have 2 lbs of "scosh". :) I'm on the timetable.
I know there is much yet to do, but I have learned that lots of fluids has made a huge difference. Before, I always was extremely lax with fluids other than cofffee or tea. Getting in water was, well, rarely done. I had days when the only water I drank was what I needed to get medicines and vitamins down.
Now, I've learned that I need a whole lot more than I ever imagined. Eating a lot less food, including a lot less carby starches (where so much of my fiber intake came from during my more organic produce/beans/whole grain-heavy intake dieting period) meant poops were less ideal. Water helps. It moves stuff along. So does magnesium supplementation (which I need anyway, as I never get enough in my diet). So does fiber supplementation on days I don't have my Ezekiel bread or beans or good amounts of fibrous produce.
I like the caloric level at which I am now, the so-called "goal weight maintenance" level, as it allows me craving treats and dinner out without too much grief. I do see that I should start ratcheting down. The limit now of 1760 is great (not too restrictive, not too lax), but if I want to keep losing at goal or better, a slow decline of maybe 50 to 100 calories every few weeks may be in order. I want to see if I can be satisfied at 1500 calories (satisfied to MY way of thinking and eating, not anyone else's, satisfaction being subjective). I have talked with my middle sis, who had an insane body most of her life, and who at 62 , even with a few extra pounds and not being a gym rat, rocks a helluva butt/boob/leg combo. Men still look. (She was scouted by Playboy in the early 70's, so imagine what her bod looked like back then!)
I was always jealous of her figure. She got Papa's side, I got Mama's. Papa's is slimmer-hipped and bubble-butted with perky-boobs. Mama's is flattish butt, wide hips, poochy bellied and droopy boobied. Lucky me, right? We both got the broader shoulders from Mama's side and the nice hands/feet. (Yeah, I had gorgeous hands and feet until I porked up and they porked up with me.)
She's always been active and a careful eater, so her figure pretty much has always been amazing. Now, in older age, I asked her how many calories it takes to maintain. She is no longer at her ideal weight of about 130 (though she'd gone down to the 120's in her prime), but age, a chronic auto-immune illness, and occasional depressions have added on about 20 lbs. She says she maintains her 150 lbs at abou 1600 calories unless she exercises, then she can eat more. She loves to walk and ride bike, always has, used to play handball back in our Bronx days. At 62, she bikes when the weather allows, which is often in Miami. So, I figure, using her as a reference point, that I would maintain 160 at about 1500-1600, since I have the thyroid issue and am less acitive generally.
So, my goal for the coming year is to learn to eat at 1500-1600 in a way that satisfies and becomes habitual. A way that doesn't require constant measuring, but understands, "this much on the plate of X and Y and Z = what I can eat in one meal."
I don't kid myself that this is a "until I'm goal weight" temporary thing. This is training, boot-camp of sorts, for how I gotta eat until my dying day. It doesn't make me jump for joy, such limitations, but growing up means facing facts. That's how the cookie crumbles (just not necessarily in my mouth).
Food log:
BREAKFAST: I went to bed in the am and slept til the pm, so asked hubby to get me veggie Thai stuff for my meals so I didn't have to make em.
Vietnamese rolls (only vegetables, steamed rice paper)
Thai Chicken soup (didn't eat most of the chicken, about 1oz, mostly broth and a few mushrooms)
3 pieces avocado sushi with pickled ginger and wasabi and bit of soy sauce.
1 WS vanilla protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
3 cups decaf and 6 glasses water (4 before, 1 during, and 1 after eating)
supplements
calories: 560
fluids: 80 oz (not counting soup)
LUNCH:
Homemade veggie and egg fried rice (took brown rice from Thai place, added most of my side of steamed veggies--cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, snowpea pods-- added two fresh eggs to scramble up with rice. Used 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and 1.33 tbsp lite soy sauce.
3 cups decaf
6 glasses water (4 before, two after)
calories: 612
fluids: 72 oz
calories so far: 1172
fluids so far: 152
DINNER:
1 small whole wheat pita
WS vegetarian joe
1 slice Kraft 2% cheddar single
4 glasses water
SNACK:
made a high protein pina colada with 1/4 cup organic coconut milk &
1 BariWise pina colada fruit protein drink (8 oz water)
2 glasses water
SNACK: (couldn't sleep until almost 7 am due to breathing issues, got hungry around 2 am, had another snack)
1 organic apple
1 slice lowfat cheddar
1 cup decaf, 2 glasses water
1/2 serving ChocoRite sugar free almonds
Total Calories for day: 1716
Total Fluids: 232 oz
Face the Truth Friday: 54 pounds down, waiting for those DNA results, still wheezy, still motivated, but more cravings this week...and begging the Young and the Fat to face their truths ASAP!
245.0
That's 54 pounds down from my highest (without clothes, at home) back in 2004. My highest at my primary care doc's office was 303, with shoes, clothes, some water intake. So, I think my scale at home was pretty accurate.
