Week Two/Day Three

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with a banana and milk

At work: a "cutie" that was sitting on the table BESIDE the box of Krispy Kreme Chocolate covered FILLED doughnuts-- that I love and would have chosen to eat any other Wednesday morning freight day!!

Mid-morning Snack:  Yogurt

Lunch:  Chicken breast Sandwich with carrots and Diet Mt. Dew
AND a slice of banana nut bread brought in by a co-worker that was so good I'd have had two if I wasn't counting calories.

Snack:  An apple and two bite size Snickers


Supper and Snack:  a whole can of saurkraut (100) and three hot sausages links (180 each!!)

I ate half before I went to church and the rest when I got home.


Around midnight:  Pineapple and some of its juice.   (Hoping the pineapple would act as a diuretic.)


I haven't drunk as much water as I should be drinking this week.

My knees were very sore most of the day.   I couldn't understand why.  I haven't ridden the exercise bike again since last week.  I thought that was what was causing my problem.   Maybe not.

Week Two/ Day Two

I was down SEVEN pounds this morning!!


SEVEN in eight days! That's a good start.


And, if you're paying any attention at all to what I'm eating you can see, I'm NOT starving myself. I had intended to eat only 1600 calories a day but I didn't get down to that most days.


I'm home today. It's generally easier for ME to eat less when I'm at home alone. Maybe that will hold true today as well.


I finally got around to eating at LUNCH time so I decided to skip eating a "breakfast" meal.


I had leftovers from my fridge: roast with potatoes, field peas and a Arnolds sandwich round lightly buttered.

For SUPPER I ate two pieces of fish cooked (coated with egg and panko bread crumbs) in the halogen cooker my brother gave me. And slaw. I wanted something sweet so I ate a sugar free chocolate pudding.


I read most of the day and when I read, it's hard for me to tear away and go eat.   And I just didn't.  


SNACK:  Oh, at some point today I did eat another "cutie" and I also ate three almonds before I'd even realized I'd stuck my hand in the bag and got them out.

SNACK #2:  Before bed I ate a WHOLE grapefruit.

Just KNOW TO ADD 80 calories every day for the two cups of coffee I drink.   The calories are from the creamer because I use artificial sweetener.

Week Two/Day One

Breakfast: English muffin with egg, cheese, and 2 slices of ham
Lunch: Burger King Chicken sandwich with their Zesty sauce. (That Zesty sauce is GOOD!) with water. I ate a VERY FEW onion rings and french fries--less that half a dozen.
Supper: The rest of the Lasagna and Chicken Casserole that Josh and Tesia brought over. With a glass of orange drink made from those sugar free packets that go in water.

Before bed snack: an apple.

Week One/ Day Seven

Breakfast:  Oatmeal
Snack: Breakfast bar  (160)
Lunch:  More Lasagna, Chicken Casserole and Salad

After Church:  I'm still thinking about it.

Later: I ate chicken breast on an Arnold's sandwich round with just a little mayo and a whole lot of hot peppers. (That should help me sleep well!!) And a half glass of milk.


I'm encouraged with my weight loss for this week. It has been down lower at times than it is tonight but, nevertheless, I've lost enough to be happy with my efforts.



I would like to do more on the bicycle but I guess my knees are going to have to be strengthened gradually.

Week One/Day Six

Woo Hoo!!   I was down SIX pounds this morning from my starting weight on Monday!!!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with milk.  I didn't eat breakfast until about 11AM

Lunch:  A salad

Dinner:  Josh called and asked if I' d like him and Tesia to bring supper.

"Yes.  Of course."  

They had leftovers.  Lasagna.  Pizza.  Chicken casserole.  And Tesia also brought some romaine lettuce for salad.   So I partook of their generosity (in moderation, meaning I didn't eat as much as I could have or would have liked to). They left me the rest of the lasagna and chicken casserole. (I divided it into two portions to eat later.)

We were talking about dieting while we ate, in particular the HCG diet and Josh said, "If the people who gain weight and then go on these extreme diets to lose it, would just eat all the time in moderation, they could always eat what they enjoy and not ever have to go on a diet." Now that makes so much sense everyone should have already thought of it. But if you're enjoying food and want more, you don't always stop and think of that.

There's a lot of discipline required in "going on a diet". So if you can exercise the discipline necessary to "go on a diet" and lose weight, you ARE capable of exercising discipline. Just choose to exercise it every time you eat and you can eat smaller amounts of any food you enjoy and not have to worry about weight gain. How cool is that?

Before bed I ate an apple.

Week One/Day Five

Breakfast:Oatmeal with  a banana sliced up in it (about 325)

Snack:  1 Cutie (40)
Peanuts  (probably 300 calories!!!)  This is an estimate.   2 oz has   318

Lunch:  Marie Callender Roast, Carrots, and green beans.  (240)

Snack: Yogurt and an apple (200)

Home: Salad with lettuce, cucumber, radishes, green onion, craisins, sunflower seeds and a little grated cheese.   With my homemade dressing of Jalepeño vinegar, a packet of sugar substitute, and a couple teaspoons of mayonnaise mixed together.

Finished off my day with a bowl of field peas, green onions, and an Arnold's sandwich round with some Fleichsmann's margarine.

Week One/Day Four

Breakfast: 325
Egg, Cheese, and ham on English Muffin
Lunch: 600
Grilled chicken sandwish  (the bun was 110)

Snack:  Apple and peanuts  200

Supper:  Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup (240)
Tangerine

At Home:   Chicken leg and green bean "salad"

Week One/Day Three

Three almond butter cookies with honey peanut butter (400), coffee- 2 cups (80)
Banana (about  11:30) (105)

Lunch: Marie Callender's fish dinner  (440 calories)  Diet Mt Dew (0)
Snack:  Apple and sesame almonds (about 115 for both)
Supper:  Roast & half small potato (500), hamburger bun (110), some mayo 2 tsp (60)

About 1770... and I want a bite of something before I go to bed.

Week One/ Day Two

7:26 AM
Wow.  Even after the ice cream and eating close to 2000 calories yesterday, I was down TWO and A HALF pounds when I weighed this morning.

I wonder sometimes about certain diet claim... like how just taking a couple tablespoons of vinegar before a meal, will help you lose weight.  I was thinking of that when I ate that huge salad last night and used nothing but vinegar (pickle juice) and sprays of canola oil (with a packet of sweetener) for my dressing.

Coffee time.  (40)

Breakfast:  Oatmeal (160) with half a cup of milk (65)
Before going to work:  10 oz sirloin steak   (575)
Snack: Banana (105)
Supper: Marie Callender's Beef Tips in Mushroom Sauce (310)
Snack:  Apple (75) and Snack of a few bites of Sesame Seed almonds (about 40)
and a lemon drop (12)

Can of tomatoes, okra and corn, with some cheese on top   veggies(150) cheese (50)
Powdered drink mix added to my water (15)

About 1600 calories so far.... but I still want something to eat.  

I went by Food-4-Less and bought me some celery, carrots, radishes, lettuce, green pepper.   I guess I'll go get me a stick of celery.   I always like celery more than I think I will when I think about eating it.

I rode my exercise bike about 7 minutes this morning.  I'm trying to be careful.  It's a good thing I am.  I was afraid even that might have been too much later on in the day at work because one of my knees acted like it was going to go out on me.  But I made it.

Week One/Day One

Breakfast:
Coffee with creamer and sweetener
English Muffin(130) with sausage(110) and egg fried(102) in the sausage grease
More coffee
Water

Lunch: Hardee's Thickburger 570 calories

5PM Coffee, creamer and sweetener
Almond butter cookie with peanut butter (about 2 Tablespoons) (probably 300 calories)

Comments:

I've gone back and looked at what I ate when I lost weight before and I am looking at Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home Videos again. I'm somewhat "afraid" to take off trying to walk around the circle because my knees are giving me trouble and I'm afraid I'll get away from the house and they will start paining me and I won't be able to get back very well.

