Ten Years Thinner -- Christine Lydon

This month's Woman's World has a diet --they have one every week-- that was created by Christine Lydon. It sounded reasonable.... So I went online and did a search for it because the Woman's World article was really quite skimpy with its details.

I found more information on a site at Health. It's very thorough in its coverage of the diet.

The Diet:

(Health, February 2008) For the next six weeks, follow these six simple guidelines.

For the next six weeks, you can create any meals you like as long as you follow these six simple guideline. That’s all—there’s no need to count calories or fat grams.

1. Eat protein and fruit and/or vegetables at every meal.
To supply all the amino acids you need to maximize muscle tone, have one of the following:

• 3 to 4 ounces of skinless poultry,
• lean beef (sirloin, tenderloin, or roast),
• or seafood (fresh, frozen, or canned, the latter packed in water;
• limit albacore tuna to 6 ounces per week because it contains more mercury than other types);
• or one egg or two to three egg whites.

(After you’ve completed the six-week plan, include a variety of vegetarian protein sources in your diet for a broader spectrum of nutrients.)

Also, have one serving per meal of any kind of fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, and/or legumes.

2. Snack on a half-cup of unsalted nuts or seeds plus fresh fruit, twice a day.
Yes, nuts are high in fat and calories. But they’re also great sources of protein, fiber, good fats, and antioxidants (to fight wrinkle-causing inflammation)—and, most importantly, they’ll fill you up.

Go for lower-cal nuts like almonds over higher-cal picks like Brazil nuts.

If you finish your last meal more than three hours before bedtime, eat a pre-sleep snack as well. Don’t like nuts or seeds? Try 2 tablespoons of organic nut butter instead.

3. Avoid dairy, soy, and grain products for the first three to four weeks.
These are the types of foods most likely to trigger food sensitivities, which may lead to bloating, low energy levels, and dry, unhealthy skin. “Food sensitivities cause a chronic state of low-grade inflammation that can hurt every system in your body, from your heart to your bones to your skin,” Lydon explains.

Beginning with week four, you can add up to 100 calories per meal of dairy or soy products (e.g., 7 ounces of low-fat milk or 4 ounces of tofu).

And starting with week five, you can also have up to 100 calories per meal of whole-grain-based foods (such as a slice of multigrain bread, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of whole-wheat pasta, or 1/3 cup of brown rice), potatoes, or sweet potatoes. If you notice symptoms like bloating after adding any of these foods, cut back again.

4. Cut out processed foods.
It’s best to do without cookies, chips, etc. for the entire six-week plan, and eat them in moderation after that. Why? Processed carbs contribute to inflammation and, thus, aging, Lydon says.

5. Drink 10 to 12 ounces of fluid every time you eat.
Go for water, sparkling water, or iced unsweetened green or herbal tea (add fresh lemon, lime, or berry juice for more flavor) instead of diet sodas. Good news: You can treat yourself to a cup or two of black coffee or tea a day.

6. Pop your vitamins.
Take a daily high-potency multivitamin for overall good health;

• cold-water fish oil (2 to 3 grams twice a day) to fight inflammation, reduce sun damage, and improve skin;
• calcium (350 to 500 milligrams twice a day) to build strong bones;
• and magnesium (200 to 400 milligrams twice a day) to help your body absorb the calcium.
• Also, be sure your multivitamin contains 5 micrograms of vitamin D to help with calcium absorption.

The Workout

Delta Diet

An art teacher who has a class where I work shared the following diet with me. As I remember it she told me, "My Aunt Edith used to work for Delta Airlines. They had to keep their weight down. Whenever she would get over the limit, she would use this diet and quickly get her weight back down."

I'm putting it here so I can have it where I can find it if I want to try it.

Also, I was reading on 3fatchicks that they'd done a survey of 4000 dieters to see which diet -- of all they had tried-- that they preferred. Want to know the result? Check it out.

Listen and Lose

By Heidi Reichenberger McIndoo, RD

These six tips teach you to spot hunger and eat to stay satisfied--so you control calories and shed pounds without "dieting."