I weighed 267 on the first day of January of this year, so 22 lbs lost so far this year. My best year's lost since, well, years.
The truth I'm facing: It finally feels like it's my time to do this weight loss thing. I know, all dieters have done this over and over and over, especially if you've been overweight since your twenties and are now looking at AARP age just ahead. But I've never felt calmer and less fumbling and uneasy eating less. I've never felt less binge-prone.
That's not to say it's easy. When craving hit--and they have this week--it's a battle. The battle is shorter than in times past. I am succeeding more in saying no to myself than in times past. But it's still a hard thing. I am a bit worried about the bounty of Thanksgiving dinner, but I just say to myself, I'll cope. I'll manage. I'll get it done. And it doesn't feel like some big fat lie. I feel as if it's possible. :)
What cravings? Chocolate. Last night I wanted it bad, and no, I didn't want high protein chocolate shakes or puddings. I wanted chocolate. So, I had a few sugar-free chocolate covered almonds (don't affect blood sugar to set up more cravings, and I saw more than one comment from those in ketosis--which I'm not--who ate these and stayed in ketosis). It was hard to stop at half a serving (and as you may guess, a serving of anything with nuts is miniscule), but I did. Earlier in the week I was having crazy pizza cravings. I got the stuff to make it at home, but the craving passed (for now). I also get frequent cravings for salty chips and salsa. Sometmes, I can cure that with a high protein salty snack. Sometimes, I just have to wait it out.
And I keep noticing that on my SparkPeople Nutrition tracker, I show greater losses on the morning after days when I eat high-fat, lower carb, normal protein. I don't know if that's a function of water loss from the lower carb (and I notice this even if my salt intake is higher and calorie level is unchanged from the norm on this challenge) or that my body handles that combination better due to Metabolic Syndrome (I have a book by an endocrinologist I got in the 90's when I was diagnosed with Syndrome X, now called Metabolic Syndrome, that recommends a higher fat diet).
I am still waiting for the results of my DNA test for optimal 'diet type' for my body. Another week or two, I guess. I am eager to see how it jives with what I'm seeing (ie, I do better on lower carb, higher fat, middling to higher protein).
I will say to those younger fatties out there: Get it done. Read the books. Drink the water. Follow the blogs. See a cognitive therapist. Join a group. Write a journal. Start a blog. Sign up with a trainer. Do whatever it takes to get it off while you are young and your flesh is elastic and you can develop good eating habits for life. Do it NOW. If you procrastinate like I have, you will regret it. I promise you: YOU WILL REGRET IT.
Your metabolism when you're young, your energy, your joint health...all that helps. If you let yourself stay fat you will damage a lot of stuff and that damage will not go away: skin will not return to snugness, knees will not regenerate, arteries may or may not unclog, liver may or may not heal.
Do it now. Face that truth today. However you must do it, do it aggressively before you hit middle age or old age. It only gets HARDER with age and entrenched habits. Save your own life.
That's 54 pounds down from my highest (without clothes, at home) back in 2004. My highest at my primary care doc's office was 303, with shoes, clothes, some water intake. So, I think my scale at home was pretty accurate.
I weighed 267 on the first day of January of this year, so 22 lbs lost so far this year. My best year's lost since, well, years.
The truth I'm facing: It finally feels like it's my time to do this weight loss thing. I know, all dieters have done this over and over and over, especially if you've been overweight since your twenties and are now looking at AARP age just ahead. But I've never felt calmer and less fumbling and uneasy eating less. I've never felt less binge-prone.
That's not to say it's easy. When craving hit--and they have this week--it's a battle. The battle is shorter than in times past. I am succeeding more in saying no to myself than in times past. But it's still a hard thing. I am a bit worried about the bounty of Thanksgiving dinner, but I just say to myself, I'll cope. I'll manage. I'll get it done. And it doesn't feel like some big fat lie. I feel as if it's possible. :)
What cravings? Chocolate. Last night I wanted it bad, and no, I didn't want high protein chocolate shakes or puddings. I wanted chocolate. So, I had a few sugar-free chocolate covered almonds (don't affect blood sugar to set up more cravings, and I saw more than one comment from those in ketosis--which I'm not--who ate these and stayed in ketosis). It was hard to stop at half a serving (and as you may guess, a serving of anything with nuts is miniscule), but I did. Earlier in the week I was having crazy pizza cravings. I got the stuff to make it at home, but the craving passed (for now). I also get frequent cravings for salty chips and salsa. Sometmes, I can cure that with a high protein salty snack. Sometimes, I just have to wait it out.
And I keep noticing that on my SparkPeople Nutrition tracker, I show greater losses on the morning after days when I eat high-fat, lower carb, normal protein. I don't know if that's a function of water loss from the lower carb (and I notice this even if my salt intake is higher and calorie level is unchanged from the norm on this challenge) or that my body handles that combination better due to Metabolic Syndrome (I have a book by an endocrinologist I got in the 90's when I was diagnosed with Syndrome X, now called Metabolic Syndrome, that recommends a higher fat diet).
