Tue (7-31) TOTAL CALORIES: 1607

At one point today I actually saw the number on the scale that said I was TEN pounds less than when I started two weeks ago. It was a fleeting moment, but it actually showed up. Repeated attempts to get it to show ended in failure. It was more like 9 1/2. Still, I am not disappointed.

I decided to eat more today. Not much more, but more. I wanted to keep my calories way down until I passed this two week mark so I could start off with a bang.

Now I hope to just lose a pound or two a week for the next eight weeks. Two a week and I would be down 16 more pounds. That would be about 25 altogether. Of course, one a week wouldn't get me to 25 but it would still be good.


Coffee, 2 cups

Breakfast: Post ...with Almonds and a banana (300)

Lunch: New York Strip Steak (about 6 oz) and half a baked potato with chopped onion on it.
I had a HARD time finding the calories for this steak. But it looks like steak can be pretty high in calories. This says 90 calories per ounce. 6 times 90 sounds like 540 to me!! That's a bunch.

I ate the other half of the potato later with a little margarine on it.

Since then I've been chewing celery sticks.

Oh, I forgot I ate about 10 or so mixed nuts this afternoon.

Calorie Count Log

Tue, Jul 31 2007

New York Strip steak, 6 oz (90 calories per ounce)..... 540
Potatoes, White, Flesh And Skin, Baked.....281
coffee..... 80
12 Mixed Nuts, Oil Roasted With Salt Added..... 86
Fleishmans olive oil margarine 1 TBsp...... 70
New York Strip, 2 0z.... 180
cereal with banana .....300
Celery - Raw ........9
nectarine...... 60
Total Calories Consumed .....1,607

Mon (7-30) TOTAL CALORIES: 1231

Coffee

Breakfast: Egg in a nest

Snack: Apple

Lunch: Sandwich, Radishes, carrots Diet Mt Dew

Snack: Yogurt, Nectarine

Later: 2 string cheese

Supper: Salad

Later: Turnip greens

Mon, Jul 30 2007

egg in a nest..... 266
apple..... 86
coffee .....40
sandwich with veggies..... 310
yogurt .....110
nectarine..... 60
2 string cheese..... 120
Salad, Vegetable, Tossed - Without Dressing .....33
Light done Right Ranch dressing..... 24
crackers .....60
Parmesan, Grated Cheese..... 22
turnip greens...... 70
crackers.... 30
Total Calories Consumed ...1,231

Sun (7-29) TOTAL CALORIES: 1136

I was down 9 pounds this morning.

NINE POUNDS.... and it has not been two weeks yet until after tomorrow!

Yea.

I've averaged 1394 calories per day. I set 1600 as my limit and decided I'd not eat anything more than that. I had one "Wendie" day then read that the Wendie plan was only supposed to be used when you'd reached a plateau and wwere NOT losing even though you were doing everything right to lose.

I decided to count calories because when I decide to NOT eat some certain food it seems to be the very thing I want. However, I have found that checking labels and seeing how many calories are in certain foods makes me decide that with some foods,there are more calories than I am going to get good from the taste I long for.



Coffee
Breakfast: Egg in a "nest" (Fried in a hole in toast)

Snack(at church): 4 peanut butter crackers sandwiches

Lunch: Chicken breast and stir fry veggies

Snack (before church):Nectarine and Cheese stick

Snack (after church):Cereal with Banana

Calorie Count Log:

Sun, Jul 29 2007

peanut butter crackers..... 140
Egg, Whole - Cooked, Fried..... 93
Arnold's bread, 1 slice..... 120
coffee, 2 cups..... 80
grilled chicken breast w/Allegro sauce (160 +12 for Allegro) .....272
stir fry veggies..... 40
Nectarines .....60
string cheese.....60
Oats&Honey Breakfast cereal w/ milk & banana (167+105)..... 272
Total Calories Consumed ...1,136

Sat (7-28) TOTAL CALORIES: 1200

Coffee
Breakfast: At the cafe-- Sausage, egg, lettuce, and tomato sandwich on wheat bread with mayonnaise

Snack: Apple

Lunch: tilapia, slaw, and green beans and sugar free lemonade

Coffee

Supper: Repeat of lunch

Snack: 1/2 cup sugar free pudding with one nectarine cut up into it

Later snack: Milk and crackers about 100 calories

So Far So Good

Slaw
Grated cabbage
Diced Green pepper
Minced Onion
Salt, Pepper
Jalepeno vinegar
Hellman's Light Mayo, 2 Tbs
Slaw made four servings
about 40 calories each

