Showing posts with label diet successes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet successes. Show all posts
Thursday, August 5, 2010
yeah! "new" pants!
So, a quick post this morning to say that I tried on a pair of pants that I haven't been able to fit into in over a year. Last week, they didn't fit....but today, they do!!!! Hooray!!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
weight increase (due to supplement) grrr!
So, I haven't been cheating, I think the weight increase was due to a supplement I was taking (making me retain water) and now that I stopped taking it, I am going back down again. It was a frustrating situation, but hopefully it is now resolving itself.
I am getting lots of exercise lately, just living life: walking a lot with family at events, yard work, cleaning out the garage, etc. We are still joining the YMCA at the end of this month. I really do need to get more fit...and lose more weight, but I am on my way.
The biggest news is that it seems that food is no longer "my life" lately. People used to tell me to think of food as fuel, not as recreation, or a friend, or as whatever...you eat to live, not live to eat. I could never really get into that space. But I feel like I am there now (or at least getting there)! It is a wonderful feeling not to have everything in my life revolve around food. I mean food is just a way to keep my blood sugar level and get me through the day. It is amazing (and a miracle) that *I* would ever truly feel that way! Thank you Dr. Atkins!
BTW, in case you are wondering what I normally eat, here is some info on that:
For snacking, I have found that sunflower seeds are a lifesaver for me! When I can't have things like chips, fries, etc. The sunflower seeds work for me. They *are* salty, and if you have a problem with blood pressure or sodium, maybe not the best for you. But, if you can handle the sodium, they are pretty good for munching. Protein, low carbs.
So, I do get in moods where I want to cook, but most of the time I rebel! So, I do eat some fast food/premade stuff: Carl's Jr has a pretty good plan where you can get all the burgers with lettuce wraps. They are pretty good. I was NOT impressed with the KFC new sandwich with not bun...yuck! I would rather have a bunch of grilled chicken. For breakfast I will often get a couple egg mcmuffins, some sausage, throw out the english muffins and make a sandwich with the canadian bacon on the outside.
I eat a lot of baked chicken (usually grocery stores have this in their deli) as well as steak, smoked salmon (when I can afford them) cheese, cream cheese, eggs, nuts, sausage, some veggies (the ones I like: celery, cucumber, tomatoes, on rare occasion a salad). I eat an avocado most every day. Dreamfield pasta (a *true* serving size) does not seem to spike my blood sugar...I get Hunt's no sugar added sauce and load up with italian sausage! Also, I use American cheese slices (microwaved for about 38 seconds on parchment paper) as "bread" when I am really wanting a sandwich. It works pretty well....bu they are really not that good for you, in general, so I try to limit how often I zap American Cheese; it is pretty well processed.
I was just thinking the other day: what a great diet this low carb thing is...if I can lose weight and not eat all that "rabbit food" all the time, that is great! I used to live on simple carbs, really, I did. I was an addict. I have been low carb for about 5 weeks now and I no longer crave fries, bread, chips, even sugar. I think it is a miracle!
There are ways around a lot of carbs. For instance: today I went to a family gathering and all they had to eat was pizza. I ate all the toppings off & left the crust. Cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms. It worked. I also had brought some low carb yogurt with me and I always carry some nuts and beef jerky in the car (the beef jerky can be tricky...you have to check the carbs on that, and not eat too much). I also eat atkin's bars. Some people don't do well with those (spike Blood Sugar) but I seem to do fine with them. Concerning crackers, the only type I eat are Wasa Crisp Bread (only 2 per day) with some laughing cow cheese and fresh tomatoes on top (mmmmm)
as far as Breakfast: I can tolerate glucerna cereals, but, the serving size (on all cereals) is small. You really do have to pay attention to serving size. I would rather have an atkins bar some days...and maybe an atkins shake as well (though atkins stuff will spike blood sugar on some people). However, I recently bought an egg poacher for the microwave and discovered jimmy dean fully cooked sausages. I am not too big on cooking in the morning, but if I can have a couple eggs and sausage links easily, I will eat those.
On the days I do the best, my calories break down to something like: about 1800 cals, 70% from fat, 20% from protein, and 10% from carbs. That keeps me in ketosis and I will lose weight regularly when I eat this way. I have more energy, I feel better. Sometimes all the meat meat meat gets to me...but when I think about my diet and quality of life before, I just get over it and go on.
