YIKES! I missed last week’s post! For the first time since the beginning of the year, I was negligent. Although, frankly, you didn’t miss much. I didn’t lose a single ounce and didn’t want to talk about it. Sometimes my discussion about weight loss makes me remember that great old line by Dylan Thomas: “Someone’s boring me. I think it’s me” (odd … I always thought that was a Noel Coward witticism). It’s so tiring to talk and even THINK about losing weight.
But this week, I’m down to a wondrous 197 and I’m eager to tell you all about it. I changed my eating routine a bit this past week, partly in an attempt to get back on track with my diet (I refuse to allow myself to get up over 200 again) and partly in response to the hot weather we’ve been having (into the 90s, which for us up here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon is considered sweltering).
Mindlessly eating breaking can't possible help me lose weight - or feel good!
I’ve written before about my defiance of the “big breakfast” advice. I work for myself, out of a home office, and normally don’t start the day before 9 or 10 (I make up for it on the other end, rarely getting to bed before 1 or 2 in the morning). I don’t have a physically demanding job, even if you count the gardening, so I don’t need the same type of hearty fare that a firefighter does. A grade school teacher expends far more energy overseeing a class of rowdy kids than I do at my keyboard.
THEY may need a substantial meal to get them started in the a.m., but I only eat breakfast because the “rule” has been drilled into me since I was a child. “Start the day with a good breakfast.” “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Etc. etc. etc. “Eating breakfast is the secret to staying healthy.” Blah blah blah.
The truth of the matter is, since I normally snack at night, I rarely wake up hungry. In fact, with my schedule, I usually don’t feel like eating at all in the morning. To top it off, I think most breakfasts are BORING, particularly when you’re counting calories.
If I’m NOT hungry and don’t feel like eating, why should I have breakfast?
So, what I’ve been doing the past week is waiting about an hour after I wake up and consciously deciding if I’m at all hungry. I pay attention to how I feel, physically and emotionally. If I’m hungry, I’ll eat. If not, I don’t. In the past two weeks, I’ve had breakfast twice and I feel great and have lost two pounds.
Usually, mid-morning, I “break my fast” with a 6-ounce glass of veggie juice and a small glass of a liquid vitamin supplement drink that’s supposed to give me a boost of energy. By mid-afternoon — again, IF I’m hungry — I’ll have some of my Sosoya slices or a few cashews or almonds. Before I know it, it’s nearly 5 and time for dinner! I go into my dinner with only about 200 calories under my belt (or in my belly!) and I can have a great meal and still nibble at night.
The key is that I never say I can’t have breakfast — or lunch — or nibbles. I CAN have them IF I’m hungry and really want them. But my focus now is on the mindless eating I do from habit or because I was taught it was the “right thing to do.” From now on, the only RIGHT thing to do is what my body tells me — not what others say is correct.
I’m reading two books right now on that topic. One is “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think,” by Brian Wansink; the other is “Eat What You Love; Love What You Eat,” by Michelle May, DC. I’ll tell you more about them next time!
Meanwhile, let’s keep losing!
Ah, vacation time!
In reading other diet blogs lately, I’ve noticed a lot of people have hit a plateau. Some have failed to lose for the past several months. That’s exactly what’s been happening with me. I’ve lost a grand total of one pound since the 11th — more than two weeks ago. I have a theory: it’s the weather (for me, everything can be blamed on the weather!). A change of seasons takes our mind off our diet and, as we see the long-awaited summer approaching, we’re less likely to pay attention to counting calories, exercising, watching our portions, etc.
Who can blame us? For three decades, I lived in Phoenix and came to dread the summers (I was there in 1990 when it reached 114 on April 4 and soared to 122 not long afterwards). For the past few years, I’ve resided in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where the summers are simply glorious — warm in the day and mild in the evenings. I love spring and fall even more, and still haven’t tired of the cool, wet winters.