I am still waiting for the results of my DNA test for optimal 'diet type' for my body. Another week or two, I guess. I am eager to see how it jives with what I'm seeing (ie, I do better on lower carb, higher fat, middling to higher protein).
I will say to those younger fatties out there: Get it done. Read the books. Drink the water. Follow the blogs. See a cognitive therapist. Join a group. Write a journal. Start a blog. Sign up with a trainer. Do whatever it takes to get it off while you are young and your flesh is elastic and you can develop good eating habits for life. Do it NOW. If you procrastinate like I have, you will regret it. I promise you: YOU WILL REGRET IT.
Your metabolism when you're young, your energy, your joint health...all that helps. If you let yourself stay fat you will damage a lot of stuff and that damage will not go away: skin will not return to snugness, knees will not regenerate, arteries may or may not unclog, liver may or may not heal.
Do it now. Face that truth today. However you must do it, do it aggressively before you hit middle age or old age. It only gets HARDER with age and entrenched habits. Save your own life.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Day 10 Son of DDDY Challenge: Still Wheezy and Lethargic, Cancelled trainer session cause, well, can't breathe much, on commitment in the face of wanting comfort foods, and forcing myself to blog for accountability...
No message from Tanita-san. Didn't weigh.
Not going into the back room (only one with flat, even flooring) where it's not air conditioned and where it's dusty. My asthma is still plaguing me, and on top of that, I think my thyroid is in another active "attack" phase. Oddly happens sometimes when I have upper respiratory and allergy issues. Maybe cause the immune system and inflammation is in action, and it causes my thyroiditis to engage? Dunno. But hard to bend neck and I have to focus to keep posture straight or it's even harder to breathe.
No Pilates: cancelled. It's hard enough to breathe absolutely still. Moving is not on today's agenda. Other than bathroom runs, natch.
Have to go enter my food log stuff from last night into the previous blog post (didn't go over calories, stayed well under, drank lots of fluids). I had a hard time swallowing last night, so dinner took forever to chew and eat.
I got a delivery of new clothes (most of my old/new stuff is baggy already). That's cheering. :) Jeans and tops and one "basic black dress". One should always have a basic black outfit cause you never know when a funeral will be scheduled. Plus, easy choice for dinner out to a fancier place. For fatties like me, a nice basic black with 3/4 sleeves, a flattering neckline, and good, bright accessories make for a wardrobe necessity. Though I"m a comfort clothes/bootcut danskin leggings and breathably cool empire-top sort of gal. I hate to be uncomfy in clothes and if it's not breathable fabric, whoa is me when the hot flashes hit.
Allan over at Almost Gastric Bypass blog talks about commitment today. I'm glad he did. Part of me is dying for comfort foods. Those easy to swallow, fatty, carby, creamy and so on foods that make you feel loved and warmed when you're sick. I want them. I want them now. But I"m committed to this challenge and my eating plan and I'm gonna have to find a way to nourish myself, find comfort, and NOT go nuts. And I will.
I wish they'd deliver my gourmet decaf from Paradise Roasters, cause I need lots of hot fluids today.
So, I've run out of stuff to say. I just don't feel like blogging. Doing it cause I don't want to get out of the accountability habit. But trust me, I'm a non-perky typist here.
Okay, food log time:
PRE-BREAKFAST: (got up with dry throat and felt draggy, so had this right away)
1 WS protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 teaspoon Green Magma mixed with powdered green tea and water (6 oz)
2 glasses of water
BREAKFAST part deux:
My usual egg white/mushroom/cheese and the WS hot cakes
3 cups decaf
supplements
6 glasses water
Calories: 568
Fluids: 102 oz
LUNCH:
Still full from breakfast, had crazy salty cravings so:
1 bag Kay's Naturals Sweet BBQ Mix protein snack
1/2 bag Kay's Naturals cinnamon toast protein pretzels
1 small pear
4 glasses water
calories: 262
fluids: 16 oz
DINNER:
Homemade turkey pastrami Reuben on rye with lowfat cheese
3 cups decaf, 6 glasses water
supplements
calories: 619
fluids: 72 ounces
SNACK:
1/2 servings of ChocoRite sugar-free chocolate almonds
1 cup watermelon, 1/2 cup slices of mango
4 glasses water
calories: 190
fluids: 32 oz
Total Calories: 1639
Total Fluids: 222
Not going into the back room (only one with flat, even flooring) where it's not air conditioned and where it's dusty. My asthma is still plaguing me, and on top of that, I think my thyroid is in another active "attack" phase. Oddly happens sometimes when I have upper respiratory and allergy issues. Maybe cause the immune system and inflammation is in action, and it causes my thyroiditis to engage? Dunno. But hard to bend neck and I have to focus to keep posture straight or it's even harder to breathe.