OK, that was a rambling post! Sorry...until next time,
Two
I am getting lots of exercise lately, just living life: walking a lot with family at events, yard work, cleaning out the garage, etc. We are still joining the YMCA at the end of this month. I really do need to get more fit...and lose more weight, but I am on my way.
The biggest news is that it seems that food is no longer "my life" lately. People used to tell me to think of food as fuel, not as recreation, or a friend, or as whatever...you eat to live, not live to eat. I could never really get into that space. But I feel like I am there now (or at least getting there)! It is a wonderful feeling not to have everything in my life revolve around food. I mean food is just a way to keep my blood sugar level and get me through the day. It is amazing (and a miracle) that *I* would ever truly feel that way! Thank you Dr. Atkins!
BTW, in case you are wondering what I normally eat, here is some info on that:
For snacking, I have found that sunflower seeds are a lifesaver for me! When I can't have things like chips, fries, etc. The sunflower seeds work for me. They *are* salty, and if you have a problem with blood pressure or sodium, maybe not the best for you. But, if you can handle the sodium, they are pretty good for munching. Protein, low carbs.
So, I do get in moods where I want to cook, but most of the time I rebel! So, I do eat some fast food/premade stuff: Carl's Jr has a pretty good plan where you can get all the burgers with lettuce wraps. They are pretty good. I was NOT impressed with the KFC new sandwich with not bun...yuck! I would rather have a bunch of grilled chicken. For breakfast I will often get a couple egg mcmuffins, some sausage, throw out the english muffins and make a sandwich with the canadian bacon on the outside.
I eat a lot of baked chicken (usually grocery stores have this in their deli) as well as steak, smoked salmon (when I can afford them) cheese, cream cheese, eggs, nuts, sausage, some veggies (the ones I like: celery, cucumber, tomatoes, on rare occasion a salad). I eat an avocado most every day. Dreamfield pasta (a *true* serving size) does not seem to spike my blood sugar...I get Hunt's no sugar added sauce and load up with italian sausage! Also, I use American cheese slices (microwaved for about 38 seconds on parchment paper) as "bread" when I am really wanting a sandwich. It works pretty well....bu they are really not that good for you, in general, so I try to limit how often I zap American Cheese; it is pretty well processed.
I was just thinking the other day: what a great diet this low carb thing is...if I can lose weight and not eat all that "rabbit food" all the time, that is great! I used to live on simple carbs, really, I did. I was an addict. I have been low carb for about 5 weeks now and I no longer crave fries, bread, chips, even sugar. I think it is a miracle!
There are ways around a lot of carbs. For instance: today I went to a family gathering and all they had to eat was pizza. I ate all the toppings off & left the crust. Cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms. It worked. I also had brought some low carb yogurt with me and I always carry some nuts and beef jerky in the car (the beef jerky can be tricky...you have to check the carbs on that, and not eat too much). I also eat atkin's bars. Some people don't do well with those (spike Blood Sugar) but I seem to do fine with them. Concerning crackers, the only type I eat are Wasa Crisp Bread (only 2 per day) with some laughing cow cheese and fresh tomatoes on top (mmmmm)
as far as Breakfast: I can tolerate glucerna cereals, but, the serving size (on all cereals) is small. You really do have to pay attention to serving size. I would rather have an atkins bar some days...and maybe an atkins shake as well (though atkins stuff will spike blood sugar on some people). However, I recently bought an egg poacher for the microwave and discovered jimmy dean fully cooked sausages. I am not too big on cooking in the morning, but if I can have a couple eggs and sausage links easily, I will eat those.
On the days I do the best, my calories break down to something like: about 1800 cals, 70% from fat, 20% from protein, and 10% from carbs. That keeps me in ketosis and I will lose weight regularly when I eat this way. I have more energy, I feel better. Sometimes all the meat meat meat gets to me...but when I think about my diet and quality of life before, I just get over it and go on.
OK, that was a rambling post! Sorry...until next time,
Two
Friday, January 29, 2010
Day 19 - The Pants FIT!!! Yay! & Goals (short & long term)
My day (Friday 1/29/10) -
It has been an OK day. Kind of busy & stressful. But, my husband came home from work early today, so that helped. I even got a nap this afternoon!
Today I wore a pair of pants that a couple weeks ago would have smothered me all day. But they fit perfect! My clothes are definitely starting to get looser! I need it too because I was really out of control over the holidays and barely had anything that fit before. After the holidays I really didn't have ANYTHING to wear except a couple pairs of sweats and one pair of HUGE jeans. Even my T-shirts didn't fit any longer. So, I was happy about that today! Makes me want to work even harder for the goal of getting back into the 10 or 12 pairs of size 18 jeans I have!
