For Food Freak: Yeah, they're staying put (hair), plus wearing gray at 184.4 lbs(pics)

Food Freak: I had the hair done Saturday, and this is how it looked tonight. So, hanging in there, though my curl pattern is imposing itself bit by bit.. I do add leave-in condish to the ends (twice since Saturday) to keep hair moisturized. But all I do is brush it out. (I had to remember to add a brush to my purse, cause with curls, you only use your fingers to adjust.) :D

Very comfy "The Girls" slacks in XL

A Few Pics from Feb and March--Sugar Free, Low Cal "Birthday Cake", Fort Lauderdale Beach, Yesterday at Starbucks.. AKA PROGRESS: What 218 Pounds Looks Like On Me!

I like to upload pics to this blog to document my progress. The previous progress post (with pics) is HERE. It has links to earlier phases of my body's transformation.


As my regular readers may recall, I had a health-oriented birthday party and no traditional birthday cake. My middle sis did bring a sugar-free angel food cake with sugar free whipped topping and fresh strawberries, so we'd have something for the candle and kids. :)

I did not miss cake, cookies or crap. At all. Food was nourishing, tasty, and low cal. Lots of veggies and fruit. AND.... I had good weight loss that week, too. :)

Here's a birthday shot with "cake" where I'm 222 lbs:

Princess Dieter's Sugar-Free Birthday Cake Alternative

Feb 28 on the Fort Lauderdale Beach strip made famous by WHERE THE BOYS ARE in 1960. Elbo room is nearby. Lovely day. We went to the museum exhibit of Vatican Splendors and then ate beachside (on plan). Walked a bunch, too. I wore sneakers, natch. Any opportunity to move, and this means I wear sneakers a lot more than what was my usual going-out footwear (comfy sandals). I'm becoming sneakers addicted.

Me , my sneaks, & a wood sculpture of a Native American on Ft. Lauderdale strip.

Yesterday at Starbucks. I reserved some calories for a treat--half and half in my cinnamon iced coffee. Empty calories, but it satisfies enough that I don't feel deprived and don't have crap. Not a daily thing, but I love it. And I like looking smaller, though the big belly is still vexing. Hope to see that baby gone by year's end! (Well, I will likely need a tummy tuck, cause my pannus is horrid, but that I'd put off and save for.)

Mmm...Coffee...Fewer Unhealthful Lbs, More Natural Curls!

That above is me at roughly 218 lbs. Compare to this in 2008 at about 278:

A bit after starting Pilates...Huge! But Game! And Hopeful!

Guess at which weight I'm happier and more energetic? Even if OLDER? :)

I want to spend health-filled years with this sweetiepie o' mine:

The Princess and her Prince, Ft Lauderdale Beach

So, yeah, progress. Onward to goal!

(Oh, and if you haven't read the regular post for the day, see it below. I don't much double-post these days, but, hey, felt like it. Later, gotta go walk....)

Day 7 of Phase 5 Challenge: The Christian Princess amidst the Hasidim Families on the Weekend of Love Pic, A Dearth of Teal for Big Gals, my V-Day Present (not what you'd think)....and not much else to report...other than it's nice not to feel Food F**kery!

Hubby took a pic of me last night at Jerusalem Restaurant. It's a kosher place where a lot of orthodox and Hasidic Jewish families go to eat Middle Eastern, Italian (including really good kosher pizza) stuff. Since they do dairy, no meat natch. But you can get assorted salads and things that I don't order there (knishes, the "pareve" fakey meats, etc). We went Saturday evenings (about 10pm) and the post-Sabbath crowd was there. (They get busy when they open after sundown.)

We were the only non-Jewish folks there last night, and Charles got some looks from the very young boys (with the  forelocks and yarmulkes) cause he didn't have his hair covered. The wives wear the wigs, and all the females wear sleeves and long skirts. I'm used to it. My brother lived in Brooklyn where there is a large, large community of Jews who keep traditional garb and kosher. And I've eaten at this Kosher place since hubby and I were newlyweds (and seen ownership change hands a lot, with quality bobbling from excellent when we started going to not-so-good to okay and around again).

