Monday 10-8

I fasted twenty four hours, from 2:30 yesterday until 2:30 today.

I did that because Wednesday is not a good day for me to fast and that is our "designated" fast day for the revival. The work I have to do on Wednesday is just too strenuous for me to do without eating.

I did okay with my fast but evidently there is something about eating that keeps me energized. I have wanted to go to sleep ever since I got home from work.

I had already had my lunch break when my fast time was up. (I prayed on my lunch break.) But at 2:30 I took a 15 minute break and ate an apple with yogurt, four snack crackers with peanut butter, some sugar free lemonade, and some kind of strange confection that a co worker had brought in. I don't really know what it was. It was not too sweet. But it was definitely in the pastry "family". Lightweight. Crispy. I wish I did know what it is.

I went by Walmart to buy coffee and also got some lowfat sour cream and nonfat cream cheese. I am trying to get adjusted to the taste of lower fat stuff. I was never willing to even try to do that before.

When I got home, I ate a piece of toast with pimiento cheese spread (and some olive oil spread) and later I had some chicken (the rotisserie chicken Walmart sells) dipped in Hellman's lowfat mayo mixed with Hot sauce.


Also about a half cup of milk.

I'm trying to stay awake long enough to make out a dinner plan.

Well, I guess this is easy enough. I just need to keep my memory jogged. I looked back to my older posts and it looks like I have already tried to set myself up for success.

Two Week Meal Plan
Fish twice a week
Monday (Work 8-4:30) -- fish
Tuesday (Work 12-close)--chicken breast
***
Wednesday (Work 8-4:30)--fish
Thursday (Work 8-4:30)-- Vegetable plate (beans, potato, etc)
***
Friday (Work 12-Close)
***
Saturday (Off)
Sunday (Off--Company for dinner)

Monday (Work 8-4:30)--fish
Tuesday (Off)--chicken breast
Wednesday (Work 8 -4:30)--fish
Thursday (Work 12- Close)
***
Friday (Work 12-Close)
***
Saturday (Work 9-5:30)--taco salad
Sunday (Off)

***Snacks after working until close (Sandwich at supper time):
low calorie soup, or
salad, or
cottage cheese and pineapple, or
greens and boiled egg, or


Snacks after eating evening meal at home
popcorn and milk
cereal and milk
piece of toast with marmalade and milk

C. Low Calorie Entrees (commercial)
It also wouldn't hurt me, now that I've been doing this a few weeks, to write myself up a two week plan for eating (as a guideline.) Breakfast is a no-brainer... and so is lunch (at work) and my snacks (at work). But meals at home and evening snacks tend to be a pitfall for me. If I knew ahead of time what I was going to eat, it would help.

One way to do this would be to investigate low calorie entrees I could buy and add something to them.

Healthy Choice

Lean Cuisine

* Cafe Classics
* Cafe Classics Bowls
* Casual Eating Classics
* Comfort Classics
* Dinnertime Selects
* One Dish Favorites
* Spa Cuisine Classics
* Casual Eating Favorites

Smart Ones
South Beach

Counting Calories is like having a second job

And for TWO MONTHS I worked my second job faithfully. And lost over 20 pounds.

But then I went to campmeeting.... no time nor expediency for counting calories.

Then when I came back, I had work to catch up on at my first job...which involves overtime. That not only took the time I would sit here and search for calories, it also meant I did not have time to go shopping for the "right" foods to eat.

Also something came up in the family that required more of my "second job" time.

So, I've not been counting my calories.

I did get the gain off that I had during campmeeting... and I am maintaining that. So I'm not discouraged.

But, I don't foresee that in the near future I'm going to have any more time as we are having a revival coming up and I may continue to work overtime until then.

Hopefully from around the third week of October until the Thanksgiving I can jump back on the wagon and get a few more pounds off.

As I see it, the way I am going to be able to proceed with my weight loss is to make out some menus for myself to follow (precounted menus) so that I don't have to sit here and search out calorie counts.