So, I am really trying to look toward my goals (short term as well as long term). Every time I go into the bathroom - which is a lot with all this water - I tell myself: "stay off the scale!" So far, so good. Here is a great article on The Importance of Setting Medium-Term Goals from the SparkPeople. It is important for me...because if I just look at that big, end goal, it becomes too overwhelming and far away to stay motivated.
Ultimate goal: HALF MY SIZE BY Sept 2012
Working goal: to fit back into those size 18 pants by May 1
**NEW** Mini Goal: STAY OFF THE SCALE UNTIL WEIGH-IN DAY!
Mini Goal: take my thyroid meds more regularly!
Food:
-bowl of HN cheerios cereal & milk (275)
-nutrigrain bar (135)
-KFC grill chx meal, partial (480 est)
-crackers, LC cheese, tomato (100)
-nutrigrain bar (135)
-RK treat (90)
-Full bites (150)
-big salad with light dressing & almonds (140)
-LC meal (220)
-skinny cow ice cream (150)
total diet cokes today: 2
Calories:...1875
700 calorie deficit: 1879 (means "goal" ~10 months sooner!)
workout:
traveling all day. No w/o
Water:
50 oz
Confession of the day: (good for the soul, no?)
Since I have to travel once a week to another town down south, I often do shopping there I cannot do at home. For instance, we have no Trader Joes in my town!!! So, I sometimes stop there & stock up on stuff. I did not today, fortunately. At Trader Joes they have one of my favorite binge foods. They have these almond chocolate cluster things that are just HEAVEN! I will often buy two boxes and eat one whole one on the way home! Then eat the other partially that night and the rest the next morning. Bad, bad, bad! I decided to do other shopping and maybe not go to Trader Joes until I am on my new eating plan for a while! :-)
Until tomorrow,
Two
It has been an OK day. Kind of busy & stressful. But, my husband came home from work early today, so that helped. I even got a nap this afternoon!
Today I wore a pair of pants that a couple weeks ago would have smothered me all day. But they fit perfect! My clothes are definitely starting to get looser! I need it too because I was really out of control over the holidays and barely had anything that fit before. After the holidays I really didn't have ANYTHING to wear except a couple pairs of sweats and one pair of HUGE jeans. Even my T-shirts didn't fit any longer. So, I was happy about that today! Makes me want to work even harder for the goal of getting back into the 10 or 12 pairs of size 18 jeans I have!
So, I am really trying to look toward my goals (short term as well as long term). Every time I go into the bathroom - which is a lot with all this water - I tell myself: "stay off the scale!" So far, so good. Here is a great article on The Importance of Setting Medium-Term Goals from the SparkPeople. It is important for me...because if I just look at that big, end goal, it becomes too overwhelming and far away to stay motivated.
Ultimate goal: HALF MY SIZE BY Sept 2012
Working goal: to fit back into those size 18 pants by May 1
**NEW** Mini Goal: STAY OFF THE SCALE UNTIL WEIGH-IN DAY!
Mini Goal: take my thyroid meds more regularly!
Food:
-bowl of HN cheerios cereal & milk (275)
-nutrigrain bar (135)
-KFC grill chx meal, partial (480 est)
-crackers, LC cheese, tomato (100)
-nutrigrain bar (135)
-RK treat (90)
-Full bites (150)
-big salad with light dressing & almonds (140)
-LC meal (220)
-skinny cow ice cream (150)
total diet cokes today: 2
Calories:...1875
Daily Calorie Requirements: 2,579
500 calorie deficit: 2079700 calorie deficit: 1879 (means "goal" ~10 months sooner!)
workout:
traveling all day. No w/o
Water:
50 oz
Confession of the day: (good for the soul, no?)
Since I have to travel once a week to another town down south, I often do shopping there I cannot do at home. For instance, we have no Trader Joes in my town!!! So, I sometimes stop there & stock up on stuff. I did not today, fortunately. At Trader Joes they have one of my favorite binge foods. They have these almond chocolate cluster things that are just HEAVEN! I will often buy two boxes and eat one whole one on the way home! Then eat the other partially that night and the rest the next morning. Bad, bad, bad! I decided to do other shopping and maybe not go to Trader Joes until I am on my new eating plan for a while! :-)
Until tomorrow,
Two
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
day sixteen - why it's working!!! And, playlist, as promised
My day (Tuesday 1/26/10) -Well, it's all a journey. But I am trying to figure out why, after all the many many years of dieting, trying to eat right, etc, that this time, it is finally clicking. Craving are almost non-existent most of the time. I am doing good at staying under my cal req for the day. I haven't been able to stay on a diet for more than a week in probably 10 years. Workouts could be more, but trying not to push that too hard right now due to health reasons.