I suppose I'll try doing my exercise bike for a little while and then at least try to get through a half mile of LS's one mile walk every day this week.

I intended to be GOOD and have something like broiled fish and a vegetable to eat next but J called up and asked if I had ice cream and he and T, along with C, came over to eat some (and to take care of some stuff he was going to do for me). I ended up eating about a cup of Blue Bell Black Walnut ice cream (320 calories) in a cone (90 calories).

By the way, I passed on eating the coffee cake that was brought in to work this morning because I knew I was going to write down everything I ate today. If I hadn't decided to start this, I probably would have eaten at least 400 or more calories worth of that stuff.

Okay, so it looks like I'm already pushing 1800 calories for this day and I really didn't want to go to bed without eating something else, so what's a good choice?

Maybe I'll go for a salad. If... if I have the stuff to make it with.

I finished off a bag of Italian salad mix with pickle vinegar, a packet of sweetener, a few sprays of conola oil, a few craisins, a few slivered almonds, and less than a tablespoon of "salad topping" (20)-- whatever that is. (1 1/3 Tbsps = 35 calories)

Probably the whole salad was around !00 calories.

So.... My GRAND TOTAL for the day is going to be under 2000 calories.
And my exercise for the day was pulling the exercise bike out of the corner and riding it for about 5 minutes.

Starting Again 2011

I've decided upon a three part plan to start working my way back down to a reasonable size.
1. Drink more water.
2. Exercise almost daily.
3. Keep a food log of what I eat ( and, if possible track the calories)

List of Negative calorie Foods ("Free Foods')

Negative Calorie Vegetables
Asparagus Beet Root Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery	Chicory Hot Chili Cucumber Garden cress Garlic Green Beans	Lettuce Onion Radish Spinach Turnip Zucchini
Negative Calorie Fruits
Apple Blueberries Cantaloupe Cranberry Grapefruit	Honeydew Lemon/Lime Mango Orange Papaya Peach	Pineapple Raspberry Strawberry Tomato Tangerine Turnip Watermelon

The foods with negative calorie contain sufficient vitamins & minerals that produce enzymes in quantities sufficient to break down not only its own calories, but additional calories from body in digestion as well. This is called "negative calorie effect".
These foods will have maximum benefits when eaten without any empty calorie foods (junk foods). There are several foods such as vegetables and fruits that have negative calorie effect. Some of the foods that can be eaten in generous quantities are: Asparagus, Beets, Carrot, Zucchini, Papaya, Strawberry, Raspberry, etc. Look at the list below.

I was reading a "testimonial" on Calorie Count and there was something there that I wanted to remember so I'm putting it here.

This one was "Committing to Recommit"

My biggest changes were subtle ones.

And I took the advice of a good friend who had been in my shoes and successfully lost 134 pounds and has kept it off through 7 years and a pregnancy. She told me to choose one thing every month to change in my diet or in my attitude, and make the choice to stick to it until I reach my goal.

The biggest challenge for me was to "Commit to Recommit." I had to come to terms with failure, that I was going to fall off the wagon, that there would be days I wouldn't be able to exercise because of my kids or that I would eat the house if it were made of food. I had to make the decision that I was going to "Commit to Recommit" over and over again. I wasn't going to let a setback - no matter how big it was - make me quit. I refused to let the disappointment of failure keep me from my goal.

How do I prevent relapse? I follow my new saying, "I Commit to Recommit." The reality for me is I will have relapses, I will not always follow my calorie requirement everyday, but I keep trying. Wallowing in feelings of failure won't do anything but discourage you and waste your time. Pick up and keep going!

Fill Up to Slim Down

From The Ladies Home Journal June, 2009 issue

Fill Up to Slim Down

This simple gimmick-free healthy-eating plan helps you shed pounds without feeling deprived, thanks to a satisfying mix of lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and veggies. (Bonus: You can have ice cream and cookies, too!) Choose one breakfast, lunch, and dinner and two snacks from the choices below, aiming to eat about 1,500 calories a day.

By Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD

Breakfast: Approximately 300 calories each

Maple pecan waffle with bananas
Top 1 toasted whole-grain frozen waffle with 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and 1 small sliced banana.

Cottage cheese with blueberries and almonds
Top 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 1 cup blueberries and 3 tablespoons slivered almonds.

Berry smoothie
Blend 12 ounces skim milk with 1 cup frozen raspberries and 1 packet plain instant oatmeal.

Spinach omelet sandwich
Scramble 1 egg and 2 egg whites with 1 cup baby spinach and place on a toasted whole-grain English muffin. Serve with 1/2 grapefruit.

Almond butter and orange marmalade toast
Top 1 large slice whole-grain toast with 1 tablespoon almond butter and 2 teaspoons orange marmalade. Serve with 1 small orange.

Peach and granola yogurt
Top 8 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt with 1 diced medium peach and 1 crumbled low-fat oat-and-nut granola bar.

Apple nut oatmeal
Prepare 1 packet plain instant oatmeal with water and top with 1 chopped small apple, 2 tablespoons chopped nuts, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.

Bacon and egg breakfast burrito
Scramble 1 egg and 2 egg whites with 2 slices cooked and crumbled turkey bacon. Wrap in whole-grain tortilla with 1 tablespoon salsa. Serve with 1/2 cup diced cantaloupe.

Pancakes with vanilla-blackberry syrup
To make syrup, heat 1/2 cup blackberries in microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, then mash with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon honey. Pour syrup over 3 whole-grain pancakes.

Lunch: Approximately 400 calories each

Turkey, swiss, and pear sandwich
Make sandwich with 2 slices whole-grain bread, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 ounces sliced turkey, 1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese, and 1/2 small sliced pear. Serve with 1/2 cup baby carrots dipped in 1 tablespoon low-fat ranch dressing.

Guacamole veggie burger
Top a heated plain veggie burger with lettuce, tomato, and 2 tablespoons prepared guacamole and place on a whole-grain hamburger bun. Serve with 1 small apple.

Mediterranean tuna sandwich
Mix together 3 ounces drained canned tuna (packed in water), 2 tablespoons full-fat Italian vinaigrette, 2 tablespoons sliced black olives, and 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper; place in 1 whole-grain pita. Serve with 1 medium plum.

Bean and cheese burritos
Top each of 2 small whole-grain tortillas with 1/2 cup fat-free refried beans, 4 tablespoons salsa, 4 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, and 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce.

Greek salad
Combine 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 1 small diced tomato, 1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained), and 1/4 cup croutons. Top with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese.

Veggie chili
Prepare 1 1/2 cups canned low-fat vegetarian chili according to package directions and serve with 8 whole-grain crackers.

Chicken Caesar wraps
Fill each of 2 whole-grain tortillas with 2 cups romaine lettuce, 3 ounces skinless rotisserie chicken, and 4 teaspoons light Caesar salad dressing. Serve with 3/4 cup grapes.

Dinner: Approximately 500 calories each

Salmon with pesto fettuccine and garlic spinach
Serve 3 1/2 ounces baked or broiled salmon on top of 1 cup whole-grain fettuccine tossed with 1 tablespoon prepared pesto. Serve with 2 cups baby spinach sauteed in 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic.

White bean and basil pasta
Top 1 cup cooked whole-grain pasta with 1/2 cup marinara spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup canned white beans, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and asparagus with loaded baked potato
Serve 4 ounces grilled chicken breast with 8 medium-size grilled asparagus spears and 1 medium baked potato topped with 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives.

Broccoli-almond stir-fry
Saute 2 cups frozen broccoli, 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, 4 ounces cubed firm tofu, 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Serve with 1 cup cooked brown rice.