1. Learn to identify your spot on the hunger scale

Do you really know what hunger feels like? Before you can rein it in, you must learn to recognize the physical cues that signal a true need for nourishment. Prior to eating, use our hunger scale below to help figure out your true food needs:

• Starving

An uncomfortable, empty feeling that may be accompanied by light-headedness or jitteriness caused by low blood sugar levels from lack of food. Binge risk: high.

• Hungry

Your next meal is on your mind. If you don't eat within the hour, you enter dangerous "starving" territory.

• Moderately hungry

Your stomach may be growling, and you're planning how you'll put an end to that nagging feeling. This is optimal eating time.

• Satisfied

You're satiated, not full but not hungry either. You're relaxed and comfortable and can wait to nosh.

• Full

If you're still eating, it's more out of momentum than actual hunger. Your belly feels slightly bloated, and the food does not taste as good as it did in the first few bites.

• Stuffed

You feel uncomfortable and might even have mild heartburn from your stomach acids creeping back up into your esophagus.

To slim down: The best time to eat is when you are "moderately hungry" or "hungry"--when you hit either of these stages, you've used most of the energy from your last meal or snack but you haven't yet hit the point where you will be driven to binge.

2. Refuel every 4 hours

Still can't tell what true hunger feels like? Set your watch. Moderate to full-fledged hunger (our ideal window for eating) is most likely to hit 4 to 5 hours after a balanced meal.

Waiting too long to eat can send you on an emergency hunt for energy--and the willpower to make healthful choices plummets. When researchers in the United Kingdom asked workers to choose a snack just after lunch, 70% picked foods like candy bars and potato chips; the percentage shot up to 92% when workers chose snacks in the late afternoon.

"Regular eating keeps blood sugar and energy stable, which prevents you from feeling an extreme need for fuel," says Kate Geagan, RD, a Park City, UT-based registered dietitian.

To slim down: If you're feeling hungry between meals, a snack of 150 calories should help to hold you over. Here are a few ideas:

Munch on whole foods such as fruit and unsalted nuts--they tend to contain more fiber and water, so you fill up on fewer calories. Bonus: They're loaded with disease-fighting nutrients.

Avoid temptation by packing healthful, portable snacks such as string cheese and dried fruit in your purse, desk drawer, or glove compartment.


3. Eat breakfast without fail

A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition tracked the diets of nearly 900 adults and found that when people ate more fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the morning, they stayed satisfied and ate less over the course of the day than those who ate their bigger meals later on. Unfortunately, many Americans start off on an empty stomach: In one recent survey, consumers reported that even when they eat in the morning, the meal is a full breakfast only about one-third of the time.

To slim down: Eat fewer calories by eating more food:

Start dinner with a salad, or make it into your meal (be sure to include protein such as lean meat or beans).

Choose fresh fruit over dried. For around the same amount of calories, you can have a whole cup of grapes or a measly 3 tablespoons of raisins.



Boost the volume of a low-cal frozen dinner by adding extra veggies such as steamed broccoli or freshly chopped tomatoes and bagged baby spinach.



5. Munch fiber all day long

Fiber can help you feel full faster and for longer. Because the body processes a fiber-rich meal more slowly, it may help you stay satisfied long after eating. Fiber-packed foods are also higher in volume, which means they can fill you up so you eat fewer calories. One review recently published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association linked a high intake of cereal fiber with lower body mass index--and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

To slim down: Aim to get at least 25 g of fiber a day with these tips:

Include produce such as apples and carrots--naturally high in fiber--in each meal and snack.

Try replacing some or all of your regular bread, pasta, and rice with whole grain versions.


6. Include healthy protein at each meal

When researchers at Purdue University asked 46 dieting women to eat either 30% or 18% of their calories from protein, the high-protein eaters felt more satisfied and less hungry. Plus, over the course of 12 weeks, the women preserved more lean body mass, which includes calorie-burning muscle.

To slim down: Boost your protein intake with these ideas:

Have a serving of lean protein such as egg whites, chunk light tuna, or skinless chicken at each meal. A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand--not including your fingers. For more on sizing up protein portions, visit prevention.com/hand.