No Pilates: cancelled. It's hard enough to breathe absolutely still. Moving is not on today's agenda. Other than bathroom runs, natch.
Have to go enter my food log stuff from last night into the previous blog post (didn't go over calories, stayed well under, drank lots of fluids). I had a hard time swallowing last night, so dinner took forever to chew and eat.
I got a delivery of new clothes (most of my old/new stuff is baggy already). That's cheering. :) Jeans and tops and one "basic black dress". One should always have a basic black outfit cause you never know when a funeral will be scheduled. Plus, easy choice for dinner out to a fancier place. For fatties like me, a nice basic black with 3/4 sleeves, a flattering neckline, and good, bright accessories make for a wardrobe necessity. Though I"m a comfort clothes/bootcut danskin leggings and breathably cool empire-top sort of gal. I hate to be uncomfy in clothes and if it's not breathable fabric, whoa is me when the hot flashes hit.
Allan over at Almost Gastric Bypass blog talks about commitment today. I'm glad he did. Part of me is dying for comfort foods. Those easy to swallow, fatty, carby, creamy and so on foods that make you feel loved and warmed when you're sick. I want them. I want them now. But I"m committed to this challenge and my eating plan and I'm gonna have to find a way to nourish myself, find comfort, and NOT go nuts. And I will.
I wish they'd deliver my gourmet decaf from Paradise Roasters, cause I need lots of hot fluids today.
So, I've run out of stuff to say. I just don't feel like blogging. Doing it cause I don't want to get out of the accountability habit. But trust me, I'm a non-perky typist here.
Okay, food log time:
PRE-BREAKFAST: (got up with dry throat and felt draggy, so had this right away)
1 WS protein shake (made with 8 oz water)
1 teaspoon Green Magma mixed with powdered green tea and water (6 oz)
2 glasses of water
BREAKFAST part deux:
My usual egg white/mushroom/cheese and the WS hot cakes
3 cups decaf
supplements
6 glasses water
Calories: 568
Fluids: 102 oz
LUNCH:
Still full from breakfast, had crazy salty cravings so:
1 bag Kay's Naturals Sweet BBQ Mix protein snack
1/2 bag Kay's Naturals cinnamon toast protein pretzels
1 small pear
4 glasses water
calories: 262
fluids: 16 oz
DINNER:
Homemade turkey pastrami Reuben on rye with lowfat cheese
3 cups decaf, 6 glasses water
supplements
calories: 619
fluids: 72 ounces
SNACK:
1/2 servings of ChocoRite sugar-free chocolate almonds
1 cup watermelon, 1/2 cup slices of mango
4 glasses water
calories: 190
fluids: 32 oz
Total Calories: 1639
Total Fluids: 222
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Day 9 of Son of DDDY Challenge: Milestone crossed, history in "numbers", blogging as a weight loss aid, water as "Gastric Band" for surgery-wussies, WonderSlim Discount, and Realizing I'm gonna have to learn to make soups....
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| This is a milestone! |
I already posted about my milestone, but since this is the official post for the challenge, I'm gonna say it again (plus I like saying it): I'm no longer morbidly obese. I've joined the ranks of the many Americans who are "severely" obese. I hope to join those who are merely obese in a few months.
Eventually, I plan to settle into being "just overweight". I have no goal set to be utterly normal weight or utterly slender or even sorta-skinny. I just keep my eye on "roughly 160 lbs". I may settle down at a higher or lower number. Do not know how I'll feel with the saggy skin and all. I'm already mildly horrified by the looseness of my skin suit, even with the Pilates-regularly-for-2.5 years-muscle under there. And thank God for the muscle!
I started blogging in May of 2007 to try to motivate myself and get support for losing weight. I had a hard time losing weight since ages, but moreso when severely depressed in this new millenia. I treaded a lot of water, but I learned not to totally give up, which is not a "nothing" thing. It matters. Staying in there, still believing you could do it, waiting for something to switch on. It's not nothing.
I've seen bloggers spin their wheels for a long time, then--blam!--they're on a roll and get to or near goal weight and see things differently. They've dealt with issues. They've learned to cook. They've taken up walking or biking or marathoning or weight-lifting or yoga or Pilates. They've found what works for them and their tastes/appetites. They've learned boundaries.
Blogging is a way to express, to learn, to connect, to be accountable. It can be, anyway. It can be painfully obvious when the posts are all lined up by date to see when you are not doing what you need to, when you are slacking. It's also cheering to see results in posts, to see where things got learned. It's great to find camaraderie in the journey. It's AWFUL to see bloggers die--but also motivating. Reminds us time is fleeting and life is short. Shorter and more fleeting if we get some horrid fat-related disease prematurely.
So, I'm really glad I started blogging for weight loss 3.5 years ago. It kept me coming back to see how others were doing even if I was floundering. It kept me from giving up. And it led me to great tips that are helping me. And hell, lots of recipes. And humor. Humor helps. And some tough love that helps, too.