I pretty much eat the same things in rotation anyway so it shouldn't be hard to come up with some Breakfasts, Lunches, Suppers, and Before Bed Snacks that keep me in the range of calories I want to be in.

And I need to find some stuff to keep on hand so that when I get the "munchies," I have some low calorie munchers. Like rice cakes. Or 94% fat free popcorn. Or celery and carrot sticks.

Sun (9-30) Over the top again....

Coffee
Fried egg and cinnamon swirl toast with some olive oil margarine

Hard candy: three pieces

Excellent and delicious dinner at Sister Katie's--an unexpected invitation which came after I got home and had already pulled out salad fixing's
I ate as much as I wanted of everything.
Ham, Macaroni and Cheese, Salad with Ranch Dressing, and Cornbread
I also had one half of an ice cream sandwich and another cup of coffee (decaf) with creamer

After church I ate again.

Popcorn and milk.
A couple or so radishes.
A carrot.
A piece of celery.
Oh, and the hearts of a bunch of celery.
(I was cutting up my radishes, celery, and washing the carrots so fixing lunch would be quicker this week as I'm in for a really busy week.)
I ate some of the baked snack mix that Sam's was passing out samples of. It's 120 calories for 2/3 cup.
I also ate one cookie and drank milk with my popcorn, snack mix, and cookie.
I ate some snack crackers too.

I very much thrilled that I got my campmeeting weight gain back off.
And I was able to get to Sam's Saturday after work to restock my lunch meat and cheese so I can get back to eating my basic lunch of sandwich and veggies -- which runs less than 300 calories total. I also got more yogurt.

I can make it pretty good through my days by snacking between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and supper.

It came to me that I'm up something over 16 hours every day and I'm targeting to limit myself to 1600 calories. That means I can only eat the equivalent of 100 calories an hour. If I eat 300, that's three hours.

It's going to be VERY IMPORTANT to have alot of LOW CALORIE FOOD in the plan. That's the only way to keep from feeling deprived. I don't want to be thinking about hunger. And if I'm hungry, I do.

Sat (9-29)

Coffee (40)
Two boiled eggs and one piece cinnamon swirl toast (300)

Chunky Chicken Salad Frescata 460

Nuts (100)
Luna Bar (180)
Banana (105)
Egg Sandwich (300) 1/4 cup milk (40)
Taco Bell Burrito Supreme (440)

To this point: about 1965 That's NOT a diet.

Nutrition Facts: Luna Bar
Serving size 1 bar (48g)
Calories 180
Calories from fat 45
Total fat 5g 8%
Sat Fat 2.5g 13%
Dodium 125 mg 5%
Potassium 190 mg5%
Total Carb 26g %
dietary fiber 3g 12 5
Insoluble fiber 1g
Sugars 9g
Other carb 14g
Protein 9g

Fri (9-28) Looks like 1950

Coffee (40)
Scrambled egg, toast with scant margarine and sugar free marmalade (260)
String cheese (60)
Seven Layer Salad from Walmart Deli (5 serving @225 each serving=1125-210=915=150=1065) I think the dressing was most of that because it was 210 for every serving of 2 Tbsps and they included 4 servings. I probably didn't eat but three so I guess I could minus 210 from that 1125 BUT I just remembered, I ate snack crackers with it at 15 calories a whack. So add 150 back.
Yogurt & apple (110+85=195)
Frosty (330)
That's all I remember right now.

At campmeeting I ate pretty much what was fixed plus desserts with each main meal. I gained about six pounds.

I came home and cut back but not to below 1600 and quickly lost five pounds. Right now I'm sitting at 188 and staying in that area even though I have not cut my calories back to "diet" level. I probably won't do that until week after next because this week and next week I am still working more (overtime) and I don't want to figure out what I can eat that is lower in calories. Besides I'm running out of lunch meat and I haven't had time to go to Sam's. I can do that after work today.