Calorie count log:

Sat, Jul 28 2007

coffee 60
2 sausage patties 220
Egg, Whole - Cooked, Fried 93
Bread, Whole-wheat 138
Mayonnaise , Regular 27
Tomatoes, 2 slices 7

lettuce...... 2
apple.... 86
Tilapia Fillets..... 93
Beans, Green - Canned.....18
Cabbage, green pepper & onion.....xx
coleslaw dressing, homemade.....40

coffee .....40
Supper: Repeat of lunch..... 151

Nectarines .....60
Sugar Free Pudding, 1/2 cup .....65
milk and crackers..... 100
Total Calories Consumed ...1,200

Fri (7-27) TOTAL CALORIES: 1280

I was down to 199.5 this morning! That is GREAT! I had to lose 7.5 pounds to get there. Of course that was JUST ME and NOTHING else. I even took my teeth out. (Just kidding. They don't come out.) But I took my watch off and took ALL the pins out of my hair.

Anyhow that is GREAT.

I don't have to go into work until two. I have not eaten yet and it is 12:35. I have concocted a meal to eat shortly which I don't know what to call.

I cooked celery, onion, green pepper, carrots, and mushrooms in one tablespoon of olive oil spread. I added some canned tomatoes and some of that sauce I have in the fridge that I can't think of the name of right now.(Allegro) And the left over ground turkey I cooked with taco seasoning. (I don't believe I'll be buying anymore ground turkey. I'm not too keen on the way it tastes. I have to find a way to mask the flavor.)

Veg/GT goulash
Sliced celery,
chopped onion
Green pepper
Carrots
Mushrooms
Canned tomatoes
Cooked Ground Turkey
(seasoned with taco seasoning)
Allegro Sauce

I don't know if I want to try to figure out the calories for all that but the main thing that I need to count will be the ground turkey. (I'd guess with no more meat than I got in my portions that it altogether was not more than 300 calories.)

I also mixed up a sugar free pudding and added about 1/2 cup of cooked apples to about a half cup. That shouldn't be too many calories. (65 for the pudding, perhaps 80 for the apples)

So I'll guess-timate that my total calories before work are about 500.

Lunch at work will be a sandwich. I'm still using that high calorie bread because my freezer is blocked off and I can't rummage for the lower calorie stuff that is lurking in its depths.

So Lunch will be another 390

That will get me up to close to 900 calories.

Snacks: apple (100) yogurt (110) cheese stick (60)

If when I get home, I'd content myself with celery sticks or carrots before I go to bed, I'll come out okay....

Later: I didn't eat the snacks. I didn't even get hungry at all. When I came home I ate a huge salad made with lettuce, carrots, cucumber, onion, and green pepper. (I got some really good green peppers from Sam's) and some grated cheese. I made a dressing of 1 Tbsp mayo (Light Hellman's) and jalepeno pickle juice and one pack sweetener.

I ate five snack crackers with my salad. They are 15 calories each.
My dessert? Three antacid tablets.

I'd guess my total calories would be a little less for the salad and snack crackers than it would have been for the string cheese, apple, and yogurt

THUR (7-26) TOTAL CALORIES: 1506

I was down another half pound this morning!! I didn't expect that because of the soup. It has quite a bit of sodium.

There's NOTHING more motivating when you are trying to lose weight than to lose it rapidly. I don't expect to be able to lose five pounds every week, but it sure is a nice way to start off with a bang.

I drank a lot yesterday. Freight day makes me VERY thirsty. I drank two 20 oz. bottles of water by 10:30 then the Green Tea. At lunch I had a diet drink and in the afternoon I drank another 20 oz. water.

Coffee
Breakfast:Oat n Honey breakfast bars
Snack: Yogurt
Lunch: Sandwich and veggies
Snack: Apple and Cheese stick
Later Snack: Yogurt and cheese stick
Supper: Taco Salad
Snack:Nectarine

Calorie Count Log:

Thu, Jul 26 2007

coffee, breakfast bars, yogurt ........330
Sandwich (120 cal bread) with vegs ........390
apple, 2 string cheese, yogurt .......310
taco salad .......390
nectarine ........86
Total Calories Consumed ......1,506

WED (7-25) TOTAL CALORIES: 1584

I was down another pound Wednesday morning. Down six total! ....in 8 days.

