Alligatorob's Diary

[Llama]

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but the only cereal I've ever had for a meal is müsli/oatmeal. Mom bought cornflakes for us a couple of times to replace chips as a snack but I can't imagine having to stay full on them for more than 20 minutes! I think Rob's are high-protein ones though; maybe that helps?

 

[alligatorob]

Another good day, that's 4 now. At the gym for a little over 3 hours and ate well. The urges aren't going away, but I kept them at bay today.

That's exactly how it works for me and sweets, but if it's only sweets you can dilute the effect by adding fiber- and/or water-rich things like fruit or yogurt. It would be so hard to have it with EVERY food. The only thing I could think of under those circumstances is having a rule of only eating with company or in public, because I never binge with other people around. A bit difficult to implement without starving for me...

It does happen with pretty much any food... I remember once binging on two bags of frozen cauliflower, though I prefer cake or chocolate or, well you know. And I have binged in the presence of others, I try to hide it but am not sure it works... Keeping busy doing physical activity helps, but I can't do that 16 hours a day... oh well all I can do is keep trying.

I don't find cereal very satisfying. Do you add nuts & seeds and/or yoghurt to yours, Rob? When I do have it I add all of these things & also add some protein powder.

I do find cereal as satisfying as anything, and mornings are not my worst time for urges. I add protein powder to it sometimes, though I have found the powder is good in coffee and have been consuming some of it that way.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but the only cereal I've ever had for a meal is müsli/oatmeal. Mom bought cornflakes for us a couple of times to replace chips as a snack but I can't imagine having to stay full on them for more than 20 minutes! I think Rob's are high-protein ones though; maybe that helps?

I do eat mostly high protein cereals, but just to up my protein intake, not sure its any more satisfying, but maybe. I like oatmeal, but the cold cereal is easier in the morning.

 

[Llama]

Greek yogurt being in the same category as cookies (even if they contain oatmeal and raisins) is another one that baffles me.
Yay For four good days!

 

[Jojo1961]

Congrats on 4 good days ! wow

 

[Cate]

He's back on the bus Well done, Rob!

 

[alligatorob]

Another good day, five in a row now... I ate well, did not go to the gym but spent most of the day working in the yard. Its good for my knees. Can't say my urges are gone, to the contrary I have come to accept that they may never. I just need to figure out how to live with them and eliminate or curtail the binge...

Greek yogurt being in the same category as cookies (even if they contain oatmeal and raisins) is another one that baffles me.
Yay For four good days!

Thanks Llama! I changed my entry to no fat Greek yogurt, which it is, and it moved to green... not sure there is that much difference. And why Special K protein cereal should be orange, same as chocoloate bars, I don't understand either. Still learning the system. And still convinced it under estimates calories...

Congrats on 4 good days ! wow

Thanks Jojo!

Well done, Rob!

Thanks Cate, so far so good.

 

[Llama]

And why Special K protein cereal should be orange, same as chocoloate bars, I don't understand either.

Maybe because it's highly processed and very carby? Also quite calorie-dense, probably, because no water.

And still convinced it under estimates calories...

Do its numbers for the special K correspond with the packaging? Small discrepancies for unprocessed foods are normal but the packaged stuff should be correct

 

[Jojo1961]

@alligatorob wow five days in a row

I feel working outside in the yard is as good as going to the gym and way more fun also !

Those cravings are not easy to deal with ugh ......i feel when i get some of those urges i drink a tall glass of sugar free ice tea and
it does help sometimes !

Looking forward to the nice weather and no more snow .....but geez its going to be alot of yard work soon haha

 

[alligatorob]

A good day, ate well didn't do much exercise but Sunday is my planned day of rest. Tried to do a little yardwork but it was snowing and blowing most of the day. Snow this year has been incredible, we are well above the all time highest measured snowpack and its still snowing.

Do its numbers for the special K correspond with the packaging?

Yes, its things like the tomato pasta bean soup and macaroni and cheese that are lower. I know those are WAGs, but Noom seems to WAG on the low side. Oh well, as I said my problem is not a few hundred calories one way or the other.

Maybe because it's highly processed and very carby? Also quite calorie-dense, probably, because no water.

I suppose, but Special K has no more calories per ounce or gram than the green protein powder.

Those cravings are not easy to deal with ugh ......i feel when i get some of those urges i drink a tall glass of sugar free ice tea and
it does help sometimes !

Thanks Jojo, I will try that, usually I drink a Fresca or other diet soft drink but the tea might be better for me. Actually I like unsweetened tea also.

Looking forward to the nice weather and no more snow .....but geez its going to be alot of yard work soon haha

Me too, way too much snow this winter. Being able to do more yardwork will feel good, for a while anyway. I also want to get back into hiking and plan to as soon as the snow melts. I saw on your profile that you are in Quebec, did you have a hard winter this year? Ours has been the snowiest on record.

 

[Llama]

Good job stopping after what looks like one marshmallow. I wish we'd had a little of your snow: the forests are way too dry for the time of year.

 

[alligatorob]

Good job stopping after what looks like one marshmallow.

Actually it was a bite of a really big one, the dog got most of it. More or less the equivalent of a regular one.

Today is my 6 month anniversary of knee replacement surgery, both knees. Doctors and physical therapists have told me that I have progressed as well as could be expected, but its not been fast enough for me. My knees hurt less and are mostly more flexible than before, but the pain isn't completely gone and there are a few things I have trouble doing, like crossing my legs... Doctor and others tell me this is normal and that it will take 12 to 18 months to fully recover. Somehow I did not understand, or want to believe that when I did this, but its the case.