One guy sported one of those impressive big fur hats (I don't know what critter the fur came from, and PETA would have a conniption, but it is beautiful fur, dark brown and silky, like the one in THIS PIC, only darker and prettier, really, as if it was new and a really good critter died for it) and a satiny overcoat with a black-on-black pattern.

(There was this place I used to love going to, a kosher Mexican place 5 minutes' drive away--though they are no longer kosher and we've stopped going since the quality went downhill--where you could get meat, but not dairy, so it was soya "cheese" and "sour cream" on the tacos/fajitas/burritos/etc. But the stuff was delicious and the meat so nice. One time we went during Hanukkah and got free one of those jelly donut things from a traveling group of Hasidim driving a HUGE HUGE mennorah with electrified "flames" lit up to the appropriate day. Loved those jelly donuts! And the good cheer. Everyone was celebratory.)

I must look like a total Jezebel ho to them with my decolletage and red lipstick and snug jeans, but really, I'm not. I'm a good girl. :) Here's one of the pics hubster took:

I was clearly having a good day, yes? And how much do I love this teal color?? One of my fave colors ever, but hard for me to find stuff that fits me in this color. Hard to find this color, period. (Edited to add: I notice uploaded on my 'puter, it looks less teal and more royal blue. Whatever...love it. Rich color and with my almost black hair, it's killing it!)

And here's my Valentine's Day gift from hubby:

Yep. He got his hair highlighted. He has (naturally) dark kinda-mousy blonde with silver (age will do this). He once gave me his hair all blonded up (golden wow-factor blonde) in 2007 as an anniversary gift. Big surprise. I loved it. He got oodles of compliments. Strangers gave him the eye; one woman at the airport told him he was very handsome. He didn't get that attention with dark/mousy blonde. People are weird. He's always been hot!  Heh. He let it go natural for a spell. Yesterday, he came come lightened up. I love it. He's got the Germanic/Hungarian pink-cheeked coloring and hazel eyes to carry off blonde.

Now my hair's darker, his is lighter....nice contrast, yes?


Okay, it's date night...so I gotta go get ready. It's nice to feel not "out of control". The hunger of a couple days ago has taken another vacation. I was at my brother's yesterday, and was able to eat maximum 250 cals even with much temptation (rice and beans, pumpkin soup, bread and butter, chocolate). I took fruit, my snacks, and just ate the lean protein available. Made my own decaf and decaf green tea. Went fine. :)

Wishing you a really beautiful Sunday free of FF and full of cheer and health and good company (cause love is a lot more than just romantic love). Valentine's Day is for lovers and those who are loved in all sorts of ways... imo. Enjoy it!

Day 5 of P5: Walk Done, Hair Done, Valentine's Day Red Shoes (and feet / ankles no longer bloated fat, so they look CUTE!), having to curtail the binge urge last night and how I did it, and a recommended bit of posting for binge-eaters....

I finally got around to having my hair done. Hadn't had my grays done since September of last year (five months) and hadn't had a trim in 2 months, so I was looking a bit "gray" and a scosh unkempt.

Voila:

Hair was still damp when I got home to change my top and go do my walk. Met a fitness trainer on the walk (muscles!) and a cute German Shepherd whose owner was having to chase him down. (He had tags, but was loose, I guess). I spoke to him nicely just in case: "Hi, doggie. Don't bite me, k?"

It was cool tonight, damp, and the air was oddly hazy-smoky. I always carry my inhaler with me (I'm asthmatic) and yes, had to use it. Normally, I don't. It's a "just in case I run into allergens" thing.