Coffee

Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups raisin bran with one banana and 1 cup milk
Snack:That held me very well until 11:30 when I opted to go drink a Green Tea because my lunch was not scheduled until 12:30
Lunch: Sandwish and veggies
Snack: apples and TWO string cheese sticks
Supper: 1 1/2 cups of soup-- The soup was a can of Healthy choice Garden Veg mixed with Campbell's ___Gumbo. One would have been 120 calories per cup, the other 140. I mixed them and ate a cup and a half.
Snack at church: hard candy and soft peppermints
Snack after church: 3 snack crackers and 1/2 glass milk


Calorie Count Log:

Wed, Jul 25 2007

Raisin Bran .......285
banana .......105
coffee ........40
Lipton Green Tea ........80
Lunch: sandwich and veggies .......310
2 string cheese ......120
apple .......80
Milk, 2% .......122
soup, 1 1/2 cups .......195
yogurt .......110
hard candy.......30
milk and crackers ......107
Total Calories Consumed 1,584

TUE (7-24) TOTAL CALORIES:1335

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS SINCE IN ONE WEEK: 5 POUNDS
Coffee
Breakfast: one banana

Lunch: Tuna salad

Snack: None

Lunch: Sandwich, radishes, celery, carrots

Snack:Yogurt

Supper: Two cups of bean soup and 2 snack crackers

Tuna Salad
One can of Starkist Tuna, drained
Celery, cubed about 3/4 cup
1 slice onion, grated
2 boiled eggs
1 pickle, chopped
1 Tbsp pickle juice
4 tsp. Hellman's light mayonnaise

I figured the calories for everything that went into it and came up with total calories of about 500. I ate the whole salad for lunch just before starting work.

Calorie Count Log:

Tue, Jul 24 2007

Tuna Salad ......500
Lunch: sandwich and veggies ......310
Banana......105
coffee ......80
yogurt ......110
2 cups bean soup..... 200
snack crackers......2 30
Total Calories Consumed .....1,335

MON (7-23) TOTAL CALORIES: 1355

Coffee

Breakfast 2 hard boiled eggs
Snack: Yogurt
Lunch: Sandwich of coldcuts and provolone cheese with radishes, celery, & carrots.
Snack: Apple and String cheese
Supper: Taco salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, some mozzarella cheese and ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning and onion. a cup of buttermilk
Total calories this far 1355


Log:

Mon, Jul 23 2007

1 cup buttermilk (rich)....... 150
Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora ........80
2 large hard boiled eggs ......156
ham,turkey, cheese sandwich ......280
Apples - Fresh Fruit .......80
Activia Yogurt ......110
1 string cheese ........60
6 baby carrots .......18
Radishes - Raw ........2
Celery - Raw ........2
2 hard candies .......20
Lettuce, Iceberg - (Includes Crisphead Types), Raw .........8
Hunt's Original Diced Tomatoes .......20
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese ......110
Onions - Raw ........34
Fresh Ground Turkey - Fresh Turkey .......225
Total Calories Consumed .......1,355

SUN (7-22) TOTAL CALORIES: Maybe 1755

Coffee 80

Breakfast
Two eggs, one piece of toast 350

Snack: about 4 pieces of hard candy 20

Lunch at Mama's
Roast with carrots and mushrooms
About a third of a cup of mashed potatoes
Green beans
Turnip greens
Slaw with tomato, green pepper, carrots added
Small portion of peach cobbler.
Water to drink
I figure the total calories for this lunch was about 500

I ate 3 wafer crackers during church. 45

2 Jr. Whoppers with half of the bun left off the second one. 400 calories each... minus about 40 for the half bun I didn't eat. 760

I'll add these things into my Log later. I'm going to bed now.
Total Calories Consumed about 1755

SAT (7-21)TOTAL CALORIES : 1445

Coffee

Breakfast:
Banana blended with one half cup milk

Lunch: Turkey burger with stirfry vegetables

Snack: Apple

Supper: Sandwich, celery, baby carrots

Snack: yogurt and string cheese

After work:
2 cups homemade "bean" soup and snack crackers,
1 cup buttermilk

Homemade Bean Soup
1 can chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
2 Tbsp hot salsa
1 large sweet onion
diced green pepper, 1/4 cup
chopped celery leaves