I am glad I did it, the osteoarthritis pain is completely gone, and the pains I do have are less and getting less, very slowly, with time. In the gym I have gotten to the point that I am lifting heavier in all leg exercises than before the surgery, not a whole lot, but better. And the lifting gives me a lot less pain than it did. My next challenge is to get back hiking, but I need for the all too abundant snow to stop and melt first. I will try a bit when I can.

Thanks to all my friends here for listening to my moaning about it, and your support. I need to particularly thank @Llama for some very helpful physical therapy advice, you were great!

Before

After

 

[Cate]

Wow! What a difference. I'm glad you had the ops, Rob. I'm looking forward to you going on hikes again & camping & the photos that will go with that, hopefully. It may not feel much different, but you probably would have got much worse without the op. Good for you getting back on track. 9 lbs down in one week I think. Well done.

 

[alligatorob]

A good day today, I ate well, exercised (2 hr 45 min in the gym), and feel good tonight. If only it weren't snowing things would be great...

I wish we'd had a little of your snow

So do I!

Wow! What a difference. I'm glad you had the ops, Rob. I'm looking forward to you going on hikes again & camping & the photos that will go with that, hopefully. It may not feel much different, but you probably would have got much worse without the op. Good for you getting back on track. 9 lbs down in one week I think. Well done.

Thanks Cate, I'm looking forward to it also. 9 lbs down feels good, but I know most of it's water and clearing my system, I typically lose 5 to 10 lbs when I stop bingeing. Now I think it will slow to a more normal rate of loss.

 

[Llama]

Do I see a vegetable up there? I think I do!

Your before pics look so painful, Rob, but is there less space in the left knee than in the right one in the after pics? Crossing your legs may never be the same as before because artificial knees are pretty much pure hinges whiles biological knees offer some amount of rotation.

 

[Llama]

Crossing your legs may never be the same as before

If your hips have some degree of decreased mobility loosening them up might help you make up for what you lost in your knees.

 

[Cate]

Do I see a vegetable up there? I think I do!

Do peas count as vegetables?

 

[liza3]

Hey Rob,
Glad your recovery is going well, though it does sound like a difficult process. Will be so great to have the long-term results of better mobility and activity though! Especially the hiking!

Interesting about following the Noom plan--I've heard many an ad for that--will be interesting to see how it goes for you and what you think of it.

NIce one on dropping all that weight already! I wouldn't mind a nice drop of even 3 pounds!

 

[alligatorob]

Not a bad day, I ate more than usual, pizza with the grandkids, but still in Noom's weight loss range. At the gym about 2 hours, had to come home early to clear snow for a delivery truck. Today has been the heaviest snow storm of the year, and it just keeps coming down... Grandkids are stuck here for the night, car got stuck in the snow and I think we will have to wait for daylight to figure out how to get it out...

Do I see a vegetable up there? I think I do!

Yes, peas, but not a lot. Trying to get back into veggies, had a lettuce salad today.

Your before pics look so painful, Rob, but is there less space in the left knee than in the right one in the after pics? Crossing your legs may never be the same as before because artificial knees are pretty much pure hinges whiles biological knees offer some amount of rotation.

Yeah, pretty much bone on bone before. That space difference is probably just camera angle. The space is filled with a plastic plate, same on both knees. You are right about the rotation thing, they are not as versatile as natural healthy knees, but hurt a lot less than my old ones.

If your hips have some degree of decreased mobility loosening them up might help you make up for what you lost in your knees.

I'll try that, my hips are fine, so far anyway.

Do peas count as vegetables?

I think so, LOL

Glad your recovery is going well, though it does sound like a difficult process. Will be so great to have the long-term results of better mobility and activity though! Especially the hiking!

Thanks, I am looking forward to hiking!

Interesting about following the Noom plan--I've heard many an ad for that--will be interesting to see how it goes for you and what you think of it.

I will, I signed up for 6 months so I will try and see it through. Not overly impressed so far, but its only been a week. Will let you know how it goes.

NIce one on dropping all that weight already!

Thanks, but its mostly post binge water loss, I've seen it before. I'm sure it will slow, in fact I think it already has.

 

[Llama]

Thanks, but its mostly post binge water loss, I've seen it before. I'm sure it will slow, in fact I think it already has.

I hope so If a 500 kcal/day deficit is needed to lose a pound a week then 8 pounds of fat a week would require a 4000 kcal/day deficit! Which is like... not eating anything and still exercising pretty solidly for 4 hours on top of your normal daily calorie burn. Scary tv show territory.

 

[Jojo1961]

Not a bad day, I ate more than usual, pizza with the grandkids, but still in Noom's weight loss range. At the gym about 2 hours, had to come home early to clear snow for a delivery truck. Today has been the heaviest snow storm of the year, and it just keeps coming down... Grandkids are stuck here for the night, car got stuck in the snow and I think we will have to wait for daylight to figure out how to get it out...

Yes, peas, but not a lot. Trying to get back into veggies, had a lettuce salad today.

Yeah, pretty much bone on bone before. That space difference is probably just camera angle. The space is filled with a plastic plate, same on both knees. You are right about the rotation thing, they are not as versatile as natural healthy knees, but hurt a lot less than my old ones.

I'll try that, my hips are fine, so far anyway.

I think so, LOL

Thanks, I am looking forward to hiking!

I will, I signed up for 6 months so I will try and see it through. Not overly impressed so far, but its only been a week. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks, but its mostly post binge water loss, I've seen it before. I'm sure it will slow, in fact I think it already has.
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I could not do 2 hours at the gym .....so congrats !

Hope you have a good day today