Build beans into your meals Black beans, chickpeas, and edamame (whole soybeans) are low in fat, high in fiber, and packed with protein.

Copyright 2007, Prevention By Heidi Reichenberger McIndoo, RD

Detox Diets--More from Spark

The following is copied from Spark. I get emails from them regularly and this one was entitled: "The Truth about Detox Diets." I've heard a number of folks talking about doing a detox so my curiosity was piqued. When I read something and want to keep the information garnered in a handy location for future reference (on the subject on dieting), I put it here so I can find it easily.

Detox Diets: Helpful or Full of Hype?

Get the Truth about Detox Diets and Colon Cleansing

-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

There it was, posted on the SparkPeople message board: "Need encouragement for 21-day detox".

A member was feeling tired and run down. She had decided to cleanse and detox her body as well as jumpstart her weight loss program by using a special diet. By eating only fruits and veggies and drinking tea for the next 21 days, she was convinced that she would be ridding her body of damaging toxins. She was asking for feedback on her plan and support and encouragement during her 21-day detox adventure.

As the dietitian for SparkPeople, I could provide neither. On its own, a healthy body is designed to take care of toxins. Various detoxification programs, colon cleansing, and water irrigation devices are not needed and at times can be harmful or dangerous.

Most toxins reach the bloodstream when we swallow or inhale them. Others pass through our skin. Still others are released by dying cells or invading bacteria. The liver is the body’s purification plant. Toxins are filtered and removed from the blood and broken down in the liver before they can do harm. Toxins are also broken down by the kidneys and eliminated in the urine. Digestive acids and enzymes neutralize toxins which are then eliminated in the feces. Toxins can also be exhaled out of the body. The large intestine also contains hundreds of beneficial bacteria which also help to reduce toxin activity and side effects. As you can see, the body is designed to protect and cleanse itself. Here we'll discuss some of the most popular body cleansing programs: detox diets and colon cleansing.

Detoxification Diets, or detox diets for short, seem to be the current buzz word regarding health. According to these theories, by restricting certain foods and drinking specific beverages, you can clean and detoxify designated body systems. These programs can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Some people do report feelings of energy, lightness, better attention and focus, but this is likely a placebo effect—people believe they are doing something good for themselves.

Other people who detox may report large amounts of weight loss. This weight loss is primarily water loss and dehydration; it is not permanent weight (fat) loss. There is no medical evidence that detox diets actually remove toxins from the body. And although they are not necessarily unsafe, they are far from being nutritious and healthy for the body, and they are a terrible way to lose weight.

Colon Cleansing uses herbal ingredients, laxatives, enemas, colonics, and/or irrigation devices. These can disrupt the normal functioning and balance of the large intestine, resulting in electrolyte imbalances, diarrhea, dehydration and damage to the protective bacteria in the large intestine. Doctors don’t recommend colon cleansing for improved health and well-being or for the prevention of disease. The colon doesn’t need to be cleansed. In fact, the only appropriate use for colon cleansing is in preparation for a medical procedure used to examine the colon.

Rejuvenate Your Body the Healthy Way
Of course, eating fresh produce, drinking water, and exercising regularly will help you feel healthier and more energetic. But meeting your body's nutritional needs for protein, calcium and other nutrients is also important. Any "diet" that recommends eliminating certain food groups entirely is risky and nutritionally unbalanced. Since detox diets and colon cleansing lack medical evidence to prove they are successful (and can be dangerous), what can you do to improve your health and start losing weight? Enjoy a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. These are the best ways to revitalize and rejuvenate the body.

Include in your diet:

* Fresh fruits and vegetables. These are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, promoting a healthy body. Read The No-Excuses Appeal of Fruits & Veggies or Easy Ways to Eat 5 Fruits & Veggies Each Day for more tips.
* Whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice. These "good" carbs meet your body's energy needs while providing more fiber, protein and vitamins than processed carbs like white bread. Skeptical? Check out The Truth about Carbohydrates to learn more.
* Lean meats and/or other healthy protein sources including beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy products. Protein plays several important roles in the body. Learn about all of them in our Reference Guide to Proteins.
* Low-fat dairy products or other calcium-rich foods. Calcium does more than strengthen bones. Get 15 Ways to Boost Your Calcium Intake.
* Adequate water and fluid intake. Water transports nutrients and helps rid the body of toxins. After all, Water is a Secret Ingredient for health.