But summer is the time for smoothies and salads — both of which can be deceptive when it comes to weight loss. A salad is a great diet food, right? Lettuce and tomatoes fresh from the garden, with some slivers of carrot straight from the earth, maybe a few wedges of mushroom, and a couple pieces of cucumber. If I stopped there, I’d have a great low-cal dinner. But wait! No salad of mine is complete without a sprinkling of cheese, some pieces of ham, a hardboiled egg, croutons, and a generous dousing of ranch dressing. And maybe a few apple slices and olives? By the time I get done building my salad, I can hardly see the lettuce. I’m eating a healthy — but calorie laden — bowl full of goodies!
Same thing with smoothies. It’s FRUIT for Pete’s sake. How bad can that be for a diet? Of course, I don’t count the milk or yoghurt, or the honey, or the other non-fruit ingredients that I add. It’s odd because I know the smoothies down at the local Jamba Juice are not exactly on the Weight Watchers list of recommended treats. In fact, the delightful Banana Berry (16 ounces) is 270 calories. That’s a whole lunch!
Summer’s also the time for vacations. And when you’re lounging on some tropical island beach sipping a delightful cocktail cooler, do you really want to be worrying about calories? Okay, so I’m not going to any tropical island, but the same applies when I’m spending the day on the Oregon coast, with its famed seafood restaurants beckoning. What would a day in the park be without an ice cream cone the size of a soccer ball? And road trips aren’t the same without a stop at some roadside diner ready to supersize my French fries and slather my fried chicken sandwich with mayo.
Okay, so summer’s a minefield. But it’s also the time when we garden, take long walks on the beach, and sweat — all of which help us to lose weight, right?
So, although I’ve hit the infamous and apparently unavoidable plateau, I’m not upset. I’m still savoring the feeling of being under 200 pounds and I haven’t gotten tired of seeing the 198.5 on the scale. Still, three weeks is about my limit. It’s time to move on and lose more. Even if it means scaling back on the salad toppings and sipping an 8 oz. smoothie instead of the giant one.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s an imaginary cabana boy waiting to refill my glass!
Trust me ... I'll never compare myself to Scarlett O'Hara again! Fiddle dee dee!
I felt a little like Scarlett O’Hara this morning. I weighed in at 198 and raised my fist, partly in triumph and partly in defiance, and swore “As God is my witness, I will never be 200 again!” And that’s a vow I intend to keep.
I remember when I first tipped the scales at 200 pounds, or at least when I became aware of the fact that I had entered a whole new realm of fatness. I shrugged it off as a temporary aberration, nothing to worry about. Then came the 210 and finally the 220 marks. By then, I was determined to lose weight and embarked on a series of diets, some of which worked (for a while) but none — except for the Weight Watchers — got me below 200.
Weight Watchers worked for two reasons. One, it was a reasonable “way of eating” that warned against the evils of depraving yourself of the treats you enjoy. I was still able to nibble … eat cheese and bread and chocolate and nuts. The other reason was because I actually went to the weekly meetings and, being an extremely competitive person, the knowledge that I’d get to brag about my triumph was a great motivator.
But after spending several hundred dollars on meetings and Weight Watcher “accessories” and the like, I got tired of counting calories, fat, fiber, and points. The women at my particular meeting weren’t especially friendly either, and I never made friends with anyone there. It was rather a lonely thing to go to the meetings, try to be friendly, and then sit alone each week.
Although I lost about 30 pounds, once I stopped going to the meetings, I strayed from the straight and narrow and put it all back on (in my defense, this was near the time of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and I went into a black period, accompanied by — what else? — eating).
Keeping this blog is like those Weight Watchers meetings in some ways. It gives me a chance to do a weekly “official” weigh in, be accountable to my readers and myself, and boast about my victories. And, since I count only calories, at least I don’t have to tote around my WW calculator or slide rule to determine my points!
My first Weight Watcher point-counter bracelet, which I bought on eBay
The bracelet I bought specifically as a Gratitude Bracelet, from Signature Charms.
One of the best things to come out of my Weight Watchers experience was that it introduced me to the point counter bracelet. I bought it online (eBay, I think) from a woman who made them up herself. It’s a simple little beaded bracelet with a series of four purple beads followed by a silver spacer bead. There are 27 beads in all since, at that time, I was allotted 27 points on my WW diet.