I think part of it was something Tyler said on his blog (and for the life of me I cannot find it now). But, he talked about "fad" diets and slowly changing how you eat. That you can't maintain a loss if you can't maintain the diet. If you lose a bunch of weight on the carrot soup diet, how are you going to keep it off? Eat carrot soup for the rest of your life? No, you have to take the way you would eat and work with that. Now, why it took a man half my age to get through to me on that after I have been to diet clinics, counselors, nutritionists, etc I don't know. But, heck, when the student is ready the teacher will appear.
Reducing the amount of what I normally eat, tweaking it a little (low-fat/low calorie versions), and slowly adding healthy foods in at the same time seems to work. One change I made is I have a big salad every night with dinner. I mean a BIG one! I also eat fruit at least once a day (usually at the 3:00 slump time). I have been on plenty of diets where I quit eating "bad stuff" cold turkey (pun intended!) and the older I get, the harder it is. Impossible, in fact.
That being said, something I have always struggled with is cooking on a consistent basis. I am sporadic about it normally and we do eat prepared foods regularly. I just cannot cook an organic, vegetarian dinner every night! I just wont keep it up! So, lean cuisines (and the like) have worked for me. My husband and I eat them and a large salad at night (after we have our Full Bar supplement). It seems to work. I know that frozen diet dinners are not the most nutritious things, but they are portion controlled and the big salad give us some fresh, healthy food as well.
And, finally, I have to say that blogging has played a HUGE role in all this as well. I LOVE IT! People who follow me must say "DAMN, she posts every day!" But that is what is takes for me. It seems to work where nothing else has (WW weigh-ins, Jenny Craig check-ins, food logs for the nutritionist, online support groups, etc etc). So I am going to keep posting (and reading the blogs I follow, which is now about 10). Hopefully, it will be helpful to someone. And, I promise to title my posts better from now on, rather that just "day xxx" :-)
Ultimate goal: HALF MY SIZE BY Sept 2012
Working goal: to fit back into those size 18 pants by May 1
Mini Goal: more water!
Mini Goal: take my thyroid meds more regularly!
Food:
-bowl of HN cheerios cereal & milk (275)
-Quaker oats bkfst bar (175)
-crackers, LC cheese (95)
-lg orange (86) - it has been a very "snacky" morning
-LC sandwich (330)
-lg banana (120)
-crackers, LC cheese (95)
-Full bar (150)
-big salad with light dressing & almonds (200)
-LC meal (220)
-skinny cow ice cream sandwich (150)
-100 cal bag of popcorn (100)
total diet cokes today: 1.5
Calories:...1996 (a little bit over, but still under 500 deficit. The snacky morning got me...one 120 calorie banana too many for the day!)
Note on diet cokes: OK, I have been doing good at keeping them to 2 a day. Yesterday I went up to three and woke up today feeling like crap! Coincidence?
workout:
No workout today (unless you count carrying around a 20# baby most of the day!) I will probably do some crunches tonight.
Yesterday I said I would post my current playlist, so here it is (the starred songs are ones I almost always shuffle to during a workout, when I need an extra umph):
My MP3 player list is VERY eclectic. I have Elvis, Harry Connick Jr, Eminem, Al Greene, George Michael, Garth Brooks, Indie Arie, Meat Loaf, The Monkeys, Tone Loc, James Brown....just to name a few. So, my workout list is pretty eclectic as well ;-)
Water:
ended up with 60 oz for the day!!!! {Angi, aren't you proud? :D}
Confession of the day: (good for the soul, no?)
I think the pictures yesterday are enough "confession" for me for a day or two. Can't get into anything right now.
I think part of it was something Tyler said on his blog (and for the life of me I cannot find it now). But, he talked about "fad" diets and slowly changing how you eat. That you can't maintain a loss if you can't maintain the diet. If you lose a bunch of weight on the carrot soup diet, how are you going to keep it off? Eat carrot soup for the rest of your life? No, you have to take the way you would eat and work with that. Now, why it took a man half my age to get through to me on that after I have been to diet clinics, counselors, nutritionists, etc I don't know. But, heck, when the student is ready the teacher will appear.