Grilled steak and arugula sandwich
Make sandwich with 1 small toasted whole-grain roll, 3 ounces grilled sirloin steak, 1 thin slice part-skim mozzarella cheese, 1 cup arugula, and 2 slices tomato. Serve with 1 cup low-sodium minestrone soup.

Shrimp tacos
Fill each of 3 whole-corn tortillas with 4 grilled shrimp, 3/4 cup shredded carrots and napa cabbage, 3 tablespoons salsa, and 3 tablespoons chopped avocado.

Spinach with grilled chicken
Toss 4 cups of baby spinach with 1 cup strawberries, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons chopped pecans. Top with 6 ounces sliced grilled chicken breast.

Snacks: Approximately 150 calories each; choose two each day

- 2 whole-grain fig cookies served with 1 cup green tea with 1 teaspoon honey

- 4 whole-grain crackers, each topped with 1 thin slice low-fat Cheddar cheese

- 4 ounces low-fat cottage cheese served with 4 ounces no-sugar-added pineapple cup

- 1/2 cup low-fat chocolate ice cream topped with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries

- 12 ounces skim latte with 1 packet sugar

- 2 cups veggies dipped in 2 tablespoons low-fat ranch dressing

- 1 small whole-grain wrap filled with 2 tablespoons hummus and 2 tablespoons shredded carrots

- 1 small whole-grain tortilla filled with 2 tablespoons melted low-fat Cheddar cheese and salsa

- 6 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt topped with 2 tablespoons whole-grain cereal

- 1 small sliced apple topped with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

- 3 slices tomato, each topped with thin slice part-skim mozzarella and 1 fresh basil leaf

- 1/2 cup grapes with 12 almonds

- 1 low-fat granola bar

- 4 ounces fat-free chocolate pudding topped with 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts

Originally published in

Ladies' Home Journal,

June 2009.

© Copyright 2009 Meredith Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.

Plantar fasciitis

I walked 30 minutes on two days this week in my Birkenstocks. They felt all right while I was doing it, but this morning for the first time in I can't even remember how long, when I got up I had heel pain again. So I guess I must have inflamed by heel by not giving it the right kind of support it needed while I walked.

I don't want it to get as bad as it was before so I sure won't be walking in those Birkenstocks again and I suppose I need to stay off the treadmill until I've had some healing time.

Women's Activity Challenge

I signed up for the Women's Activity Challenge which means for the next eight weeks I'm supposed to be more active and keep track of how "more active" I'm being.

I noticed that walking just 20 minutes yesterday morning before I went into work at 12 increased my stamina for the day. I was not dragging when I left last night at closing even though I was pushing myself to do a lot.

One step forward

Hopefully one that will work good for me.

I moved my tread mill to a place where it's more easily accessible and I WALKED ON IT THIS MORNING.

Now, if I can just keep it up.

And increase my time.

I need to find something to listen to while I'm walking.


The weather is good and it would be nice to walk outside, BUT-- and this is a big but-- sometimes when I'm walking (for fitness) I'll get a ways away from home and my knees start acting up and giving me pain. When they do that, it's hard for me to walk and I draw back from walking half way around the circle and then having to crawl home. (Or take baby steps very slowly.)

One Purpose: GET THE WEIGHT DOWN

This week I've been single-minded in one thing. I had to get some weight off. Actually, I think the "weight" I needed to get off was just fluid accumulation. But, nevertheless, I HAD TO get it off.

I had allowed myself to get up to a weight that is as high as I can go without causing myself real knee problems. I have found out what that "line I can't cross" is in the past, by crossing it. I've made up my own diagnosis and it is that my knees just can't handle any fluid accumulation when I get to be that heavy.

I've been up to and holding steady right at that "dangerous point" for awhile now. I've intended to work on getting my weight back down but first one thing and another caused me to put it off. Anyway, here I was right at the edge AND THEN....

Then I got into rush-rush-rush mode trying to help out both my older boys move. And in that rush-rush mode, I didn't drink enough water and I ate too much fast food. Both worked against me in a HORRIBLE way and when I stepped on the scales, I knew exactly why my knees WERE SCREAMING "I am not going to take you anywhere else until you STOP AND DO SOMETHING" about what's happening here".

I had to.

I could hardly walk.

It started getting bad toward last weekend when I went to get the kids to keep them on moving day. Of course, the hour drive to the new location also caused the fact that I CANNOT SIT over 30 minutes without getting all stiff and "stoved up" to kick in, but my real problem was that my right knee was in pain.

On Sunday, at church I was having real "issues". Of course, once again the sitting for a long period kicks in. But I knew it was more than that. So I began my "get the weight down" effort by carefully selecting what I ate on Sunday.

Monday was miserable too because I hardly move at all as I'm going through doing my order and STANDING in one place seems to compound the problem.

On Monday evening, I went to the store after work and bought myself three cans of pineapple chunks, some cottage cheese, grapefruit, asparagus, 100% cranberry juice, eggs and some prepackaged meals and I implemented the plan that I've posted in the top of the sidebar.

I've had boiled eggs for breakfast. Fruit for snacks and a sandwich for lunch (so I've not gone tee-totally no-carb). Mainly I've been drinking a lot of water and 100% cranberry juice and eating things that are considered "natural diuretics".

This morning I am down SIX POUNDS from what I was on Monday! I can walk again without pain.

Look at the plan and you'll see that it's carbohydrate poor. I chose to do that on purpose because everywhere you read about low-carb diets, they'll say, "Yeah, you lose a lot quickly but it's because when you cut back on carbs you lose water weight."

GREAT.
That's just what I need to do.
Until I can walk normally again.

So, I thought I'd just do this for a week and get the fluid off. It HAS worked.

Of course, NOW I need to get started on the long-haul plan. I will do that after this week is up.

Links:
Diuretic Diet
Natural Diuretic

List of Natural Diuretics
Natural Diuretic Foods that Prevent Bloating
Alternative Medicine

Natural diuretic foods for your diet plan
Trailfire

Diuretic Delight Salad

1 large bunch of watercress, stems removed

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

1 red onion, sliced thin

½ cup diced celery

1 cup cooked asparagus, cooled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces

¼ cup olive oil

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs chopped fresh basil

Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a shaker jar and pour over the vegetables. Mix well and chill.

One Thing that Has Always Amazed Me

has been the fact that AT MY AGE, I seemed to have so much more stamina than most of the people I work with... more than anyone but the boss. They just seem to not be able to make it through the day without getting all worn out and draggy. (I even fare better on freight day, when I DO get very tired, but they seem to be even worse.) But this week I've been running neck-in-neck with them. I really don't like looking at my watch and hoping for the day to be over because I'm tired.

I decided I MUST walk. So last night even after a day at work, I came home and did my walking routine with Leslie Sansone. And I got up and did it again this morning. So far so good. Hopefully the walking will energize me. Actually, I'm not so sure it's the walking that does it as it is getting the heart rate up and "getting that oxygen to the brain" and all through the body.

Now I just need to KEEP IT UP.

Dieting or Exercise for weight loss?

Q: Which is better for weight loss:
dieting or exercise?

Tuesday February 10, 2009

A: This is absolutely no doubt that dieting is the best thing for weight loss. Many people fall into an exercise0based weight loss plan. The math on exercise and weight loss just doesn't work. Weight loss is all about reducing the number of calories you consume. If you are trying to lose weight, eating fewer calories is the fastest (and possibly only) way to weight loss. Here's why: to lose a pound, you need to burn 3500 calories. Intense exercise for one hour burns, say, 400 calories. That means that it takes almost 9 intense exercise sessions to burn one pound (or three weeks, if you exercise three times a week). If you can cut 1000 calories from your daily diet, you'll "burn" a pound every 3 and a half days.

That said, exercise has a role in weight loss, just maybe not the one you think.