And the whole honesty and accountability I find essential. I put my numbers out there to force me to face them. I started food logging to remind me how much I'm eating calorie wise and to be able to analyze what makes for better "losing". It also makes me think TWICE AND THRICE when I eat if I know I gotta account for it on the scale or in a blog. If you need something to keep you a bit stricter, put your picture, your weight, and your food log right there where anyone can see it. See how that does it for you...
Here is my weigh-in history as it stands on my old blog, Once Upon a Diet, way down the left sidebar:
05/25/04: 299.0As you can see, something clicked THIS year, and the loss is better and more consistent. Whatever it was the clicked is also what led me to start this new blog that is more goal-oriented and accountable.
05/16/07: 285.5 *(-3.5) (-13.5)
05/23/07: 284.5 *(-1.0( (-14.5)
06/06/07: 284.5 *(-0.0) (-14.5)
06/13/07: 282.5 *(-2.0) (-16.5))
07/29/07: 286.0 *(+3.5) (-13.0)
08/23/07: 284.0 *(-2.0) (-15.0)
08/22/07: 287.5 *(+3.5) (-11.5)
08/26/07: 283.5 *(-4.0) (-15.5)
08/29/07: 282.0 *(-1.5) (-17.0)
09/05/07: 280.0 *(-2.0) (-19.0)
09/13/07: 281.5 *(+1.5) (-17.5)
*waist=47 *hips=58 *BMI=45.35
09/18/07: 280.0 * (-1.5) (-19)
09/27/07: 279.6 * (-0.4) (-19.4)
10/04/07: 280.4 * (+0.8) (-18.6)
10/10/07: 277.0 * (-3.4) (-22.0)
10/17/07: 272.6 * (-4.4) (-26.4)
10/24/07: 275.6* (+3.0) (-23.4)
10/31/07: 275.6* (+/-0) (-23.4)
11/07/07: 275.2* (-0.4) (-23.8)
11/15/07: 274.8* (-0.4) (-24.2)
12/05/07: 278.2* (+3.4) (-20.8)
12/13/07: 274.4* (-3.8) (-24.6)
12/19/07: 273.2* (-1.2) (-25.8)
12/31/07: 274.0* (+0.8)(-25.0)
01/07/08: 271.0* (-3.0) (-28.0)
01/21/08: 272.6* (+1.6) (-26.4)
01/28/08: 272.0* (-0.6) (-27.0)
02/04/08: 271.2* (-.08) (-27.8)
02/11/08: 270.2* (-1.0) (-28.8)
02/19/08: 269.4* (-0.8) (-29.6)
03/23/08: 273.0* (+3.6) (-26.0)
04/25/08: 268.8* (-4.2) (-30.2)
Went AWOL, got to 278.8!
06/28/08: 272.2* -------(-26.8)
Waist: 44.5 Hips: 55.5 BMI: 44.5
07/22/08: 275.4* (+3.2) (-23.6)
--exercising as of 6/30, gaining muscle!
07/31/08: 273.4* (-2.0) (-25.6)
09/18/08: 272.0* (-1.4) (-27.0)
10//31/08: 273.0* (+1.0)(-26.0)
11/09/08: 271.8* (-1.2) (-27.2)
01/01/09: 277.8* (+6.0) (-21.2)
02/17/09: 279.6* (+1.8) (-19.4)
06/23/09: 272.2* (- 7.4) (-26.8)10/22/09: 276.8* (+4.6) (-22.2)
10/29/09: 273.8* (-3.0) (-25.2)
11/10/09: 271.6* (-2.2) (-27.4)11/14/09: 268.6* (-2.0) (-30.4)
01/01/10: 267.0* (-1.6) (-32.0)04/11/10: 266.4* (-2.2) (-32.6)
04/21/10: 270.0*(+3.6) (-29.0)04/28/10: 267.0*(-3.0) (-32.0)
06/03/10: 266.0*(-1.0) (-33.0)06/16/10: 263.2* (-2.8) (-35.8)07/02/10: 261.4* (-1.8) (-37.6)
07/10/10: 259.6* (-1.8) (-39.4)
07/25/10: 258.6* (-1.0) (-40.4)
08/14/10: 256.6* (-2.0) (-42.4)
08/24/10: 255.2* (-1.4) (-43.8)
Moved to new blog:
09/03/10: 258.0* (-2.8) (-41.0)
09/10/10: 256.6* (-1.4) (-42.4)
09/17/10: 255.2* (-1.4) (-43.8)
09/24/10: 254.8* (-0.4) (-44.2)
10/15/10: 252.8* (-2.0) (-46.2)
10/22/10: 251.0* (-1.8) (-48.0)
10/29/10: 249.8* (-1.2) (-49.2)
11/05/10: 248.8* (-1.0) (-50.2)
11/17/10: 245.2* (-3.6) (-53.8)
Okay, back to WATER: I'm starting to see water intake as a way to have a sort of gastric band without having one. I mean, it does require learing new eating habits. Instead of chew-chew-chew and such, it's glug-glug-glug. I find if I drink 4 to 8 glasses of water before a meal (not as much with 2, at minimum 4), I start getting those little "I'm starting to get full" stomach stretching signals and I can enjoy a smaller meal and, at times, head off a binge urge. But it must be consistent and it must be all day. Water all day. Water before meals. Water after if I'm craving dessert.