MY CALORIE COUNT LOG:

Sat, Jul 21 2007

Milk, Reduced Fat, Fluid, 2% Milkfat - With Added Vitamin A........ (61)
Bananas .......(105)
Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora .......(80)
Apples - Fresh Fruit...... (80)
ham,turkey, cheese sandwich...... (280)
Turkey Burger Patties - Fresh Turkey Ground Turkey...... (150)
Activia Yogurt...... (110)
10 baby carrots....... (30)
1 string cheese...... (60)
Celery - Raw, 1 stalk......(17)
broccoli stir fry, 1/2 cup...... (17)
5 reduced fat snack crackers, Great Value .......(75)
Chili bean soup, 1 cup ......(100)
Chili bean soup, 1 cup .......100
snack crackers ...... (30)
1 cup buttermilk (rich) .......(150)
Total Calories Consumed ......1,445

FRI (7-20) TOTAL CALORIES : 1330

Coffee

Breakfast:
Two boiled eggs, tuna, celery, onion

Snack:
Yogurt

Lunch:
Sandwich, celery sticks, baby carrots

Snack: Apple

Supper: Salad made with lettuce, radishes, cucumber, tomato, 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup grated cheese, 1 Tbsp Hellman's light mayo, vinegar & sweetener

Snack: banana

MY CALORIE COUNT LOG:

Fri, Jul 20, 2007

2 large hard boiled eggs ......156
Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora........80
Activia Yogurt .......110
ham,turkey, cheese sandwich ......280
Celery - Raw.......... 9
10 baby carrots ........30
tuna ...... 60
tuna .......60
tuna .......30
Onions - Raw..........6
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise........40
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise 1 Tbsp........40
Apples.......110
Bananas.......105
Lettuce, Iceberg - (Includes Crisphead Types), Raw........... 6
Radishes - Raw...........1
Cucumber, Peeled - Raw.......... 1
Onions - Raw..........0
Tomatoes, Red, Ripe - Raw, Year Round Average......... 6
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise 1 Tbsp........40
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese .......110
dry roasted sunflower seeds 1 Tbsp .........50
Total Calories.................1330

THUR (7-19) TOTAL CALORIES :1169

Coffee

Breakfast:
Two boiled eggs

Snack:
Oats and Honey bars

Lunch: Sandwich and Yogurt
Diet Coke

Snack:
Apple and string cheese
Radishes

Supper:
Turkey burger with broccoli stir fry

Snack: baby carrots


MY CALORIE COUNT LOG:

Thu, Jul 19 2007

Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora........40
2 large hard boiled eggs.......156
ham,turkey, cheese sandwich .....280
Activia Yogurt .....110
Apples - Fresh Fruit .....80
Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora. .....40
Diet Coke, Medium ........0
Oats&Honey Breakfast bars ......180
1 string cheese ......60
Radishes - Raw ........1
Turkey Burger Patties - Fresh Turkey Ground Turkey .....151
broccoli stir fry, 1 cup .......35
Baby Carrots - Vegetables ........35
Total Calories Consumed ......1,169

WED (7-18) TOTAL CALORIES :1650

Breakfast:
Coffee with creamer
Two hard boiled eggs

Snack: Oats and Honey Breakfast bars

Lunch:
Sandwich (Two slices bread, four slices lunch meat, provolone cheese)
Activia yogurt
Lipton Green Tea

Snack:
Apple and 12 mixed nuts

Supper:
Breaded fish fillets
Green beans
Slaw made with vinegar, sweeterner, 1 tsp mayo

2 mints during church

Snack:
a cup of green beans with vinegar and sweeterner

MY CALORIE COUNT LOG:

Wed, Jul 18 2007

bread, 2 slices..... 160
cheese, provolone, 1 slice..... 70
lunch meat, turkey & Ham, 4 slices..... 50
2 large hard boiled eggs .....156
Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora..... 40
Activia Yogurt..... 110
Oats&Honey Breakfast bars .....180
Apples - Fresh Fruit .....80
Lipton Green Tea .....160
Mixed nuts, 12 pieces .....170
Breaded fish fillets.....320
Green beans - Canned, Solids And Liquids .....27
Salad Dressing, Mayonnaise Type..... 20
Cabbage - Raw..... 21
2 mints..... 6
Creamer - Non Dairy, Cremora ..... 40
green beans, 1 cup with vinegar and equal .....40
Total Calories Consumed 1,650

TUE (7-17)TOTAL CALORIES: 1375

This is Tuesday. My day off. Today I'm going to try out my idea of cutting back to 1600 calories in order to lose weight.