Exercise to Feel Good:
Exercise improves your mood. If you exercise, your body releases chemicals that make you feel good. This is great. Let's face it, dieting is no fun, so work some exercise in to lift up your mood.

Exercise for Energy:
  Exercise improves sleep. If you can sleep better each night, you'll feel great throughout the day.

Exercise for Muscle:
  It is true that muscles burn morecalories. If you can increase the amount of muscle on your body, you burn more calories everyday just sitting still. The bad news is that, for weight loss, it takes pretty significant muscle growth to shed some pounds. Building muscle is a good weight maintenance strategy and can be a focus when those last few pounds are in site.

Avoid "Exercise Math":
When you are dieting, don't get trapped by "exercise math." Many people think "Oh, I can have this cookie because I exercised today."  Banish that thought from your mind. Exercise never justifies food. If you let it, you'll slow your weight loss down to a creep. Stick to your diet and don't reward yourself with food.



The above article was copied from the Longevity website at about.com.

Wow

Time gets away quickly...

It's hard to believe I've let another whole week slip by and I have not added to my "shaping up" commitment. Not only have I not added, I've neglected to keep track of what I've eaten for a whole week. (Part of the reason for that is because of WHAT I was eating. Lasagna. Birthday Cake. Hotdogs and potato chips.)

The other part owas because I got so busy getting ready for the weekend. All my spare time was taken making sure the guest room was ready for sleepers, the dining table and kitchen were cleared for a "party" and then the rest of my time was taken with the work I laid out for us all to do.

Monday I should have jumped back into the saddle. (I don't even remember Monday. I can't bring back what I did on Monday after I got home from work.)

Tuesday I went into Huntsville to watch kids while Jeni went to the dentist and then went by Walmart to pick up some much needed items.

At home, where I fully intended to jump into "doing something constructive", I turned instead to a book. Books and "doing something constructive" don't fit together with me. Once I started the book, it was all over. I read it all the way through, finishing around 10pm and thus ended my only day off for the week.

At Jeni's I did get on her WiiFit and checked out my physical condition and it IS as I supposed it was in need of being shaped up. This is the eleventh day of February and I have NOT yet begun that five day a week walking routine that I had pre-determined I was going to begin in February.

When I went to bed last night, I also remembered that I had done nothing about contacting my doctor to set up an appointment for a physical.

Sigh.

Tuesday

This morning I had the girls come and help me do some cleaning and it threw me all out of whack. That plus going into work at 11:15

I ate a bologna and cheese sandwich for breakfast while we were working.
I had a breakfast bar as I drove to work.
I think I may have eaten an apple later.
I had soup for lunch. And a Diet Mtn Dew. And a couple of bite size Snickers.
Then around 7 I ate a banana and some saltines and a Bite Size Snickers.

Now I'm home, hungry and wondering....

Fiber One Cereal with pecans... that sounds good.

On line walking

Clicking around from my own links on this site, I found another Leslie Sansone walking video. To get to Leslie Sansone, you'll have to click on her workout just to the right of the video that begins when you load the page. (The one that starts automatically is a work out for Beginners that is promoted on the "You: on a Diet" link under Get Moving.) When you click on the Walking Video, it will stop the first one.

Anyway, it looks like this particular walking video of Leslie Sansone's is almost 15 minutes. It's based on the same steps that the other one was that got taken down on her site--which is the one I have at home. This one is at Real Age. There's a number of exercise videos there along with hers.

I found it by doing a google search of "You:on a Diet" which was mentioned on the link I have at Fat Secret

At Fat Secret they do not promote any one diet but give the results of whatever diets their members are using. One of the diets was "You: on a Diet"-- a diet I'd never heard of so was going to check it out.

One Advantage of Writing Down What I Eat

Knowing I'm going to write down what I eat causes me to stop and think about whether I really want it that bad.

Monday

Every morning I have two cups of coffee which I think I figured at one time are about 4o calories each.

I ate a breakfast bar as I was driving into work (160)

About 10:45 I ate a banana

For lunch I had soup (Campbell's beef vegetable of some kind. It was good.) and crackers. A few saltines.

Later (about 3:45) an apple and about 175 calories worth of mixed nuts. And a Diet Mt. Dew

For supper I grilled a chicken breast and had that with turnip greens. But I made a sauce from mayo, ketchup, mustard, sugar, & hot sauce to dip the chicken in. ( I didn't eat alot of sauce.)

I also cooked some apples that had gone soft on me. ( I don't like soft apples.) I used brown sugar. (Duh. I just realized I totally forgot to put margarine in them.) I put about 3 tablespoons of vanilla ice cream on them.

So far I haven't walked.

"The Plan"

What I'm working toward doing-- at least in my mind-- is doing more at night that I used to do in the mornings so I'll have time when I get up to walk for 15 minutes before I go to work.

There's things like--

• setting up my coffee pot the night before so all I have to do is push a button
• finding what I'm going to wear and being sure it gets ironed the night before
• fixing my lunch bag the night before with those things that do not have to be refrigerated
  
• reading my Bible in the evening, instead of the morning. (I've already noticed that's good because I don't have a deadline and I can just keep on reading and reading and reading.) As for prayer, since I've gone to work, I'm almost scared to go to work without praying before I go. There's too much that comes up that I need God's help with.
• whatever blogging I do--- like now :D. (It seems I just have to sit here for a minute while I drink that first cup of coffee and wake up a litte. The important thing is that I not linger more than a few minutes.) Do my blogging in the evening.
  
• taking my shower at night (although I must confess, in the winter time, my skin is so dry that when I take a shower at night, I have a huge problem with dry skin and I feel like a dog with fleas. I itch, itch, itch. So if I don't want to deal with that, I wait and shower in the morning.Besides, if I walk like I need to, I may NEED a shower when I'm done.

I think if I did those things in the evening, I'd add back 15 minutes to my mornings in which I could Walk with Leslie. It looks like she took down her video clip of the original Walk a Mile that you could get online, but I have it so no matter.

It's February

Time to start living up to my commitment to "Get in Shape"

I'm not sure I started off with a bang.
I pushed up against leaving time for church too close to eat at home so I grabbed a banana and a couple of breakfast bars and headed out.

Let's see that would be 160 calories each for the bars and about 105 for the banana.
For lunch I had a piece of cornbread (with olive oil margarine moderately applied which is a change for me) and soup. Milk to drink. About 8 ounces I'd guess. 2% (110)

I wanted something sweet and opted for an apple.

So far so good.

After a nap, I had one of Orville Redenbacher's mini bags of Butter popcorn (210 calories) with milk (about 10 ounces-- about 125 calories)

I also drank a cup of Cappuccino-- the powdered kind you mix up. (80 calories)

After church, I ate a bologna sandwich on white bread (gasp) and had coke mixed with lemon lime twist to drink (non diet)

But then I quit eating... unlike normal. I usually end up with some nuts and ice cream.

Just So You'll Know

I haven't given up on losing weight, but I just am so rushed right now that I am not taking time to shop for the right foods, pack the right kinds of lunches, count my calories and such like.

I was still cutting back on portions but I transgressed big time two weekends ago by fixing spaghetti (which I love) for my Sunday company. I always fix enough for there to be plenty, but if plenty is not eaten it's left for me to have all week. Since I love it, that's not a punishment, but it's not good for weight control.

Then the next weekend Jef and Jeni popped in after church on Sunday night with some homemade salsa, chips and some cookie dough. I chowed down on the delicious salsa and "hundreds" of chips and finished off with one (YES, I DID SAY, ONE) cookie.

I've eaten at Five Guys more than I've needed to. They are so handy when I'm rushed and don't take a lunch. I've even indulged in their fries once.

But after this wedding is over, I'm going into this for "the long haul", meaning I'm not planning so much to "go on" a diet as to change my eating habits so that MOST DAYS of the week I'm cutting back my portions, eating "healthy" lunches and snacks, and beginning a weekly exercise routine.