It gives that "stuffed" sensation which so many of us conditioned hypereaters find necessary to STOP stuffing.
The sense of fullness that surgery offers may be at hand with lots and lots of water. It may not be AS effective in cutting down portions, slowing down eating, but it has a very clear value that studies show--What? Didn't you read the recent headlines about water before meals?--and that I and others on this challenge are learning. Fill up the belly with insane amounts of fluids and you can start getting the "I'm full" signal before the food starts to hit the mouth.
And you poop better. Well lubricated intestines. hah.
Okay, so I just had my breakfast and need to log it. Which reminds me. For those of you who have been curious about my WonderSlim adjunct foods--Note: I don't do the WS Diet. I just use their producs, as well as BariWise and Kay's Naturals, all of which I get from Diet Direct or Netrition, low-carb product providers--they have a holiday sale going on. So, not only are the WS Hot Cakes I love on sale by a buck off, and not only can you get the standard 10% off for purchasing 149 bucks or more worth of products, but if you buy 49 or 165 bucks worth (to stock up) and use the holiday codes Holiday10 or Holiday15 respectively, you get either an additional 10 or additional 15 bucks off. So, I'm gonna stock up and get the $10 off and 10% off and $1 per box off. It adds up. I use these religiously and love the Vanilla and CocoMint protein shakes, so worth it for me to get them in here in bulk. Makes breakfast a no-brainer for me. www.dietdirect.com
Now that cooler weather is here, I've also been having soup cravings. I love soup. I buy canned or buy from restaurants, and on occasion have been known to make the Weight Watchers zero to 1 point soup (with tomato juice, chicken broth, and assorted veggies with spices and bay leaves). I really do need to get my crock pot out and learn to make some soups that aren't loaded with sodium. I don't like the bloat I get from canned/restaurant soups, though soups are a filling and easy lunch option. Anyway, must scour the web (and clean my crock pot). I adore bean soups and may make carby room for them. Make for yummy tummy and extra-good poops. heh (more poop talk).
Done with the rambling, on to the food logging:
BREAKFAST:
WS hot cakes with sugar free syrup and 1/4 cup natural applesauce & cinnamon
1/2 cup Egg Beaters with 1 slice 2% American cheese and 1/2 cup mushrooms
2 cups coffee
8 glasses water (4 before and 4 after)
assorted supplements (C, Quercetin, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Multi, D, Fiber)
calories: 454
fluids: 80 oz
LUNCH: (feeling icky, souptime!)
1 cup Amy's lower in sodium Mushroom soup made with 1/4 cup organic lowfat milk
WS hot cocoa protein drink made with 4 oz water and 4 oz lowfat milk
1/4 cup mushrooms (in soup)
1/4 cup mashed potatoes mixed into soup
3.5 BariWise fat free biscotti
6 glasses of water (48 oz)
Calories: 382
Fluids: 52 oz
DINNER:
Big Ass Salad with organic goodies from Co-Op:
Spinach, cucumbers, tomato, 1 hard boiled egg, 1/8th cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tbsp blue cheese dressing, 1/2 haas avocado
1 Supreme Protein bar (small size)
1 cup decaf with sucralose (8 oz)
6 glasses water (48 oz)
various supplements
Calories: 682
Fluids: 56 oz
SNACK:
WS Vanilla protein shake made with 8 oz water
decaf coffee (8 oz)
Calories: 100
Fluids: 16 oz
Total Calories: 1618
Total Fluids: 204
Day's goals for calories and fluid met.
I am officially no longer MORBIDLY OBESE! Even exacerbated asthma can't bum me out today!!!
 |
| Not my scale, just my weight |
I got on the scale FOUR times, turning it on and off, to make sure. One of those times, it winked a 245.0 at me. I assume he was feeling playful and teasing me. The other three times: 245.2 .
I got my OMRON fat loss monitor. It said: "BMI = 39.6"
This jives exactly with the online one: 39.6
I am now categorized as "severely" obese.
Not so great, yes, but great, yes? Heh.
There was a point where I was more than half fat, percentage-wise. Today I'm 45.3. Down from 46.0 in October. Down 48.3 a year ago. Down from 51% in 2004.
It's been progress since that high-weight low point. But this year has been especially good. And this challenge has been especially motivating. Thanks, Allan.
I"m feeling unwell, which mitigates my celebration. It feels like a strong fella has his big mitts around my throat and is choking me. Breathing feels like someone plugged up my nose 80%. For those of you with asthma and allergies, you know what I mean. Energy is down as a result. I don't even feel like blogging.