I want to keep a journal of what I'm eating so I can have something to look at for ideas when I am desperately looking for something to eat that will not blow my diet.

I always start my day with coffee. I add "equal" and non-dairy creamer

1 mug of coffee with equal and 4 t. of n-d creamer

Another mug of coffee with creamer

Breakfast/Lunch
Ground beef patty with Mushroom and Onions
Asparagus with Fleishman's margarine
One cup of extra rich buttermilk

Snack:
Apple
Baby Carrots

Supper:
Ground Beef Patty with Mushrooms and onions
Asparagus

Before bed:
Bowl of Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds
with one banana and milk.

MY CALORIE COUNT LOG:

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Ground Beef Patty - Pan-broiled...... 211
Asparagus - Cooked, Boiled, Drained....... 30
Mushrooms - Cooked, Boiled, Drained....... 22
Onions - Cooked, Boiled, Drained....... 46
Non-dairy Creamer, Cremora....... 70
1 cup buttermilk (rich)..... 150
1 Apple .......80
Fleischmann's Original...... 70
14 baby carrots...... 40
Ground Beef Patty - Pan-broiled ......211
Asparagus - Cooked, Boiled, Drained....... 30
Mushrooms - Cooked, Boiled, Drained....... 22
1 Banana .....105
1 cup 2% Milk..... 122
Cereal Honey Bunches Of Oats w/ Almonds ......167
Total Calories Consumed ..1,375

Begin A 1600 Calorie Count

I've decided maybe the best way to lose for me will be to count calories.

Low Calorie Links

Diet Bites

Low Calorie Snacks/Lunch

Low Calorie

She Knows-Food and Cooking

Calorie Count Diet Forum Recipes

Low Calorie Ideas

Recipes and Meal Ideas

Diet Bites Low Calorie Recipes

Meals for You Low Calorie Recipes

What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like?

Low Calorie Snacks

A Creative Low Calorie Menu

"The Wendie Plan"

I decided to put the Wendie plan here because I read that someone had it up and then took it down. I wanted to be sure that I had a place I could find it. I'm changing my post date so it won't fall in the middle of my diet record because it is so long.


The Wendie Plan:
This is the original Wendie Plan description copied from the EZ board....


"The Wendie Plan" in a nutshell...

What is the 'Wendie Plan'?

First of all, let it be known that the Wendie Plan is NOT something different than good old Weight Watchers. Most of the people who regularly visit here are following the WW plan. However, this does not mean that the Wendie Plan can not be easily adapted for people who are using Richard Simmons, and/or counting calories. I suppose even people following a plan such as Atkins could adapt this to their program, however I do not recommend it. The reason is simple. I do not recommend the Atkins program or any other low/no-carb program like that. Why? Because it is not (or SHOULD not) be a lifestyle change, and because it is very dangerous to your health. I cannot advocate any program that would put your health at risk.

The Wendie Plan is very simple. You follow a simple plan of eating. You eat your regular foods that you have on WW. You work within your point range. You drink the water, get some exercise, etc., etc., etc. What is different? You alternate the amount of points you use each day. What could be more simple?

Let us assume for a moment that your point range falls between 22-29 points per day. (This is based on the original 123 plan, not the "Winning Points" plan) WW says that you can eat up to 29 points every day, and still lose weight. Do you? Maybe. Maybe not. Ever notice that on some days you aren't very hungry and on other days you feel you could eat all the points in the universe? After doing extensive research, I have discovered several things that don't always ring true.

At this point, if you are someone who has been doing the program and losing a steady 2+ pounds per week, you don't have to read on any further. Your body is doing what it needs to for you to lose weight. If you are struggling to drop a pound, and no matter how hard you have tried the pounds won't shake loose? Read on...this is for you.

First of all, just because you eat within the points you have been assigned, drink all of your water, exercise at least 20 minutes every day, journal till the cows come home... does not mean that you will lose weight. I don't mean to depress you, but it is the truth. We have countless people here, myself included, who can attest to this. They try really hard, but week after week they are struggling to even lose part of a pound. I see it all the time. So... what are they doing wrong?