Fattie, Fattie

CalorieLab

Saturday--today

Breakfast at Granny Nell's
Blackberry pancakes, three slices of bacon, fried egg

Lunch: 2 cold chicken legs

a few cashews and an apple

tomato
tomato and onion sandwich and buttermilk

Friday-- thinking back

Supper: cold cut sandwich (at work)

Thursday--thinking back

Thursday

Lunch at Southern Market Chicken fingers, greens, and cheesy potatoes

Supper of Jeni's casserole.

Wednesday--thinking back

Peanut Butter Sandwich

Cold cut and cheese sandwich.

Week Six--Day Two (Tuesday)

Breakfast: a steak with about half a dozen french fries

Lunch: Sandwich with lunch meat cheese and two pepper cheese sticks, 1/2 cup fruit cocktail

Snack: Banana and a nectarine

Before bed snack: Cereal with milk

Week Six- Day One

At two o'clock I had a sandwich with lunch meat and cheese and tomato... and pepper cheese sticks on the side with a diet Mtn Dew. I also ate a piece of candy Will gave me.

For supper I had taco salad again-- fixed like it was yesterday, except today I put a little salsa on it too. I'm enjoying the fresh garden tomatoes my brother brought me on Friday.

I've lost eight pounds. That is about 1.5 pounds a week.

I really need to keep on watching what I eat until I lose about 30 more pounds. The hard part is finding stuff I enjoy eating that is not too fattening and that I don't get burned out on.

Week Five-- Day Seven (Sunday)

Breakfast-- a fried egg on toast with two slices of cheese

Lunch-- Taco salad with grated cheese, taco meat, cheese dip, and chips.



Then I didn't eat again because I began my 24-hour fast for the sick.

Week Five--Day Six (Saturday)

Breakfast
Hmmm.... maybe it was a fried egg and a piece of sausage and toast. Yea, I think that is what I had.

I can't remember what I ate before I went to work--maybe just a banana-- but I took two boiled eggs, two slices of bread, and a mixture of mayo and mustard to make myself an egg salad sandwich for supper.

I had an apple for snack.


Afterwards, I went back to Sister Debra's and ended up eating blueberry pie with cool whip, water melon, and... chips

Week Five--Day Four (Friday)

This is going to be an attempt to remember what I ate.

I didn't go in to work until 2PM.

My brother took me to breakfast at the Morgan City Cafe and I had a cheesy egg, two pieces of buttered toast and two pieces of bacon.

He came to my house to check on my lawn mower and helped me mow my yard.

He brought me tomatoes. I ate a tomato sandwich.

At work, I ordered a hot dog from Five Guys. (Yes, another one, just like the first.)

After work, I gathered up my stuff and went to spend the night with Sister Debra. I ate another tomato sandwich at her house. I doubt I stopped at that but my memory is not kicking in.

Week Five--Day Three (Thursday)

Breakfast Peanut butter toast

At 11 I ordered a hot dog from Five Guys Famous Burger and Fries. A hot dog with mayo, mustard, grilled onions and jalapenos

Later I ate a banana and some yogurt

When I came home I had a steak and a salad.

Up until then, I had done just okay....

Then there was Tesia's personal shower and all the goodies that everyone brought to feed us there. Taco makings, plus all kinds of dips to go with the chips, strawberry dessert, and brownies. Also I had a NON- diet Dr Pepper.

ut oh... I'm getting behind

I just wonder if I can even remember now what I ate yesterday.

Week Five--Day Two (Wednesday)

Freight day...

Breakfast: Peanut butter toast
Lunch: I ate early (11) and had leftovers. A chicken-pasta concoction. And about 1/2 cup of fruit cocktail. And a Diet Mtn Dew.

Snacks: An apple, yogurt, a few nuts. I think I forgot to eat my banana yesterday. Too bad, that's my potassium.

Supper: Went by Debra's to take boxes and had taco soup with some tortilla chips and a small piece of cheese cake.

Cleaned church after church. Got home close to eleven. Had a turkey-roast beef sandwich and went to bed

Weight loss progress

I'm losing more slowly than I did last year.

Well, actually, I was doing about the same until the events of the week sabotaged my efforts. The events didn't sabotage my efforts; all the dessert choices did. I was working hard and gave into trying out all the options of sweet things that were available plus I ate too much cheese and bread. That was mainly Saturday though.

Week Five-- Day One (Tuesday)

Breakfast: a steak

Snack: a FEW macadamia nuts (I was at Debra's and she had some. Ummm.)

Lunch: Salad. (Probably not the lowest in calorie, but better than eating cake. Sister Becky made it for us. It included boiled eggs, ham, bacon bits, plus lettuce, carrots, onion and RANCH DRESSING.) A bite of cheese cake.

Supper: Sandwich made with 60 calorie each bread, one slice of ham, two slices of cheese, and some Hellman's olive oil mayo. (Still from Sister Debra's stores.)

Snack before bed: A bowl of oatmeat with raisins and a little milk.

Week Four-- Day Seven (Monday)

Breakfast: Peanut butter toast and a banana

Snack: a nectarine

Lunch: Salmon/egg sandwich

Snack: Apple and a few nuts

Supper: Two left-over fish sticks from Captain D's ( courtesy of Ginger & Christie)
Onion, two hush puppies

Snack before bed: grapefruit

Week Four -- Day Six (Sunday)

Breakfast: Fried egg and two pieces of cheese on toast
Lunch: Captain D's Scampi dinner which had fish with rice, mixed veggies, hush puppies, and slaw. I had sugar free tea to drink.

Snack: an apple

Before bed: grapefruit

Week Four-Day Five (Saturday)

Sometimes when life gets turned around on you, it's not easy to stick with "good eating".

Breakfast: Banana
Lunch: Egg Sandwich
Supper: Salmon/egg sandwich (Mixed salmon and a boiled egg with mayo)
A nectarine
Snack: popcorn (130) and milk

Later: This is where I really "blew it".
Strawberry pie, some cheese cake, several pieces of cheese eaten on multi grain chips, a couple slices of ham, one dinner roll (used for a ham and cheese sandwich). Yellow squash cooked with onions (delicious). Diet Dr. Pepper

Week Four--Day Four

That was yesterday and I'll do good to remember half of what I ate

Breakfast: Egg and toast
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Sandwich wrap made with lunch meat, lettuce, cheese stick, mayo. (and I realized when I was eating the wrap that I was NOT enjoying it as much so I need to switch to bread for awhile I guess. I don't want "burnout" to start and end up causing me to dread what I've got facing me at lunch time.) A diet Mtn Dew

Snack: Popcorn (100) and milk

Later: A few multi-grain chips and spinach dip, A dinner roll with a slice of cheese and a thin slice of ham

Later Still: a Sonic burger and water

Later Still: Josh's "leftovers" from an out-to-eat venture. (My first taste of lamb. I'm not sure what the other stuff was)

Week Four--Day Three (Thursday)

Breakfast: Peanut butter toast
Snack: Banana and yogurt
Lunch: Chicken Wrap with baby carrots and radishes
Snack: 100 calorie snack size popcorn, milk
Supper: Chicken, noodle, cheese dinner (heat and serve) 1 serving 400 calories
Slaw

Hot tea
I didn't do my one mile walk with Leslie today.
I've got church tonight and had freight today. This will routinely be my skip the walk day.

Week Four-- Day Two ( work at 12)

Breakfast: Egg and Toast

Later: Salmon and later yet some Yogurt

Snack: Apple and peanut butter

Supper: Leftovers from out of the freezer
Turkey and dressing, potatoes with gravy, carrots

Snack: I tried something different. I had some fat free cream cheese (14 calories per tablespoon) and I mixed it with finely chopped carrots and onion and spread it on the thin slices of lunch meat I have (4 slices are 50) Added lettuce or radish slices, rolled it up and ate it.

a cup of tea

Exercise: for two days now I've done a one mile walk with Leslie

Words about Food...