Taking a "maintenance break" might not be such a bad idea anyway. It gives my body time to get used to being 20 pounds lighter. I have about twenty more to get off. It is probably not going to come off quickly.

What I am going to have to do is TAKE TIME to write me up an eating plan and make sure I have the food HANDY so that I don't have to figure all this stuff out every day.

By now I should have an idea of what I can and cannot eat.


Nutrition Facts: Great Value Reduced Fat Snack Crackers
Serving size 10 crackers (31g)
Servings per container about 10
Calories 150
Calories from fat 45
Total fat 8%
Saturated Fat 1.5 g 8%
Cholesterol 0%
Sodium 270mg 11%
Potassium 35mg 1%
Total Carb 21 g 7%
Dietary fiber less than 1g 3%
Sugars 3g
Protein 2g

Thu (9-27) TOTAL CALORIES: 1525

Coffee (40)
Breakfast: Toast with a little butter and sugar free marmalade (150)
Small apple (85)
Lunch: Subway BLT with black olives and jalepenos. No mayo. (340)
Snack: Yogurt (110) Nuts (100)
Supper: 7 layer salad(200) with carrots (20)
After work: Fried egg sandwich (300)
Home snack: 94% fat free popcorn milk (180)
Total: 1525

Nutrition Facts: Baby Carrots
Serving size 3 oz (85g, about 14 pieces)
Serving per container 5
Calories 40
Calories from Fat 0
Sodium 45 mg 2%
Potassium 305mg 8%
Total Carb. 9g 3%
Dietary fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 5g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 290%
Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 2%

Wed (9-26) Shame on me--over 2500

I didn't even write it down. Two days later and I can't remember.

Tue (9-25) TOTAL CALORIES: 1785

So, now's the time to decide how to go forward with weight loss when my schedule does not co-operate.

I just took a week off from my diet when I went to campmeeting.

And I gained six pounds.

WOW.

I was wondering how long it would take for me to get back to where I was before vacation. Two days made a difference. I was back down by FIVE POUNDS this morning! That was pretty good, but then I went into work at 7AM and didn't take lunch with me.

That didn't mean I didn't get hungry. My eating today has not been "on track"

Coffee (40)
Honey 'n' Oats bar (180)
Coffee (40)

Two boiled eggs (200) and Lemonade (10)

Mixed nuts ... I dipped in about three times. (300???)

A banana (105)

A hot dog (180) and a smoke sausage (230) from Kangaroo's (the buns would be 220)

Looks like I'm at 1505 at this point.

Yesterday I ate pineapple and fat free cottage cheese. Something unexpected happened. I really didn't drink anything after work. But I had to get up TWICE in the night.... and I got rid of a lot of fluid.

I was wondering if it was because of the pineapple and cottage cheese. It seems like I remember reading the one day water loss diet had pineapple and cottage cheese.

I had another round of pineapple and cottage cheese (280). So that shoots me over 1600







-

Mon (9-24) maybe 1500

Coffee 40
Breakfast: Luna bar and coffee 180 + 40
Later: a banana 105
Lunch: Sandwich and carrots and radishes 240 + veggies (30)
4:30 Several Peanut butter crackers (probably half a dozen anyway, say 350) , an apple (100) and lemonade (10)

I was told I could work overtime and I didn't bring anything to eat, thus, I ate peanut butter crackers--which I had in my locker.

Home: Cottage cheese (160) Pineapples slices (120) a few nuts (probably 100)

Sun (9-23) TOTAL CALORIES: 1531

Today's fare
Coffee, two cups (80)
Breakfast: Raisin Bran Cereal (1 cup probably-188 calories) with one banana (105) and milk (122)
Lunch: Steak(260) with green peppers(20) and onions(41), Asparagus(47), pears (70)
I put some of that Hellman's light mayo on the asparagus (80) Milk (122)
Cup of coffee (80)
Candy (20)
After Church: Healthy Choice Soup. I think it was some kind of gumbo. It was 200 calories for the whole can. I added Tabasco sauce, one packet of sweetener and a dash of salt. I ate less than 100 calories of wheat saltines (12 calories each, probably about 84-96 altogether)

So I did okay. Not great, but okay.
80+188+105+122+260+20+41+47+70+80+122+80+20+200+96= 1531

By the way, I gained right around five pounds on my vacation.