Now that my hair is spruced up, I'm ready for Valentine's Day (hubby is taking it off, yippee!) and my birthday. Since we've been doing a lot more walking on date nights, I've worn sneakers. BUT...didn't wanna wear sneakers Valentine's Day, so I got nice red suede flats I can use on my birthday, too:

Very comfy. Nice roomy toebox. I could walk a bit in these, dance some, and not feel like my feet will have revenge on me. :D

If anyone here is not familiar with Escape From Obesity blog and Lyn's journey, you may wanna check out what she's been posting this week. It might be helpful for others who, like Lyn and me, have had issues with binge-eating. The "Dominaton by the FF-Binge Monster" events have stayed away from my door for many moons now--for which I am so grateful--but I am not so dumb as to think he's not prone to lurking. One has to always be on the lookout for the sings of incipient madness re food.

That doesn't mean the urge doesn't hit now and then. It means I haven't caved and let the FF-BM win.

Yesterday, more specifically LAST NIGHT, was one of the hard nights. After an extended vacation somewhere not near my house, he came calling.  The ordeal of major-quantities-of-food temptation. The wanting to be bulging-stuffed-filled temptation. The nights when you wanna dive into a barrel of pepperoni rolls, slurp up a vat of cream of potato soup with scallions and cheese on top, eat two pounds of filet mignon drenched in peppercorn sauce, sink your teeth into a thousand cheddar crackers with peanut butter, dip five baguettes into olive oil with garlic, and finish it off with a pound of dark chocolate or a gallon of real chocolate mousse with chocolate curls and whipped cream.

Food was on the brain. Unfortunately....all but dinner calories were used up when the monster hit. I had a high-fiber dinner in the hopes of curtailing the binge.

Not enough. Not nearly enough.

I fed the monster water. I fed it decaf coffee and tea.  I fed it wise words about goals and dreams and accountability and self-control and not messing up the progress and how this, too, will pass, and how sleeptime was near, and how I could hold on, cause it's not like I was being tortured or abused or actually starving. It was just FOOD. Just a desire for FOOD.

After a couple hours of wrangling with the brain and belly, I had an extra snack. It calmed down. I went 120 cals over, but I short-circuited the binge.

I suspect if I had had the extra snack right off, I'd have had another and another and another. I pretty much had to do some delaying--the fluids, the self-talk--in order to get to a place where the calmer brain and hunger met. Then I could do something.

I've done great staying UNDER 1200 to up to 1200. I don't like going over anymore. I know the results are better the closer I hew to just under 1200.

But some nights, you fight the good fight and do what you can to keep from doing something WORSE. You just keep battling and hope this time you WIN.

I won. I gave a little ground, but not enough to derail me.

Today, it's been fine. Nice filling veggie egg white omelette and some delicious gourmet coffee. Was out and missed lunch, so had a bit under 300 cals so far. Will have lunch now...er...dinner...er...drunch? No freaky appetite thing going on. Maybe this is one of those sane nights. :) Yes. Please.

I wish you sane nights and happy days and good health this weekend. Remember to mail in your weigh-in, challengers! (Incuding me!)

Day 7 Son of DDDY Challenge: We're moving on DOWN the road...and I must have estimated those date night calories right! The fear of upcoming food cues in certain location with "history"...and itchy eyes suck...oh, and food / water log...including fab dinner out in MiMo with Another Pic of me happy there!

Tanita-San says: 246.2

There we go. Two days showing lower numbers. Muchly pleased.

One-fifth of a pound to no-longer-morbidly-obese territory. Muchly pleased.

Eyes itch like the mother. Not pleased. Allergies still plaguing. We've had some beautiful days and the only thing that keeps me from being OUT THERE enjoying them more is the super-itchiness that results. Oh, well. I should be used to this. A lifetime (and I do mean a whole fricken LIFEtime) of having to carry boxes of tissues and itching and wheezing. Should be used to it. Never fully am. Thank God for the meds that make me function, otherwise I'd be an allergy-respiratory cripple wheezing in bed (and that's no exaggeration, spent 4 years that way in the early 90's). I put in my Patanol drops just now so I could stop rubbing eyes enough to type. Now, I have dark circles from rubbing. Sheesh.