In addition, the following practices will help your body perform at its best and reduce your risk of disease:

* Take part in moderate exercise all or most days of the week.
* Avoid smoking and inappropriate drug use.
* Get plenty of sleep every night and take steps to reduce stress and relax.
* If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

Remember, your body is designed to purify itself. When you are healthy—eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly—your liver and kidneys will do the job they're supposed to do. If you're feeling tired or are having trouble losing weight, talk to your health care provider. Using the steps above (and ruling out any underlying conditions) will help you feel your best. Your body will thank you! Article created on: 10/18/2006

What About Carbs?

The Million Dollar Question
How do you include carbohydrates in you diet in a safe, effective, and controlled way? The “Please KISS Me” (Please Keep It So Simple for Me) plan for carbohydrate control is a wonderful tool that only contains 3 simple rules:

RULE 1: Include the following in your diet:

* Fruits: 2-4 servings daily
* Vegetables: 3-5 servings daily
* Whole grain breads, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal, and brown rice: 6-11 servings daily
* Legumes, beans and peas: 1-2 servings daily
* Low-fat and non-fat dairy products: 3 servings daily

RULE 2: Limit the following to less than 2 servings daily:

* Fruit Juice
* Refined and processed white flour products (bread, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal)
* White rice
* French fries
* Fried vegetables

RULE 3: Eliminate the following from your diet or eat only on occasion:

* Sugary desserts, cookies, cakes, pies, candies
* Doughnuts and pastries
* Chips, cola and carbonated beverages
* Sugar, honey, syrup, jam, jelly, molasses

That’s it! A simple, effective carbohydrate-controlling plan that, when combined with your SparkDiet, allows you to reap the countless benefits of complex carbohydrates and fiber while enhancing your health and maintaining a healthy weight. The long term result will be a healthy you!

Why We're Fat

The following blog entry was created by Craig Harper. I wanted to reproduce it here because I wanted it in a place I could find it and read it easily from time to time.

"If you live in Australia, the US, the UK, Canada or New Zealand, then you live in the same place as me; Fat City. Fat City of course, being more of a collective mindset, and a culture of eating too much and moving too little, than any geographical location, or ‘literal’ place. And while it’s not a literal place, it is very real. If you know what I mean.

The weight of the average Australian increases by about 0.4kg (1lb) per year, every year, and it’s a pretty similar figure in most Western countries. It’s predicted that Australia (where I live) will be a totally obese population by 2050. There’s a thought. What an achievement. This is the forecast, despite the fact that we are now more educated, more informed and more aware, than we’ve ever been before. The truth is, in 2008 we are constantly bombarded with more and more information and education about diet, lifestyle, exercise, obesity, general health and all its variables, yet still, we grow.

As an Exercise Scientist, observer of humanity, and ex-fat bloke, there are plenty of things which fascinate me about living in Fat City (the culture, the habits, the behaviors, the thinking, the excuses, the lies, the marketing, the trends, the media), but here’s my short list:

1. We’ve never be more informed, educated, resourced or equipped to combat obesity, yet we’ve never been fatter. We live in the information age, yet we do nothing with it. I’m amused by those who suggest that obesity is primarily an education problem, when in reality, it is (for the majority) a self-control problem. Self control: yes, that crazy, outdated notion I’ve spoken of many times before. We are inundated with education but we choose not to learn. Real ‘learning’ would have resulted in a large-scale positive change in behavior, and of course, decline in obesity levels. It hasn’t. In fact, if there was a positive correlation between the increase in education and the decline of global obesity, then we would see virtually no obesity at all. But… if we wanted to be cheeky and use ’selective science’ (as many ‘experts’ do), we could actually conclude that the increase in education may have resulted in the increase in obesity. After all, there is a direct relationship: more education, more obesity. Yes I’m being sarcastic, but you understand my point. When it comes to diet and exercise, we know what to do, but we don’t do what we know.