A Week without Counting

is a week of GAINING....

We're not talking about a little lapse here.

We are talking about a week of eating everything put before me. I ate what was fixed and had desserts with it. I did choose to drink water with most meals until the last couple days.

Of course, I gained. I'm going to wait until in the morning and tell you how much then.

BUT...
starting tomorrow, I'll be back to my old vigilance. I will get the gain off and I will lose what is left to lose until I get down to 170.

VACATION IS OVER... and I won't get another one until .... for MANY months.

Even Thanksgiving and Christmas will not be shoving as much food at me as going to campmeeting did.

On vacation Sept 16-23

I started my vacation from work today. I'll be out of town all week and probably not have access to a computer. I won't be listing my calories here, although I have thought it would be a good idea to go see what a place like Book A Million might have that is SMALL, gives calorie counts, and a place to record daily calories.

I suppose I could make my own.

Now, why tell me if you can, was the first thought I got after I typed the above: "I can go eat what I want to and nobody will know." I'm serious. I actually had that thought go through my mind. JUST HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT!!!!! But it gives me an insight into one thing. Keeping this record has helped me keep myself "in line".

That is something that it is good to be aware of. NOT counting calories could make me lax about what I eat. Hmmmm. I guess I'll just have to find a way to easily keep track of what I eat in a BROAD way for the rest of my life on MOST days.

I'm getting pretty good at estimating how many calories I'm getting in what I choose to eat. And I joke with myself about it that I'm warding off Alzheimer's because calculating and recalculating all these food values in my mind all day is really MENTAL exercise.

From Obese to Overweight

I notice on my ticker bar that the calculation for my BMI has gone from 32.4 to 29.0

I suppose that is something I should shout about. I can now say I'm "overweight." I'm NO longer "obese". At least that's what the folks who figure these things out say.

I will have to reset my goal weight to get to what they are willing to call a "healthy weight". The highest they will allow me to carry is a lot further down than I have any intention of trying to reach at this point. (I'd have to go down to 158 and I really don't have any desire to WORK to get there.)

I'm running out of steam at chasing down the caloric value of every bite that goes in my mouth. But I have a plan.

I have counted calories long enough now that I know I have a general idea of how much is in what I eat NORMALLY. I can make out some meal plans that keep my calories in a certain range MOST DAYS.

If I can eat as much as I did on Friday and THEN GO BACK TO REASONABLE EATING and not gain weight--which I didn't-- then I think I should be able to have a day a week that I just don't have to watch what I eat.... within limits. I mean, I don't need to eat 10,000 calories or anything like that.

When I make it to a point on the scales that I get on it three times and it says the same thing, I claim that position. I do that even though my weight goes back up a pound or two during the day, or even stays up after a splurge day. I figure I must have done something right or I could never have gotten DOWN to that point, so I claim it. And I find that as I keep on watching what I eat I keep going down.

I'm determined to not "burn out" on this diet. I have to keep this weight off. MY KNEES ARE SO MUCH HAPPIER NOW. Actually I feel better in every way. Not only that, I feel more like exercising. I'm not doing it as much as I hope to later. I'm hoping to switch the time I spend searching for caloric values to exercise time later on.

Sat (9-15) 1510

Coffee 40
Two bananas 210
Luna bar 180
7 layer salad 200
Sandwich 230 Veggies 30
Nuts 100
Total so far: 1080

Scrambled eggs 200
Mushrooms 30
Onions & peppers 30
Margarine 70

Milk 1/2 cup 60
Cereal 1/4 cup 40 (Golden Graham)
Total: 430

Grand total 1510


I can see that one thing I'm going to have to figure out a way to deal with is what to do when I get the "munchies". I don't get them every day. But when I do, I just want to keep on eating on something... first one thing and then another.