Today I'll be at a hospital down south with family (surgery for nephew). I am fearing the food cues. My mom spent a lot of time in that hospital by the bay. Weekly visits to a hematologist for years. Weekly blood transfusions for years. Me stuffing my face and gaining 35 pounds in 8 months from stress. I was familiar with that cafeteria and snack bar, I can tell you.

Now that I am more familiar with how my brain works/cues/stimuli, I really am afraid what's gonna happen when I walk in and smell the smells and see the landmarks, etc. So, this is mental preparation time. Need to take my snacks. Need to drink water (after I'm out of traffic). Need to chill. Need to believe in myself.

Okay, onto the comida y agua portion of this post:

BREAKFAST:
WS hot cakes with Nature's Hollow sugar-free syrup & cinnamon
2 oz natural applesauce
1/2 cup egg beaters with 1/2 cup mushrooms
2 tsp Smart Balance and 1 slice 2% Cheddar
2 cups coffee
8 glasses water (4 before, 2 during, 2 after)
Calcium, D, Multivitamin, Quercetin, Bromelain, Fiber supplements

SNACK: 2 glasses of water before heading out

Calories so far: 440
Fluids so far: 96 oz

LUNCH:
cup of decaf (12 oz) w Sweet n Low (hospital cafeteria had no Splenda, dangit)
(had to run to bathroom as soon as I entered hospital, went twice more in the next couple hours without drinking extra water).

I took several low-carb snacks and 2 bottles of water, but didn't have them. Had that decaf.

Calories so far: 440
Fluids so far: 108 oz

DINNER: On the way home, had to stop cause I was pissing my pants. Had dinner at a restaurant in the historic MiMo section of Miami that we saw reviewed on tv a few months back. Great dinner outside in the charming patio area. The menu online is not the menu we got, so maybe that's lunch and what we got was the dinner one. There was a boutique upstairs and a mini-art space adjacent. Nice. Some Japanese guy was there checking an installation. I went two times more to the bathroom in the restaurant (Uva 69).

Princess Dieter at Uva69

I had to deconstruct dinner to enter it into Sparkpeople, and I knew I would, so as I was eating, I was looking and examining for how to deconstruct (ie, how much parmesan, how much EVOO, how much wine in the vegetables, which veggies, how many in the mixed veggies, how much filet mignon, etc. I used the same system I used last night: lots of water before starter (4 glasses), order decaf and drink loads (3 cups), had unsweetened iced tea, too. I first ordered a caprese sald, but then switched to a chicken veggie soup starter, as that had fewer caloribes and the liquid would help fill me. Kept carbs minimal, nixed the risotto again--what's with risotto everywhere lately, stop tempting me!--loaded up with extra veggie sides and gave hubby half my steak. No dessert, though a tray went by and I nearly plotzed. No wine, though I really ached for a Pinot Grigio hit with my soup. More water after done eating (1 glass). He was able to have leftovers, since he had my steak half, so his lunch tomorrow is ready for brown-bagging. Lovely eatery. If you come to Miami, definitely hit Uva 69 on a fresh evening for outdoor patio dining.

I'm getting into the habit of asking for lots of water, no ice, so I can gauge quantities better an drink it FAST without "brain freeze". :D

I calculated my dinner calories on SparkPeople at 1038. That's a lot for one meal, but it didn't send me over.

On the way home, we stopped at Target, and I peed TWICE in the hour we were there. Geesh. See what I said about having to figure out where the toilets are around town, the nicer ones? Target is NOT a nicer one. ; )

calories so far: 1478
fluids so far:  172 oz (not counting soup, exceed accelerated amount)

Snack: (clearly should have had more water, cause I got hungry at Midnight)
2 cups watermelon, 1 small pear, and 1 WS vanilla protein shake (made with 8 oz waer)
4 glasses of water
1 cup decaf with sucralose

calories for snack: 281
fluids with snack: 48 oz


Total Calories:  1759
Total Fluids:   220 oz

Face Shot As Per Allan's Request--taken JUST NOW!

Still had my makeup on from date night, though I'm already feeling a wee bit tired. Here we go:

Princess Dieter on Nov 14, 2010, 10:25 PM