2. I am constantly amazed at our ability (as a society) to complicate the simple. How many more books, programs and breakthrough weight-loss discoveries do we need? Really? Here’s a wacky concept, increase energy expenditure (exercise, general activity) and decrease energy intake (stop eating so much crap). A little scientific I know, but hey, it just might work. Of course it’s simple, but it requires genuine and consistent effort. Simple, of course, not to be confused with ‘easy’. And therein lies the problem. Which leads me to point three.

3. Our obsession with the quick fix. We don’t wanna work for those results. We want someone or something to do it for us. We are precious and lazy. We are addicted to the shortcut. Give me the pill, powder, potion, product or surgeon that will make me beautiful. I am allergic to sweat and hard work it’s so ‘1985′. We are a culture obsessed with ‘easy’ and sometimes creating amazing requires a little effort. Or a lot. And we hate that. Sorry about that. I’ll try and change it.

4. We love playing the ‘blame game’. We would rather justify, rationalize, explain and blame someone or something for our obesity, than take complete responsibility for our fat selves. Of course it’s not our fault. We are poor victims of situations, circumstances and genetics. So not fair. If what we do to our body (lifestyle, food, exercise) is the biggest influence on our level of fitness and fatness (which it is), then obesity is typically the result of poor decision making, rather than poor genetics. Even people with poor genetics can get in great shape, if they work with their genetics and manipulate the variables the right way.

5. I laugh when people get grumpy at me for telling the truth; what they don’t want to hear.“Okay John, it will only take two weeks to lose that hundred pounds and that huge gut you built over the last thirty years, and yes, it will be easy, fun and painless. You will definitely look incredible by next Tuesday. Wednesday, tops. In fact, just leave your body here; I’ll do it for you.”

6. I marvel that people pay thousands of dollars per year to walk/run on a treadmill with a built in TV, radio and fan, when they could get the same physiological benefit (or better) heading out their front door and returning thirty minutes later. No driving to the gym, no petrol costs, no waiting for machines, no travel time.

7. Our inability to finish things. We start jogging. We stop. We go on a diet. We go off it. We join a gym. We go five times. We make resolutions. We don’t follow through. We lose fat. We regain it. We start. We stop. We get fit. We get unfit. We operate on emotion. We always find a ‘reason’ to give up. We experience momentary motivation, but we never truly commit. Real commitment (”I will do this no matter what”) creates life-long change, not temporary weight loss or occasional fitness. We’re great at starting, crap at finishing.

8. The Victim. “But you don’t understand my life, body, time restraints, problems, situation, history, challenges, injuries, medical conditions.” Your problem isn’t your body; it’s your thinking. Get your mind in shape and your body will follow."

Credits:
Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer. For the past 25 years he has been a leading presenter, educator, motivator and commentator in the areas of personal and professional development. You can visit Craig's blog at Motivational Speaker.

Change One

I'm trying to think of SOMETHING... anything... that I can do right now to get me headed in the right direction for weight loss.

--even with my all mixed up, filled up schedule.
--even though nothing I think of appeals to my sense of taste.
--even though I have no idea what I would like to do.

Reader's Digest came up with a "change one" idea. The thought behind it was develop one new habit a week that changes the way you are presently doing things. Maybe they still promote that. I'm not sure.

I do know I'm not willing to pay RD to tell me what to change every week. Surely if I'm willing to change, I can figure that out myself. I thought of some good places to start:

1. Walk 15 minutes a day.... for a starter.
2. Drink 8 80z glasses of water a day.
3. Eat 2-3 servings of fruit a day.
4. Eat a specified number of vegetables per day.
5. (The idea being EAT these FIRST... then wait awhile to see if you still want anything else.)
6. Create a chart that gives caloric values to foods I eat regularly so I'd have something to pick from to easily keep within a range I want.
7. Limit the number of carbs I eat in a day (Make a dessert count as a double carb).

That's seven changes I could make and I thought of those without hestitation.


Sister Kelly has decided to count points. That sounds good if I had a easy way to determine the points. (Come to think of it, I do. It's here somewhere.... Some day I might run across it.)