Riding home from work today, I noticed that eating the celery sticks and baby carrots I had left from lunch seemed to satisfy my desire to munch. But what I'd really like is a BIG bowl of cereal. Or popcorn. With MILK.

I wonder sometimes if it is brought on by putting off my snacks and working until I get worn out-- like I did today. I really wanted to go buy me a candy bar. But I did NOT do it. I told myself that I needed to remember how many calories I ate YESTERDAY and not go for a repeat performance.

Nutrition Facts: Mushrooms, canned
Serving Size 1/2 cup with liquid (121g)
About 2 serving per can
Calories 25
Fat Calories 0
Total fat 0
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 400mg
Total carb 3g
Fiber 1g
Sugars 0
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 2%
Iron 4%

Fri (9-14) Maybe 2850

It's going to be hard for me to count my calories today.

I ate some leftovers Josh brought in from Olive Garden. I don't even know what it was and he couldn't remember what it was called either. It was very good. It seemed to have some kind of dumpling like ingredient in it and chicken and red (sweet) peppers in a sauce.

WOW!! I looked up what Olive Garden has to offer and it looked like the Chicken & Gnocchi Veronese. (Sautéed chicken with traditional Italian dumplings and roasted red peppers in a parmesan and ricotta cheese.)


Later I had a grapefruit. But that Olive Garden stuff took me way,WAY, WAY up.


PLEASE GO SEE WHAT THE DAILY PLATE SAYS ABOUT HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN THIS DISH!!! It's no wonder we have a whopper size population in this country. Even if what Josh brought home was just HALF of it, it would have still taken me over 1600 calories!!

NO WONDER IT TASTED SO GOOD......
Coffee (40)
Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi (1750)

Later: I ate a grapefruit before I went to work but that wasn't enough to keep me from getting
hungry until lunch time. (120)

So I ate some yogurt and an apple. 110 + 100 (210)

Then later I had lunch. 110+50+70 or 230 for a sandwich plust veggies (30)

When I came home, I got pretty hungry. I figured since I'd blown my day anyway, I might as well cook myself a hamburger(400)...which I did, eating it with a glass of milk. (200) Then I ate FOUR peanut butter cookies. (200)

Down 22 pounds this morning!!!!! 1418

Goodie for me.


However, having said that, I can still tell I have some more to go to get back to where I WAS in 2004!

By the way, I did a run down on my calories and the median amount of calories that I have eaten is 1429. I'm not sure what the average is, if it falls lower or higher, but I've eaten as many above 1429 as I have below. However, that also means that half of those days I ate BELOW 1429.

I didn't break my fast until 11AM. Then I had a grilled chicken breast (260) , slaw (50) , and pears with a little cheese and mayonnaise on top. Hellman's lite. (130)

At work I had my usual sandwich and veggies (270) and later one string cheese (60)

Total 'til now: 670 plus a cup of coffee, making it 710

No wonder I'm beginning to feel very hungry tonight. I think I'll go have me a baked potato with onion and cooked bacon and green peppers (240)

That will get me up to 950 so I guess I'll drink a cup of milk with it. That will get me up to 1062.

That would have been good, if I would have stopped there. But I ate one tortilla chip because Josh left the bag right where it had tempted me MUCH while I was fasting. And I had MORE than a cup of milk. Probably more like two cups. (Add 122) And I had more than one slice of bacon. (Add 70) And a couple tablespoons of cashews. (1 oz is 160. ) I'm not sure how that translates into Tbsps.

Add 352 to 1062 ... I guess that will be close enough. 14 18

So what does that add up to? Hmmmm. The bacon was probably 70 more. 122 for the milk.