"If it comes in a bag, box,
squeeze pack, spray can, etc.
it's probably not your friend."

Taken from Rules to Weight Loss

Week Four --Day One

Breakfast-- Egg and Toast (210)

Break-- an apple(80) and a few nuts(85)

Lunch-- corndog (200), some potato chips(150), a few carrots, a chunk of cheese(80) and a Diet Mountain Dew

Snack -- another apple (cuz someone stole my yogurt) and a few more nuts (85)

Supper-- Salmon (200) and a salad
The salad calories that added up were:
120 ....1 Tbsp olive oil
60......... Tbs grated cheese
16........1 tbsp salad topping
13......1 tsp Hellman's light mayo
43......1 tbsp sunflower seeds
252 without counting the lettuce, radishes, onion, carrots, and bell pepper

The salad was probably 300.

Week Three- Day Seven

Breakfast Egg and Toast

Lunch: Kentucky Fried Chicken-- the Bar
2 chicken thighs, fried
1/3 cup pintos
1/3 cup limas
a biscuit
slaw
also a little-- couple tablespoons of broccoli casserole
cherry cobbler with lemon dessert on top

Snack after church Sunday night: a whole grapefruit

Week Three--Day Six A Worse write off

Breakfast/lunch: Rotisserie chicken with bbq sauce, peas, and slaw

Lunch: Birthday party cookout
Hotdog with mayo, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni salad, a few tortilla chips and dip, a small piece of water melon, a glass of root beer

Snack: Corndog, a few chips, milk, and three hazel nuts.

Diets Don't Work

I was surfing around again. Actually I had googled something along the line of how many dieters maintained weight loss. I came across a blog that led me to this study in which much care was taken to see just how effective diets really are. As I read it, I came to this conclusion:

For MOST people diets DON'T WORK in the long run.

EXERCISE IS WHAT KEEPS WEIGHT OFF. And it's most likely what gets it off too.

Week Three- Day Five -- a write off (JULY 4th)

I guess it could be worse....

Breakfast: Multi grain cheerios with milk and a banana (340)

Lunch: I ate with the Huntsville Nordstroms. Jef bought a new BBQ grill and tried it out grilling ribs, polish sausage, hot dogs, burgers and corn in the husk.

And Jeni fixed baked beans, potato salad, and peach cobbler.
















I was well fed.

She made some of the yummiest BBQ sauce.

It was a very simple recipe of ketchup, white vinegar, black pepper and some Worcestershire sauce.

There are 15 calories in 1 Tbsp of Heinz tomato ketchup. I ate many tablespoons, but in all fairness, that was diluted with white vinegar. There are 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup.

I'm sure I didn't eat a half of a cup of BBQ sauce. 1/2 cup of nothing but the ketchup would have been 120. So, I guess it's better than eating mayonnaise even if you eat a bunch of it. (One tablespoon of Kraft mayonnaise is 50 calories. A half a cup of mayonnaise would e 400 calories.)

I'm afraid I really pigged out on the BBQ sauce and the ribs.

While googling for these pictures I ran up on this recipe for BBQ sauce that really sounded like something I'd like to try.

Week Three- Day Four

Fried egg(100) on toast (110)

Banana (105)

Chicken wrap (390)

Yogurt(100) and a medium size peach (38)

Pintos(200), slaw (40), Hebrew National hotdog (100) and onion(15)

Toast with 1 tsp margarine (20) and 1 tsp blackberry jam (17)

1235 plus my coffee

Week Three- Day Three

Peanut Butter Toast (300)

Banana(105)

Chicken(160) wrap(100) with lettuce and mayo (40) and a stick of cheese (80), yogurt (100), milk(122)

Nuts (85) and an apple (80), part of Will's chicken quesadilla(200) from Red Robin, Diet Mt Dew

Supper: 1/2 cup Luck's Pintos (90) , 3/4 cup slaw (40) , small-medium baked potato brushed with margarine, (100) onion

Snack: Mini bag of Acts II 97% fat free popcorn (100)


With my coffee and the lettuce and onion I didn't count, it's probably very close to 1800 calories for the day. But this was freight day and I do quite a lot of physical work on that day.

That's My Story and I'm Stickin' to It

Week Three- Day Two

My day off from Hobby Lobby but I'm working somewhere else today.

Breakfast: toast and a fried egg
Snack: About 1 tbsp of peppered cashews
Lunch: Jason's Deli Salad Bar compliments of Sister Debra-- a late birthday lunch--shared with Sisters Katie and Tesia. Besides a loaded salad, I had yogurt

Supper: 2 tilapia fillets (130)

The box said that there were 16 servings included. It contained 24 fillets, not 16. Each serving was counted as 98 calories. 16 x98 = 1598 divided by 24 = 65, so each fillet would be more like 65 each instead of 98.

English peas, 1/2 cup (70) with 1 tsp margarine (20)
Slaw (80)

Total count: 300 calories

Week Three- Day One

Food

2 bananas (210)
1 piece of peanut butter toast (300)

Snack: Peach (40) and string cheese (60)

Lunch: Corn dog (200), about 3/4 cup of cottage cheese (120)

Snack: A few nuts (102 Nuts add up in a hurry; the mixed nut can gives the break down at about 17 calories for every two nuts. I probably ate a dozen. 6x17=102 ) and an apple (80)

Supper: Rotisserie chicken (160) and a Bacon Baked Potato (306)

• Baked potato(150) seasoned with
• three slices of crumbled bacon(105) ,
• one small onion sautéed,
• a small amount of sautéed green pepper, and
• 2 Tbsps fat free cream cheese (30)
• garlic salt

Snack: I came home from Nicky and Jeremy's and started eating potato chips and dip!! (???) I thought: "This won't work" so I popped a mini bag of 94% fat free popcorn and ate it to handle my munchies. popcorn (110)

Even without the chips and dip I was over 1600. (1688) It's a good thing I STOPPED eating those and went to the popcorn.

By the way, I'm not even bothering to count my coffee. It counts because of the way I drink it, but at the end of most days I suppose I'd just have to add 80 calories for coffee. (It's creamer not sugar that makes it that high.)
Exercise

Week Two- Day Seven

Food
bowl of golden graham cereal with a banana
Lunch at Amigo's courtesy of Shane. I had a grilled chicken quesidilla. Of course, there were chips.

Before bed: Bowl of multigrain cheerios.

Exercise

Week Two- Day Six

Food

Banana (105)
Sandwich wrap(100) with lettuce, roast beef, turkey, shredded cheese, grilled onions, mayo, and about 1 Tbsp (Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette ) dressing 2 Tablespoons =45 calories
Half a glass of mil

Checker burger

Checkerburger® (Beef patty served on a toasted bun with all the toppings of mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and mustard)

Big Taste Taco Obviously it's big calories too (420)
Snack pack of sweet tarts (probably 120, if there were 16 pieces)
Corndog (200) Frosty Morn
FRESH FROM THE GARDEN Squash cooked in vegetable oil with onion, seasoned with garlic pepper and salt

Exercise

Week Two- Day Five

Food
Banana(105)

Breakfast
Boiled egg with a little mayo, hot sauce, and mustard (just over a hundred)

Lunch: Chicken and rice (about 300), a few beets (15 calories each, about 45)

Supper: Five Guys (Hebrew National) Hotdog (285 alone) with mayo, mustard, grilled onions, green peppers.......and Will Clem came in to eat when I did and gave me his Cajun fries.... was that a favor? (Fries are 310 for HALF an order.)
I ate some then and the rest on the way home from work ( I heated them in the MW before leaving. They were limp, but the flavor was still good.)