But this is momentous for me, so I will.
I am really happy. So happy.
When I was 299 lbs (and maybe more, who knows, scales being scales and me not weighing constantly back then), this number seemed so far away. When I was struggling to get out of the 270's, which took me ages, this number seemed a distant dream. I haven't weighed this little since around 1999.
It's really nice to be here. And now I look forward to the 230's with hope. And 199 seems less impossible. Seems actually probable. Amazing what a milestone can do for one's confidence. Not to mention the most weight I had ever lost was 34 lbs. I've now lost a scosh less than 54. And I do not feel demotivated at all.
I do feel like crap physically at the moment. But I'm so, so happy!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
People Talking About Cheat Days, huh? Maybe they don't have conditioned hypereating, huh?
THE END OF OVEREATING, which is a great read and is doing some serious paradigm shifting stuff to my brain, methinks, comes down pretty hard on cheat days. The author, as I recall, doesn't so much call it that. He's too fricken scientific. :)
No, it's more about the whole cues/urge/food/reward thing we're wired for. If we indulge in those cheat foods, it can set back weeks and weeks of rehabituating the brain and lessening the pull of trigger foods (usually some combo, worse a trio, of salt, fat and sugar--like, well, most of the menus of popular places like Chilis or McD's or TGIF and Pizza Hut, etc.)
For anyone who wants to try cheat days, I suggest you read that book--every fat person should, frankly--just so you understand why it MAY not be a good idea.
I say "may" cause some people do fine. Usually--the way I've noticed, anyway-- those folks don't do cheat days. They don't go out of control. They do cheat meals (fave food item and sides in normal portions) or one cheat meal ITEM. Like having a cup of mashed potato with butter they denied themselves all month. Or a small slice of cake added to an otherwise controlled meal. And these people account for the cheat by cutting back in the days before or after or both. Calories always have to be accounted for, after all.
If the calories are allocated, and the cheat food or meals don't set you back in terms of control (by reopening the trigger/appetite/cue-reward cycle), then sure, you're okay doing it.
But I do think anyone who wants to do full out cheat days/big cheat meals (as opposed to a cheat item or cheat meal accounted for), needs to ask themselves if it's gonna backfire. Not just in terms of calories, but in terms of their own wiring. Their own behavior modification efforts. Their cue/reward issues. Their dopanine/serotonin levels.
The times I've had cheats in the last couple months, I had to make up for it in the meal/day/week that followed. That's just how it goes.
But I did notice this: When I cheat with something healthful and not cue-triggering (ie, not a lot of sugar, not pizza, not a burrito doused in sour cream and sauce and cheese, not mac n cheese), yes, when I decide I really want to have--say, steamed dumplings (which can rack up calories fast, really, the meat ones)--but it's not the "big bad trigger", I can be sane. I can enjoy it and then make up for it as needed. I try not to have something else heavy in carbs or calories with that meal. I gotta balance it with veggies and maybe lighter fruit. No noodles. No sweet n sour (which is like a killer trigger for a lot of folks, the fat-sugar-salt trimvirate of weight gain right there).
But if I order a cheat-trigger, it's very hard for me to think rationally. I go all limbic or something. I go primitive and in total "eat-eat-eat" mode. That's why they're called trigger foods. You go shooting off into insanity. Food insanity.
If I have a huge, bit ole cheat day, having what I want, what I want will be 3000, 4000 calories for that day. Maybe more. Seriously. Not a good idea. And the days the follow will feel harder to control. Loosen control and it's harder to get it back.
I haven't had an all-out binge in a good while, months and months. I can't even remember it. But I recall well-enough that when I let the reins go and eat that whole pizza with some buffalo dippers, I want to overeat every day that week and more. The appetite comes back full force.
When I eat low-to-no sugar and up my protein and veggies, and the meals are mostly in the 400 to 700 range, I don't get as binge-y. It's as if my body stays calmer when the meals are less carby/sugary and the quantity is not huge.
I had a big caloric meal last night. A bit over 1000 cals. But that's puny next to a binge. And it was big in veggies mostly. I had like 7 servings of vegetables in that meal, and a miniscule amount of bread and a normal (normal for thin, not for obese) serving of beef. Most of the calorie stretch came from the oils (my estimate of the EVOO and butter used in cooking, cause you know restaurants are not discreet). The veggies themselves were negligible. The beef was not over the top. But because I didn't have dessert (sugar) and I mostly erred in fat/salt side, the next day, my appetite didn't wake up crazy. I felt normal today.
So, it's for each person to try and figure out what they can have and handle. I can't handle a cheat day (ie, just eat what I want). I can handle a cheat ITEM or couple of items but not in the "as much as I want" mode. In the "reasonable mode."
Thin, naturally so that is, folks follow hunger cues, so they can cheat and not go nuts.
I can't. Tell me to have a what I want day, and I'm gonna eat a whole pizza.