***************

There is ONE THING I noticed as I was walking around work today. (We have aisles of huge mirrors that I pass from time to time.) I noticed when I glanced at myself walking by that this skirt I'm wearing was actually LOOSE around the rear. It has NOT been before. It wasn't tight, but it sure didn't have any looseness. And I could actually pull it out from me and see that there was room to spare. GREAT!

Like my co-worker said awhile back: "It looks like you're carrying less luggage in your caboose."

Wed (9-12) TOTAL CALORIES: 1298

Today we fast for campmeeting but I can't really start my fast this morning because of it being freight day at work and because I have a HUGE order to get out. Much of my freight is heavy to deal with (boxes of albums, paper and paper packs) and I heft it around all morning. That is, after we get everyone's freight to the floor. Until about 10 o'clock I'm "hefting" everyone's freight. Then I have mine. Okay, now that I've explained that, you will understand why I am eating much early and then nothing later.

Coffee (40)
Breakfast: Steak (406) on a hamburger bun(110) with a glass of milk (122)
Morning Snack: Two Luna bars (360), Lipton Green Tea (160), Cashews (100)
Total Calories at this point: 1298

Can this be right?

Nutrition Highlights

Rib-eye steak (cooked), 8oz. (227g)
Calories: 260.9
Protein: 21.2g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 18.9g
Fiber: 0.0

The Daily Plate doesn't agree.

According their assessment, each ounce would be 58 calories, or 464 for an 8 oz. rib-eye. Mine was probably more like 6 oz., or 348. Just in case, I'll split the difference and call it 400 for 7 oz.

Diet Bites makes it even higher. 191 for three ounces or about 64 each. About 448 for 7 ounces.

BY THE WAY.... this site at Diet Bites looks like it could be a very helpful site for information counting calories of beef products and there is other helpful information they offer there as well.

Tues (9-11) TOTAL CALORIES: 1680 estimate

Coffee (40)
Banana (100)
Breakfast bars and more coffee (180 +40)
Yogurt and an apple (210)
Luna Bar and a diet Mtn Dew (180)

From Walmart Subway-- getting an oil Change-- a Veggie Delite in a wrap. (230)

SO FAR SO GOOD: 980

spaghetti (400)

Grapefruit: about three (240)

Celery: I got the "munchies" and wanted to just eat something so I got out my celery and ate and ate and ate. Probably three or four stalks.

Mon (9-10) TOTAL CALORIES: 1632

Coffee, two cups (80)
Breakfast bars (180)
Banana (100)
Lunch: Progresso Chowder soup (400) crackers (100)
Cookies: (40)
Yogurt (110) Apple (100)
Sandwich and Veggies (270)
Popcorn and milk (130) and (122)

Sun (9-9) TOTAL CALORIES: 1690 approx.

Coffee, two cups (80)
Breakfast: 1 fried egg and two pieces of cinnamon swirl toast with margarine (320)
Hard candy: three pieces, and a few cheddar cheese potato chips (200)

Lunch: Hamburger with onion, cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo and dill pickles
Salt and Onion Potato chips...hmmmm, maybe a good handful. Diet Mtn Dew (750)

Caffeine free coffee (40)

I finished up my evening with a snack of half of a hamburger patty, with onions on one slice of wheat bread. (300)

Of course, I bounced up a little after what I ate on Saturday, but I noticed I was coming back down this morning. Monday Morning: back down more.

I am not looking on these high calories days as "failures" in my diet, but as "reality" days. Without having some places to "indulge", I am sure that I could not keep this up long term and even if I have a small backset because of eating high calories for one day or two, I feel that I will be "setting myself up for success" by building in days when I don't feel like I'm depriving myself. One reason I was not able to go back on my former diet was because--AFTER I STOPPED WATCHING THE CARBS-- I could never bring my mental state back to a point that I was willing to say YOU ARE NOT GOING TO EAT THAT. That is why I chose to count calories this time. I don't tell myself I CAN'T EAT anything. BUT when I look at how many calories are in some things, I CHOOSE to forgo lots of things that I gobbled on down before because they take up too much of my "spending allowance".