Going by what that Daily Plate site says, it looks like I racked up a thousand calories just by eating a hotdog and the fries.


Exercise

Week Two- Day Four

Food
Breakfast:
Peanut Butter toast
Banana

Snack: Peanut butter cracker

Lunch at Jason's Deli-- Salad bar, water with lemon, a little yogurt
I had cottage cheese, some grated cheese, sunflower seed and raisin toppings, also some other nutty toppings so this was not a low calorie salad. However, I did use just vinegar and olive oil for my dressing.

I decided that an investment in some "good" olive oil would be forthcoming so I'd have some at home.

Snack: Diet Mtn Dew


Supper: Tuna patties, blackeyed peas, waldorf salad

Later: Water with lime juice

Exercise; I went to bed early (9 o'clock) because I lost much sleep Wednesday night. Blake spent the night and got "scared" wanting to sleep with me, which with my aches and pains, just doesn't work out well. At 3:30 I moved to the couch and slept a little before getting up just after six.

Week Two- Day Three -- Freight day

Food
Breakfast:
Peanut butter toast
Banana

Snack: One String cheese and later, a few nuts

Lunch: Sandwich of turkey breast, roast beef, and lettuce Diet Mt Dew

Snack: Yogurt

Supper: Grilled chicken, black-eyed peas, sliced tomato

In church: two hard candies

Before Bed: grapefruit

Exercise: Not yet

Was at work by 7AM in order to work on a layout that must be done by Friday.

Week Two- Day Two -- Late work day

Food
Breakfast: Banana
Lunch: Part of a porterhouse steak, green beans, and a small potato
Supper: The rest of the steak in a sandwich with some steak sauce on it
Snack: An apple and a yogurt
After work snack: small piece of fish and tomato "sandwich" made with ONE slice of bread, mayo and tomato.

Exercise: None

Week Two- Day One

Breakfast Peanut butter toast

Snack: a few nuts

Lunch: Sandwich wrap made with tortilla, turkey breast, roast beef, lettuce, shredded cheese and dressing

carrots, radishes, peach

Snack: More nuts and a diet coke

Supper: Fish, slaw, and green beans

Snack: Dressed up slaw ( Same slaw to which I added apple, raisins, pecans & another packet of sugar substitute

Week One- Day Seven

I was down at least 4 pounds this morning! Maybe 5. My scale jumps back and forth on its "diagnosis".

Breakfast: one banana and a piece of peanut butter toast (with a little margarine on it)

In church snack: three pieces of sugar free hard candy

Lunch: Ryan's mega bar
a small piece of steak, two ribs with BBQ sauce, one small ear of corn (buttered), turnip greens with pepper vinegar. Salad with a dressing of olive oil and vinegar. One buttered roll. Two cookies, a very small portion of cherry cobbler and some vanilla ice cream

I'm hoping I can convince myself that water with lime juice in it is all I need before going to bed.

Week One- Day Six

Breakfast a banana


Lunch: Porterhouse stead

Snack: cantaloupe

Supper: Chicken and rice,
Cooked apples-- cooked with cinnamon and sugar substitue

Snack: A bacon-egg-cheese-onion sandwich

Week One- Day Five

Breakfast: a banana

Lunch: Porterhouse steak
Green bean salad
Cantaloupe

Snack: a few mixed nuts

Dinner: Chicken and rice
Green bean salad
cantaloupe

Snack: 2 (cold) chicken wings) salad made with raisins, sunflower seeds, croutons, grated cheese, radishes, carrots, onions and lettuce Dressing: jalapeño vinegar, olive oil, sugar substitute, garlic pepper, salt.

Week One- Day Four

Breakfast: Coffee, banana (105) and a breakfast bar (140)
Snack: a few nuts(100) and pork skins (160)

Lunch: chicken and rice with carrots, celery, onion, and water chestnuts added
eaten with a stick of celery (400) (1 cup of white rice is about 200; add another 100 for the chunks of chicken; and another (100 for everything else just to be on the long side)

Snack: Cheese stick (60)

Supper: 5 chicken wings (120) and a very small potato, raw (50)
Cup of raspberry cappuccino (75).
snack: apple (80) with peanut butter (3 Tbsps-140)
10 mixed nuts = 86

Week One-Day Three

Breakfast: Peanut butter sandwich

Snack: nuts and diet coke

Lunch:Chicken and rice to which I had added cooked green pepper, onion, & crushed pepper

snack:yogurt and a peach

Supper:Salad with radishes, carrots, onion, grated cheese, boiled egg and sunflower seeds and golden raisins

Dressing made with white vinegar, sugar substitute, some mayo, garlic/pepper seasoning, also ground red pepper.


Snack: The rest of last night's tomato soup to which I added some sautéed onions, garlic, and celery and some crushed red pepper.

Week One- Day Two

Breakfast:about a cup of Oatmeal with milk and a banana

It didn't hold. I got hungry at 10:30; maybe because I usually get a snack at work at this time every day.


Early lunch: Ate rice and chicken cooked with onion and green pepper
small piece of cantaloupe


Afternoon Snack: two cheese sticks and a grapefruit

Before bed: Tomato Soup

Week One-Day One

Breakfast
2 boiled eggs
1 banana

Snack
a few mixed nuts

Lunch
Sandwich wrap made with Basil Tomato wrap (100) and lettuce, turkey, roast beef, some mayo, and a salad dressing
Baby carrots and radishes

Peach
Diet coke

Snack
an apple

Supper
Tilapia
slaw
mixed vegetables with some margarine

Getting Back in the Saddle Again

Hopefully while I'm off from work this week, I can take some time to chart out my meals and their calorie counts.

The 7-Day Low-Carb Rescue and Recovery Plan

This book seems to be aimed at people who have had a degree of success with low carb dieting but have fallen "off the wagon." But it is for anyone who wants to lose weight.

Their FIRST objective is NOT to lose weight. They tell you right up front that if you are wanting a quick fix, this is not the book for you. They are aiming for a change in the way we eat and that is what they work to introduce in their "7-Day" Plan.

The 7 Days actually can grow to more than 7. It would have been more accurately called a 7-Step Plan. Probably they wanted to reel in more readers with the idea that it was something that could be done in a week BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT COULD BE.

The seven steps are done one at a time with the next being added only after the previous are being done comfortably as the plan dictates.

The point, reiterating, is to change the way we eat. Since that is not so easy to do, they took a workable approach. Before they subtracted, they added.

These are the seven steps:
One
Continue to eat as you have been eating, but add one low carb protein to every meal and snack. (They give a list that you can choose from.) There is no limit to how much you can eat or there is no designated amount of the amount of low carb protein that you add. The idea behind it is that you are going to add into your diet an element that is going to help stabilize your blood sugar for a longer period of time than what you were previously eating did.

Two
Continue to follow the guideline of One. In addition, add on low-carb vegetables and/or salad to lunch, dinner, and snacks. Make sure the vegetables and salads you add TASTE GOOD. The amount you add is not as important as being consistent. ADD these to what you would have eaten BEFORE the plan. You don't add anything at breakfast; just continue with guideline One at breakfast.

Three
Continue with guidelines One and Two. In addition, BALANCE all meals and snacks. That is, include a good portion of low-carb protein, vegetables, and/or salad in relation to high-carb foods that you would normally eat. Use the amount of protein that you eat in a meal to determine the amount of high carb food that you eat. You don't need to weigh or measure; just use your eye to balance the portions. To get a good balance, for breakfast the protions can be divided up to half high-carb foods and half low-carb foods but never more high-carb than low-carb.

At lunch, dinner, and snacks, continue the same balance: eat only as much high-carb food (including starches and sweets in total) as you eat of low-carb protein at that meal. You may choose to eat more low-carb protein than high-carb foods but never the reverse.