There’s also a small charm on a clasp and the idea is that you move the charm along the bracelet to keep track of points during the day. If you eat a 4-point breakfast, you move the charm down 4 points. When you reach point 27, you’d better be done eating for the day!
I never really got into the habit of using the bracelet for its intended purpose, but in the finest tradition of the dedicated recycler, I “re-purposed” it — as a Gratitude Bracelet. Every time something happened during the day that I was grateful for (“It’s a lovely sunny day” … “A new and interesting client called” … “I lost a pound this week” … “Someone left a comment on my blog!” …) I moved the charm over one bead. Unlike when it was a WW bracelet, it was perfectly okay to go beyond the 27 beads.
I’ve since purchased a couple of even lovelier bracelets over at Esty (from SignatureCharms, who now sells them on eBay, under that username).
Right now, I’m grateful for dropping below 200 pounds, among many, many other things! I think I’ll move my charm over THREE beads for that one!
Well, it’s official! I announced last week that I’d dropped below the 200 pound mark, but this is the first time I’ve done it on my “official” weigh in day.
I’ve pretty much stopped keeping my food journal, which might not be a good idea but my diet doesn’t vary all that much. Although I enjoy cooking, my repertoire is limited nowadays because of time and other constraints. Also, since I eat only breakfast OR lunch (seldom both — after all, I don’t start my day until 9 or 10 and I can’t cram two meals in before dinner). My third “meal” is actually my late night snacking, since I often stay up at least until 1 or 2 am.
So Soya chick strips
After 5 months of keeping more or less complete records of my calorie counts each day, I find that no matter what I eat, the pattern’s the same:
- About 200-300 calories for my first meal (breakfast/brunch/lunch)
- About 500-600 calories for my main meal (about 5-6 o’clock)
- About 300 for evening snacking.
If I know I’ve had an overly generous dinner — or one of my out-of-the-world rich or cheesy sauces — I cut back on the evening snacks or plan ahead and have a very low-cal morning meal (such as a plateful of wonderful, protein-rich “So Soya” strips, sold as a vegetarian chicken dish).
I love them, even if my partner thinks they taste like rubber bands (how would she know that, I wonder??? Her diet must be stranger than I realized!). A nice helping, with a bit of salsa or low-cal dressing is only about 100 calories and very filling. I think they’re so terrific I buy them by the case directly from the company, since I can no longer find them in local stores.
Still, I tend to finish the first two meals with about 900 calories under my belt no matter what I eat, so I’ve quit writing things down and I’m going to see if I can just keep the estimates in my head.
Tonight, we’re having pizza! I know that sounds like a splurge but I make my own, so I can keep the size and contents under my control and make it reasonable. I used to be able to eat half a pizza at one sitting (and I’m talking about one of those jumbo sizes with extra cheese and a stuffed crust and lots of toppings!). Now, every time I sit down to have one, it looks so good I swear I’m going to allow myself an extra slice. But by the time I eat two slices, I’m full! I guess my stomach must be shrinking or getting used to smaller amounts.
Of course, you wouldn’t know it to look at me. That’s been the most frustrating thing about this diet. I’ve lost 21.5 pounds so far — about 10% of my total body weight. Yet I don’t think I look any thinner. Not in my face, my butt, my legs … nowhere. I’d thought that a 20+ pound decrease would have been more obvious.
While I forgot to take “before” photos when I started this diet, I do have some I’d taken a couple of years ago, so once I see some results I may even post them along with pictures of my new svelt body. I find before/after photos so encouraging!
Hope you’re all doing well on YOUR weight loss. See you next week …
I know you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to find out if I broke the elusive 200-pound barrier. Well, yes … and no.
YES .. because this morning, I was 198.5 lbs! So, I’m cheering so loudly people in Milwaukee are complaining about the noise.
NO, because today wasn’t my “official weigh in” date. That occurred on Friday, and I was 200 pounds exactly no matter how many times I got on the scale. It didn’t matter if I held my breath, leaned to the left, mentally lifted myself off the floor, or anything. 200 pounds and not an ounce less. So frustrating!
Then, yesterday, I dipped to 199 and this morning to an incredible 198.5.