Oddly enough, they are doing one tiny little thing wrong. It is one tiny, insignificant thing, but it is keeping them from losing weight faster and at a steady rate. The secret to The Wendie Plan is simple. Alternate your points daily. At the start of your week, alternate the number of points you eat daily. Your rhythm of your week should look like this: low/high/low/very high/very low/high/med. high.

For example. If your range allows you to eat between 22-29 points per day:



* Day 1 - 22 points
* Day 2 - 28 points
* Day 3 - 23 points
* Day 4 - 36-39 points
* Day 5 - 22 points
* Day 6 - 29 points
* Day 7 - 27 points



On the WW plan, 22-29 points per day, you will eat between 154 points (low end) 203 points (high end) during the course of the week. On the Wendie Plan, you will eat 190 points during the course of the week. Which falls towards the high end of the range, but not the highest. (Adjust the points to fit your current range).

We have already seen some amazing results using the Wendie Plan. I developed this plan out of sheer frustration. After being on WW for 17 months, and having lost no weight in the last 9 months of program, but being too stubborn to actually quit, I found myself pouring over 17 months of anally kept journals, trying to find the one key which would unlock my door to success. In the first 8 months I was successful. I lost 40 pounds. What happened then to impede my progress? I was still following the program in every way. I was doing everything right, but experiencing no weight loss. Why?

Why, indeed? The most interesting aspect of my journey came at the end of May, 2000. I weighed in on WW and had reached a 40 pound loss. I decided I was close enough to a 50 pound loss and I wanted to reach it by the 4th of July. That was a reachable goal. So I worked even harder. I dropped my points down to 25 per day, and began exercising more. Everyday I was outside walking through parks or in the fitness center hitting the treadmill. At the end of 5 weeks, I had a net gain of 1.2 pounds! Muscle? To some degree, yes. But, as I never began to look like Arnold Schwarztenager, I realized that something had gone terribly wrong. I had "shrunk" a bit, which was to be expected, but still, at the end of 5 weeks, I was heavier. I continued. I worked out everyday, and kept my points down. This has got to work, right? Not necessarily. At the end of the next 5 weeks, I was down exactly 1.2 pounds. So my net loss for the 10 weeks after Memorial Day was zero!

I continued to work very hard, and by September, I had played around with the same 3 pounds all summer. Up, down, up, down but never gone for good. In October, I celebrated 1 year of WW, by maintaining my 40 pound loss for four months! What was up with this?

I stopped attending WW meetings in October, because first, I was making no headway, and I became so depressed at Monday's weigh-ins that it took until Tuesday afternoon to snap back out of it; and second, I did not get the support I needed through WW. They simply had no answers as to why I was not losing weight even though I was working the program very conscientiously. At the last couple of weigh-ins, when I was going up a pound each week, I got the general impression that my leader felt that I was not really working the program. At that point, I walked out for good.

I tried several things between Halloween and Christmas to shake some pounds loose, but to no avail. I then went back to WW the day after Christmas. It is interesting to note what happened. First, I didn't start the program that first week. I weighed in on Tuesday, and then rather half-heartedly began the program on Friday. When I weighed in on Tuesday, I was down 3.5 pounds! I buckled down and worked very hard on program the next week. I measured everything, exercised, drank my water, and journaled every bite. The following Monday I weighed in and I had GAINED 2 pounds! What is up with that?

It didn't take very long for me to see that going to WW was not going to help me. My body was being incredibly stubborn and was not going to let me lose this weight. Do you see a pattern forming here?

In addition to having 17 months of journals, I also have kept a spreadsheet of my weight losses. I began pouring over my journals and comparing what I did on certain weeks to the amount of weight I lost at the end of that particular week. I made an astonishing discovery.

I have always been a moderate loser. Meaning, I usually lost about a pound a week. Other people may lose 3 pounds a week, but I usually lost a pound, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. But I was very consistent in losing. There were some weeks, however, when I did lose more than a pound per week. Interestingly, the weeks I had my biggest losses were weeks when I overate! The weeks were Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years! Christmas Day I ate 43 points! I lost 4.75 pounds that week! Upon further studies, I discovered something else. Every week that I overate one day, I had larger than average losses! How can that be?