For Christmas, my brother gave me a gift certificate to Walmart which I intended to use to go out and buy low calorie dinners with and start a diet that way, but my gift card disappeared. So, I will have to be committed to doing it with my own money. Since Christmas I have not even had time or energy to go to Walmart and look at what they have to offer in premade dinners.

But I need to START.

PeerTrainer

I went to Sister Kelly's this morning and did a One Mile In Home Walk with her and Leslie.

We talked about what we wanted to do to lose weight. She said she was going to try out PeerTrainer. I thought I'd take the time to check it out today, since I have the time today... a day off from work.

I like the way it's set up.
And since I've decided I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time figuring out calories, it's approach should work for me as well.

So STARTING FEBRUARY 1 I am going back on the wagon..... and begin my program to take off some more weight.

Oh by the way, I liked what they had to say here. It kind of goes along with what I've been saying about making changes in increments.

Take a baby step: Commit to one change, for only 7 days.

When people begin to focus on their weight loss efforts and their health, they often want to do a complete and immediate overhaul. They want to change everything. They want to switch from having fried and fast foods and a relatively sedentary lifestyle to only eating salads, fruits and vegetables, with running/strength training every day. Additionally, they decide that very day to commit to drinking 8 glasses of water a day, 8 hours of sleep along with taking a mulitvitamin along with 5 other personal goals, and only then, they feel like they're ready to get started. While those all might be good habits, this kind of thinking usually sets you up for failure.

Take on one challenge and start small. Maybe its something like, this week, I will not eat chocolate. Only commit to one thing. If other healthy habits start to take hold, wonderful but for now, only commit one challenge. This usually prevents being overwhelmed and subsequently, saying, I just can't do this. As you begin to master that challenge, write it down daily. Day 1, no chocolate! , Day 2, no chocolate. On day 5, you start to feel really good about your ability to make a positive habit happen and that gives you confidence to tackle the next step. Once you feel like you've mastered that challenge, then you can move on to the next one.

Don't Believe the Myth That You Can and Will Lose 2 pounds a week.

Losing 2 pounds per week, every week, is not the norm for everyone. I've seen people lose a pound a week and actually become disappointed, even if they haven't lost weight in 2 years. They are set on the expectation that they can lose 2 pounds a week and anything less becomes upsetting. Every body is different and one sushi dinner can up the scale by 3 pounds. Often times you'll lose a couple pounds one week, one pound the next week and sometimes you'll gain a pound the following week. What is important is the trend. You didn't gain the weight in a measured fashion of 2 pounds per week, you're most likely not going to lose it in the same way. Recognize the trend and chart your progress week to week to notice the overall loss. I've seen very successful weight loss efforts with diligent plans have an average loss of 5 pounds a month.

"Lettuce Lose Weight"

You know you have taken more time off from weight loss than you needed to, when you can't even remember the password to your weight loss journal.

I stopped my diet back when I went to campmeeting in September.

Thankfully, I maintained my weight loss ....

Well, I did until the Christmas/New Year's holidays.

I added some back then.

I do not look upon my new year as beginning on January 1-- my new year for implementing resolutions, that is-- because after the holidays, I go straight into working huge amounts of overtime to get ready for inventory.

So I have arbitrarily set my own new beginning as February 1.

That gives me a little bit of time to catch up on some stuff I got way behind on...
like housekeeping
and grandchild "sitting"
and getting back in contact with friends
and... whatever.

And also it gives me time to think about just what NYRs I want to implement.

The "experts" say keep it down to one or two. Get those established as habit before moving on to something greater. If not, you are "doomed to failure". Most of us are just not good enough at making radical changes in our lives to incorporate a half dozen at one time.

I could make a list of a dozen that I'd like to implement immediately.

But I think weight loss and exercise need to be high on my priority list. The exercise gives me energy. And, of course, it could be used as a tool for weight loss also IF I'D DO ENOUGH OF IT, but that ain't likely to happen. Energy is enough. I need energy.

I took a lot of time when I was doing my 1600 Calories a Day blog to look up the calorie count of everything that I ate and faithfully record it. If you read my blog, you know that I said more than once that keeping that blog was like taking a second job. It took me awhile to do that.