But tell me I can have one slice of pizza every Saturday, and I may or may not feel like I can handle it. If someone brings me ONE slice, not a whole pie, and I can have water and salad with it to fill up yes. If someone brings the whole pie and I see it, smell it-- I may well go berserk. I am a conditioned hypereater. I'm a binger. I'm an overeater. I'm a person with a freak appetite and a stomach that can eat the food allotment of two burly men and then some.
Know thyself....and don't cheat if you go berserk or don't account for the cheat calories.
No, it's more about the whole cues/urge/food/reward thing we're wired for. If we indulge in those cheat foods, it can set back weeks and weeks of rehabituating the brain and lessening the pull of trigger foods (usually some combo, worse a trio, of salt, fat and sugar--like, well, most of the menus of popular places like Chilis or McD's or TGIF and Pizza Hut, etc.)
For anyone who wants to try cheat days, I suggest you read that book--every fat person should, frankly--just so you understand why it MAY not be a good idea.
I say "may" cause some people do fine. Usually--the way I've noticed, anyway-- those folks don't do cheat days. They don't go out of control. They do cheat meals (fave food item and sides in normal portions) or one cheat meal ITEM. Like having a cup of mashed potato with butter they denied themselves all month. Or a small slice of cake added to an otherwise controlled meal. And these people account for the cheat by cutting back in the days before or after or both. Calories always have to be accounted for, after all.
If the calories are allocated, and the cheat food or meals don't set you back in terms of control (by reopening the trigger/appetite/cue-reward cycle), then sure, you're okay doing it.
But I do think anyone who wants to do full out cheat days/big cheat meals (as opposed to a cheat item or cheat meal accounted for), needs to ask themselves if it's gonna backfire. Not just in terms of calories, but in terms of their own wiring. Their own behavior modification efforts. Their cue/reward issues. Their dopanine/serotonin levels.
The times I've had cheats in the last couple months, I had to make up for it in the meal/day/week that followed. That's just how it goes.
But I did notice this: When I cheat with something healthful and not cue-triggering (ie, not a lot of sugar, not pizza, not a burrito doused in sour cream and sauce and cheese, not mac n cheese), yes, when I decide I really want to have--say, steamed dumplings (which can rack up calories fast, really, the meat ones)--but it's not the "big bad trigger", I can be sane. I can enjoy it and then make up for it as needed. I try not to have something else heavy in carbs or calories with that meal. I gotta balance it with veggies and maybe lighter fruit. No noodles. No sweet n sour (which is like a killer trigger for a lot of folks, the fat-sugar-salt trimvirate of weight gain right there).
But if I order a cheat-trigger, it's very hard for me to think rationally. I go all limbic or something. I go primitive and in total "eat-eat-eat" mode. That's why they're called trigger foods. You go shooting off into insanity. Food insanity.
If I have a huge, bit ole cheat day, having what I want, what I want will be 3000, 4000 calories for that day. Maybe more. Seriously. Not a good idea. And the days the follow will feel harder to control. Loosen control and it's harder to get it back.
I haven't had an all-out binge in a good while, months and months. I can't even remember it. But I recall well-enough that when I let the reins go and eat that whole pizza with some buffalo dippers, I want to overeat every day that week and more. The appetite comes back full force.
When I eat low-to-no sugar and up my protein and veggies, and the meals are mostly in the 400 to 700 range, I don't get as binge-y. It's as if my body stays calmer when the meals are less carby/sugary and the quantity is not huge.
I had a big caloric meal last night. A bit over 1000 cals. But that's puny next to a binge. And it was big in veggies mostly. I had like 7 servings of vegetables in that meal, and a miniscule amount of bread and a normal (normal for thin, not for obese) serving of beef. Most of the calorie stretch came from the oils (my estimate of the EVOO and butter used in cooking, cause you know restaurants are not discreet). The veggies themselves were negligible. The beef was not over the top. But because I didn't have dessert (sugar) and I mostly erred in fat/salt side, the next day, my appetite didn't wake up crazy. I felt normal today.
So, it's for each person to try and figure out what they can have and handle. I can't handle a cheat day (ie, just eat what I want). I can handle a cheat ITEM or couple of items but not in the "as much as I want" mode. In the "reasonable mode."
Thin, naturally so that is, folks follow hunger cues, so they can cheat and not go nuts.
I can't. Tell me to have a what I want day, and I'm gonna eat a whole pizza.
But tell me I can have one slice of pizza every Saturday, and I may or may not feel like I can handle it. If someone brings me ONE slice, not a whole pie, and I can have water and salad with it to fill up yes. If someone brings the whole pie and I see it, smell it-- I may well go berserk. I am a conditioned hypereater. I'm a binger. I'm an overeater. I'm a person with a freak appetite and a stomach that can eat the food allotment of two burly men and then some.
Know thyself....and don't cheat if you go berserk or don't account for the cheat calories.
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