To keep myself “honest” I’m going to register the 200 on my progress chart. After all, that was my official weight, even if I’m late in posting this entry. By next week, my chart will reflect the tremendous accomplishment and it’ll be “official.”
Now that I’m half way to my goal date of October 27 (my 61st birthday), I figured it was time to look back over my posts since I started this diet and see what I promised myself I’d do, and which promises I kept.
PROMISE: Keep up this blog
DID I KEEP PROMISE: YES
I started out thinking I’d post several times a week, but I found that once a week is about right for me. Not so often as to get tedious (for myself OR my readers) but frequently enough to chronicle my progress.
These are the mints I have grown to love
PROMISE: Reduce evening nibbling
DID I KEEP PROMISE: YES
I used to eat tons in the evening, including things like a large cheese crisp or half a bag of chips with cheese dip (I do love my cheese!). I still snack, but I’ve switch to items like grapes, healthy breakfast cereal (without milk), and these really tasty little mints call Xlear Spry Sugar Free mint. They’re tiny but at just 1.5 calories per mint, I can pop them into my mouth at will. Downside is they are VERY expensive (about $10 for a container of 250).
PROMISE: Exercise
DID I KEEP PROMISE: NO
I vowed over and over to start walking, or doing some kind of exercise but I still haven’t done it. My resistance to exercising is so great that I actually found some obscure research report that claimed it didn’t really help you to lose weight. Even I didn’t honestly believe it, but I grabbed onto it like a life jacket. I still haven’t given up entirely. I know that I need to exercise — if not for weight loss then at least to tighten up the muscles that have gotten flabby, increase my flexibility, and strengthen my bones. As Scarlett O’Hara said: Tomorrow is another day!
PROMISE: Reduce meal portions
DID I KEEP PROMISE: YES
At first, I had to really pay attention and make the deliberate effort to do this. I’d often dish out our “normal” amount, then remember and put back half of it. But as time went by, I found myself automatically making, and serving, less. And, I found that I got full faster, so I’m seldom going back for seconds nowadays. It’s amazing to me how little food it takes to fill me for a meal. I used to eat half a large pizza but now, after two slices, I’m stuffed.
PROMISE: Don’t watch TV during dinner
DID I KEEP PROMISE: NO
This was supposed to be a way to slow down during meals but my partner and I love watching DVDs of old shows during dinner, even though we eat at the dining room table. It’s one of the fun things we look forward to and I just didn’t want to give it up. I’ve tried slowing down a bit although I’m not worrying about it. I’ve always been a fast eater and I can only change so many habits at a time!
PROMISE: Retrain my subconscious
DID I KEEP PROMISE: YES
I’m still in the middle of doing this, but I think my new resolution to eliminate all my subconscious blocks is working. After all, I’m not going to succeed if my subconscious is saying “dieting is awful, don’t do it.” I’ve been sabotaging myself too long that way. So, I’m using affirmations and meditation to retrain my subconscious so it shares my conscious desire to get trim and fit.
PROMISE: Keep a strict food journal
DID I KEEP PROMISE: YES and NO
My journal for the first few weeks was complete and detailed. I listed every bite of food I put into my mouth — right down to the peppermint Lifesaver I chomped on at my desk. After a few weeks, I started missing a day now and then; I’d stop recording after dinner, figuring I could guesstimate the rest of the evening. Now, I’m very sporadic, but I do have a fairly good idea of what I can consume without going too far over my 1,200 calorie allotment.
I started out keeping a strict journal (left) ... now, not so much!
I suppose there were a few more promises I made to myself along the way, but the fact that I’ve managed to keep to my goal of one pound a week weight loss tells me that I’m doing what I have to do!
So, the first five months are over and I’m half way home (well, at least half way to my FIRST major goal — which is to weigh in at about 180 by my birthday, a loss of 42 pounds in 42 weeks). My second goal will be to reach about 145 by my next birthday (only 35 pounds in 52 weeks — that should be a breeze!)
When I looked down at the scale this morning and saw that incredibly wonderful number — 198.5 — I was filled with such enthusiasm and optimism I *KNOW* I’ll do it!
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