I really don't want to put that much time into weight loss at this date. I think that I should be able to make some headway even if I don't count every calorie.

Or, by eating meals that have been precounted.

One thing I learned from my 1600 calorie effort was that I did not have to stick to 1600 calories EVERY DAY. I could have some Wendy days. But, on the other hand, some days I ate less than that as well.

I turned back to Spark to see what they might have to offer. I liked Sparks motivational articles. But I abandoned their program when I found Calorie-Count because C-C fit my needs so much better.

Spark-- or at least their advertisers-- inspired my title. "Lettuce Lose Weight One Meal at a Time" was the slogan used by Fit N Fresh, advertisers on Spark.

I'm going to throw in here a part of a eulogy I read by a Spark member. It comes off her blog but I liked it. It has applicability in many directions--even in the area of encouraging those who want to lose weight. This is her eulogy; this is what I took from it:

I told her [her, being her grandmother] that I was seeing suffering in everyone, that everyone was in pain, and I couldn’t help everyone. I just couldn’t find beauty in anything. I was feeling very overwhelmed.

She looked at me and said, “Honey, God knows there is suffering and pain in the world. However, He created us to see the beauty and joy in His creation. God is big enough to take all the suffering on himself. Just give it over to him every time.”

Then, she went on to say, “I just read a story in my Guidepost. A man was walking the beach after a huge storm had swept hundreds of starfish onto the shore. He saw another man up ahead pick up a starfish and throw it into the ocean. He watched as the man did that several times.

Curiosity got the best of him and we went to talk to the man.
‘What are you doing?’ the man asked the one throwing the starfish back into the ocean.

‘I’m helping them get back into the ocean.’

‘How can you possibly make a difference when there are hundreds on the beach?’

The man picked up a starfish and threw it into the ocean and said, ‘I just made a difference in that one’s life.’

Nana went on to say, “Kristi, it’s God’s job to save the world. You just have to make a difference in someone’s life.”

Still on hold

I've lost my zeal for calorie counting.

And, not only that, right now I don't have the time to do it.

And, not only that, I am finding that the "delicious" little lunch I was eating every day seems to be as distasteful to look forward as going back on the South Beach was.

I had lost well on the South Beach diet but when I went off of it because of a change in my life, I just couldn't bring myself to go back to the "deprivation" of it. That is why I chose to count calories.

So, now I'm trying to think of something that will get me through the winter -- like that plain ol' sandwich and veggies got me through from July until September. I think it's going to be Progresso soup. I chanced upon some bargains at Kroger and stocked up and find that I am enjoying them in this cooler weather.

Now I've just got to find something to get me through the evenings. I'm working long hours or have other things that are taking my time so I need to have something easy and healthy. I bought some pre-done dinners for my DIL when she had her baby and they really looked good. I might just have to go by Wal-mart and get some of those for myself.

I'd really like to lose ten more pounds THIS YEAR. For sure, I do not want to regain.

I have also been thinking that if I'd just hold my weight loss and increase my activity level I could move down some that way.

I haven't given up...

But a good sign that you've taken too long to do another post is that you almost forget your password to sign in.

Now that would be bad.

I went on vacation first-- and gained weight. I got that off.

Then I started working overtime to catch up at work.

Now, this week, we're having revival.

One thing I've said about counting calories is that "it's like taking on a second job". I haven't had the time to sit down here and hunt down my calories.

Besides not having time to put a lot of thought into what I eat, some pundit at work has decided it will be a "good idea" for us to have pot luck dinners every other Wednesday. The damaging thing about that is all the desserts that get brought in that sit around for a couple days afterwards.

Anyway, it is my plan as soon as this revival is over (Do I really mean TOMORROW?), I am going BACK ON my calorie counting eating plan.

I am not unhappy with the results of being "off" my diet. I have pretty much kept my weight down close to what I lost to. Maintained is the popular word. Anyhow, I don't think it hurts to maintain awhile, then go back to losing more.

I may not be able to lose another twenty before I go back into maintenance again. (Inventory time is overtime again.) But hopefully , I can lose another ten.

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)