It has long been thought that you have use 3500 calories less than you need in order to lose one pound. I simply don't believe it. I know it is mathematical, and mathematics was never my strongest subject, but science has always been an area in which I have excelled. I believe that our bodies are far more complicated than a simple mathematical formula can describe. The body is like a fireplace. If you build a fire, at first it takes awhile to warm up. You add more fuel and it burns more efficiently. The more fuel you add to it, the hotter it burns. Add less fuel, and it begins to cool down.

Our bodies were built for survival. If you go on a "diet" the body can become uncomfortable. This is especially true if you take so much food away from it that it feels as if it is going to starve. There is a lot of talk about not eating too little. Your body will go into "starvation mode" and you won't lose any weight. Well, to a point, this is true. Your body will lose weight if you starve it, but it won't want to, and it will take the weight from places you don't necessarily want to lose it from. That is why some people who lose a lot of weight look "gaunt", and is far more likely to hear comments like "have you been sick"? as opposed to "You look good!"
Why does "The Wendie Plan" work?

Your body has this wonderful little thermostat inside of it. It regulates everything you do. If you feed it lots of food, it turns the thermostat up and burns it as efficiently as possible. This is why you have been able to eat as much fast food before WW and didn't gain the amount of weight that you should have. Your body became more efficient and was able to burn off much of the excess amount of calories. Otherwise, with the amount of food we porked in pre-WW, we should have been gaining 2-3 pounds per day!

When you go on a "diet" where you dramatically decrease the amount of calories that you consume, your body thinks "Oh-oh, we're going to starve to death here" and immediately turns the thermostat down to conserve energy. After all, your body will do whatever it has to do to ensure that you stay alive. It doesn't know that you don't want to carry those extra pounds around. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to convince my body that I really do want to shed those extra pounds through talking to it.

That is where The Wendie Plan comes in. If I can't get my body to shed the extra pounds by talking to it, then I have to trick it in to letting them go! The Wendie Plan is the trick.

If you are on WW, or even just counting calories, and you stick with a set amount of calories per day, such as 1400 or say, 27 points per day, your body will adjust to that. It will become extremely efficient at using just the amount of calories (energy) that you are giving it. You may lose fairly well at first, but after the first week or so, you will find that your losses may slow ... way... down, and even stop. Isn't it nice to have such an energy efficient body? However, the body isn't extremely fast. If you give it the same amount of food every day, it will adjust itself. But if you change the amount of food it gets every day, it doesn't have time to adjust itself! Which means on that day that you eat 10 points over your highest, it tries to adjust by turning up your thermostat, but it is unable to turn it down for the low points the next day. What you are doing, in essence, is keeping your body guessing. It doesn't have time to adjust the thermostat down, before it needs to turn it back up. What eventually happens is your body will never again feel as though it is going to starve to death, and it will never again try to shut down the thermostat, so you will continue to lose at a more rapid loss. This also means fewer plateaus.

Some people are aghast at the thought of actually eating 10 points over their maximum. I know, its the hardest part for me, too. Again, I just have to plan higher point meals for those days and make sure I actually follow through. If the huge point day isn't done, then the body will not turn the thermostat up high enough. It is all a formula which has to be adhered to high points, as well as low point days.

What about exercise points? What about them? I never use them. I just know that I don't plan any big exercise on my low points days. If I am going on an 8 mile hike, I will probably do it on my high or super-high day, so that I can take advantage of the extra fuel to get me through the exercise. I think WW was using the activity points as a carrot to get people to exercise. More activity, more food. I don't believe in that. Eat what your body needs. Exercise plays a good role in this plan, because exercising increases your metabolic rate. (Which turns up the thermostat even more!) So does increased muscle. Arrange your high point days on the days that you exercise. Or better yet, arrange your exercise around your high point days. My high point days usually fall mid-week. But why? It makes more sense to me to have my highest point day fall on Saturday. That is the most likely day that I will be doing an 8 mile hike. Fit this plan into your lifestyle.

My WW leader told us that it isn't what you do for one meal that causes you to gain or lose, it's what you do for 21 meals that makes a difference. What this is telling me is that I have 7 days, 21 meals, and 217 points to use. How I choose to use them over the course of a week is totally up to me. If I choose to have 42 points on Sunday and 24 points on Monday... I am still on program. Even better, I will probably lose some weight. Do not be afraid to have that one high point day. Just as you shouldn't be afraid to have the low point ones. At the end of the week, you will have lost weight.

CheerS!
Wendie
Edited by: lovetwin at: 8/1/01 8:23:11 am
From: Pointing My Way To A New Life