Four
Continue guidelines One, Two, and Three. Additionally, at all meals and snacks, eat TOWARD your carbs. Hold on until you've finished your low-carb protein, vegetables, and salad before you begin to eat your high-carb foods.


Five
Continue guidelines One, Two, Three,and Four
Hold on and save all of your high-carb foods for meals only.
At all Snacks, eat only low carb foods.

Six
Continue guidelines One through Five. Additionally, at all snacks AND at one meal eat only low carb foods. Hold on and have all of your high-carb foods at no more than tow meals daily.

Seven
Continue One through Six. Additionally, at two meals AND at all snacks eat only low-carb foods. Hold on and have all of your high-carb foods at only one meal each day (which they call your "reward meal").

Continuing Success
Whenever you experience intense cravings, chances are something you ate is throwing your insulin levels out of balance.

Going back to the beginning, let me say here that Beginning Success is geared to enjoying what you eat. They emphasize making the things that you add to your meals taste good to you or you will not keep on with the changes that you make.

So, I'm supposing that they feel it it more an imbalance of the wrong foods over the right ones that leads to weight gain.

Oh, I will have to check this out. (I haven't finished the book yet.) But I think that they also say in there somewhere that as the foods you are adding cause you to be less hungry, cut back your portions.

The end result of that is smaller portions of food that is balanced. Or, in other words, a healthy eating plan.

Eureka!!

I went by Dollar Tree on my way into Huntsville last evening. I had my grandboys with me and was letting them "shop" for some treasures. I meandered on over to the books. There was one there that caught my attention.

The Seven-Day Low-Carb Rescue and Recovery Plan

I picked it up and started browsing through it.

Pretty good.

Hmmm. For $1 I might get MORE out of this that I do for the $2 I spend on Woman's World ever week. (They always feature some diet.)

When I finally got home I settled in and began reading it.

I must say I'm impressed.

I'm much more impressed by what they had to say in this book that I was when I checked out their other book. They also wrote the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet. I took a quick look at that and dismissed it entirely. I'm not sure which book was written first, but I sure like their approach on this one a lot better.

So much so that I got up this morning and started off doing what they suggested.

If you forgot to brush your teeth last night

If you forgot to brush your teeth last night, did you decide this morning to throw in the towel and never brush your teeth again? Since you're obviously a slob who doesn't have enough self- discipline to remember to brush your teeth, why bother brushing them at all if you forgot to last night?

Of course not.

So if you had ice cream for dinner last night, or didn't exercise yesterday, or gained a pound this week, don't throw in the towel! Make a healthier choice for dinner tonight by eating something lean. Go for a short walk. Weigh in again next week.

Just do NOT give up.


Sparkpeople

A borrowed mantra

"I can eat whatever I want,
but I can never eat all that I want."

Peggy Skaggs

This Is My New Plan.... #679 probably

I've been planning to do something about getting more weight off since the first of February. February 1 was an arbitrarily chosen date based on my normal yearly schedule.

Holidays over.

Fellowship meeting behind me.

Inventory done.

But this year other factors contributed to the demise of my good intentions.

I've been watching a number of folks I go to church with get slimmer and slimmer. They are not all using the same method.

One chose the Idiot-Proof diet. Others are counting points. Others are just watching their portions. But a number of them are LOSING. And here I am still trying to decide what to do to start.

Last night I came up with an idea that I thought might work for me.

I lost the weight I did last year counting calories. I like that method but it really did take a lot of time to count up everything I had eaten every day and right now I just don't want to take that much time to count calories every day.

I have been trying to think of something that will work with my changing schedule. And I came up with this plan:

MY NEW PLAN

Get a three ring binder. (I bought a small one and the paper for it.)

Divide it into sections of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks.

Then divide each section into calorie levels, say of 200, 300, 400, 500 calories.


If I choose a 400 calorie breakfast, then I'll have to choose a lower calorie lunch. Or if I have a low calorie breakfast and lunch, I can choose a higher calorie supper. But I will have handy right there in my notebook the right calorie size choices that I need so that I won't have to be doing a whole lot of counting EVERY day. Meals with precounted calories. And I will have CHOICES to look at so that I'm not trying to figure out what I can eat as I go.

And, I will have a list of snacks to choose from that fall into the 100-200 calorie range and I won't be trying to figure out what I can eat that will be the right amount of calories.


All I'll have to do is go to my "handy-dandy notebook" and find something of the right number.

I can write my recipes for anything that is good down and put it right there in my notebook.

So, at least I've taken the first step.

I bought the notebook and paper.

It's HARD to be overweight.

It's HARD to lose weight.

It's HARD to maintain weight loss.

You just have to pick your hard!

Good Habits

This post was taken from a Spark Message Board written by Tango5617 (Her post precedes all the comments so if you go there to find it, you have to go to the first entry.)

"Well, I've just checked, and as of April 4th, I've been a member of Spark people for over two years now. What has changed?

I've lost nearly 40 pounds so far, most of it in the first 7 months with Spark people. Then, I maintained that weight loss through about 7 different major life stressors (ended an engagement, quit a job, moved, death in family, serious illness in family, moved again, started new job). It's been an interesting year or two.

What helped?

My new good habits that Spark people taught me.



1. Start small. Every little bit counts (both in exercise and in nutrition).



2. Track everything. This helps you control what you can, while forcing you to realize what you can't control.



3. Develop good habits and it's harder to be derailed. If you're consistently tracking everything, it's easier to see that occasional off moments don't have to mean sliding completely off track. Just because I overate at one meal doesn't mean I've "blown it" and might as well take the rest of the week off. Tracking shows that all it really means is that you can start fresh the next day, or the next meal.



4. Take it one choice at a time. When I started, I didn't even know what I didn't know. Looking at my life now, I've changed in so many ways that it would take a LONG essay to even list them all. None of it happened overnight; all of it happened one choice at a time.



5. Be gentle with yourself. You can only do your best. Some days your best isn't as good as it is other days. Realizing that this is ok, and that it's a natural cycle has made such a difference. As I've learned to be more forgiving of myself, I've found my manner towards others also becoming more gentle. I like who I'm becoming.



6. Sharing with others really helps. It's scary to ask for help sometimes, and it can even be really intimidating to realize you need help. The positive community of all the Sparkers has really made a difference to me. I know that many times, logging on and chatting with team members made a difference. The accountability factor can be incredible. Most impressive? In my darkest night, when I was ready to throw in the towel completely, feeling that if I couldn't track everything every day then I should probably just quit and try again once my life settled down, I posted on the "Help!" thread. Almost immediately, two strangers took me to task in the most loving way possible, and called me on my behavior. Just because I couldn't do everything perfectly didn't mean I had to give up. Such a valuable lesson, and delivered at just the right moment. (I kept tracking as I could, despite my crazy travel schedule, and now I'm delighted to realize that I can estimate fairly accurately how much I've eaten. This, for a non-mathematical English major, is a substantial accomplishment, and one I would never even have aimed for otherwise!)



7. Scaffolding really works! The idea is that you can take success in one area and use it to build success in other areas as well. For example, my new awareness of nutrition in the grocery store has led to greater awareness of cost, which has led to better budgeting than ever before. Learning how to break down huge goals, such as "lose weight," into manageable chunks has helped me to begin breaking down another huge goal, "keep a tidier house." It all ties together!



So, on my second anniversary, Sparkpeople, I just wanted to thank you again for saving my life. My habits are much healthier and I've learned how to succeed. I'm lighter in body, stronger, and more able to tackle everyday challenges. I'm happier and more able to choose my happiness. I'm even a nicer person.



Thank you. I look forward to seeing what the next two years bring!"

-Tango

SPARKpeople is a weight loss website which provides community support, a nutrition tracker, fitness tracker, and weigh-ins FOR FREE.

Interested? Check them out.


A 15 minute "desk workout" from Sparkpeople