Reducing the amount of what I normally eat, tweaking it a little (low-fat/low calorie versions), and slowly adding healthy foods in at the same time seems to work. One change I made is I have a big salad every night with dinner. I mean a BIG one! I also eat fruit at least once a day (usually at the 3:00 slump time). I have been on plenty of diets where I quit eating "bad stuff" cold turkey (pun intended!) and the older I get, the harder it is. Impossible, in fact.
That being said, something I have always struggled with is cooking on a consistent basis. I am sporadic about it normally and we do eat prepared foods regularly. I just cannot cook an organic, vegetarian dinner every night! I just wont keep it up! So, lean cuisines (and the like) have worked for me. My husband and I eat them and a large salad at night (after we have our Full Bar supplement). It seems to work. I know that frozen diet dinners are not the most nutritious things, but they are portion controlled and the big salad give us some fresh, healthy food as well.
And, finally, I have to say that blogging has played a HUGE role in all this as well. I LOVE IT! People who follow me must say "DAMN, she posts every day!" But that is what is takes for me. It seems to work where nothing else has (WW weigh-ins, Jenny Craig check-ins, food logs for the nutritionist, online support groups, etc etc). So I am going to keep posting (and reading the blogs I follow, which is now about 10). Hopefully, it will be helpful to someone. And, I promise to title my posts better from now on, rather that just "day xxx" :-)
Ultimate goal: HALF MY SIZE BY Sept 2012
Working goal: to fit back into those size 18 pants by May 1
Mini Goal: more water!
Mini Goal: take my thyroid meds more regularly!
Food:
-bowl of HN cheerios cereal & milk (275)
-Quaker oats bkfst bar (175)
-crackers, LC cheese (95)
-lg orange (86) - it has been a very "snacky" morning
-LC sandwich (330)
-lg banana (120)
-crackers, LC cheese (95)
-Full bar (150)
-big salad with light dressing & almonds (200)
-LC meal (220)
-skinny cow ice cream sandwich (150)
-100 cal bag of popcorn (100)
total diet cokes today: 1.5
Calories:...1996 (a little bit over, but still under 500 deficit. The snacky morning got me...one 120 calorie banana too many for the day!)
Note on diet cokes: OK, I have been doing good at keeping them to 2 a day. Yesterday I went up to three and woke up today feeling like crap! Coincidence?
Your Daily Calorie Requirements Are: 2,579 Calories Per Day
500 calorie deficit: 2079
700 calorie deficit: 1879 (means "goal" ~10 months sooner!)
700 calorie deficit: 1879 (means "goal" ~10 months sooner!)
workout:
No workout today (unless you count carrying around a 20# baby most of the day!) I will probably do some crunches tonight.
Yesterday I said I would post my current playlist, so here it is (the starred songs are ones I almost always shuffle to during a workout, when I need an extra umph):
The Way You Move – Outkast
Ironic –Alanis Morissette
Bring Me Some Water – Melissa Ethridge
Lose Yourself – Eminem **
Superman – Eminem
I Would Die For You – Prince
Bitch - Alanis Morissette
My Humps – Black Eye Peas **
You Oughtta Know - Alanis Morissette **
Shake That – Eminem
I Will Survive – Aretha Franklin
Back In The Saddle Again – Aerosmith
Wild Thing – Sam Kennison
Dude Looks Like A Lady – Aerosmith
Walk This Way – Aerosmith
Mustang Sally – Grand Funk Railroad
Love Is A Battlefield – Pat Benetar & Queen Latifa (Remix)
Suck My Kiss – Red Hot Chili Peppers
‘Till I Collapse –Eminem & Nate Dogg
Bombs Over
Super Bitch – Christina Aguilera
The New Workout Plan – Kanye West
We Are The Champions – Queen
Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
Booty – Erykah Badu
Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
Pump It – Black Eyed Peas
My MP3 player list is VERY eclectic. I have Elvis, Harry Connick Jr, Eminem, Al Greene, George Michael, Garth Brooks, Indie Arie, Meat Loaf, The Monkeys, Tone Loc, James Brown....just to name a few. So, my workout list is pretty eclectic as well ;-)
Water:
ended up with 60 oz for the day!!!! {Angi, aren't you proud? :D}
Confession of the day: (good for the soul, no?)
I think the pictures yesterday are enough "confession" for me for a day or two. Can't get into anything right now.
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