Bethy's Diary

Bethyness

Bethyness

New member
Alright, I've been keeping a food diary on my own for about two weeks, so I'm basically going to use the same format here I've been using there.

I'm 19, 215 lbs, a size 18 (US), and I'd like to lose 85 lbs. I exercise six days a week on the exercise bike, and I'm struggling a bit with my nutrition as I keep feeling hungry no matter what I eat, but I'm hopeful that this will change as my body settles into this routine.

My goal for calories each day is 1800, trying to cut sugar out more and keep it to an occasional indulgence, and continue my exercise. I drink LOTS of water (I drink soda VERY rarely), I take a multivitamin every day, those should stay the same. One thing I have to keep in mind is that I'm hypoglycemic--I have to be careful about my blood sugar and how often I eat.

I'm winding down for the night and probably going to bed soon, but I wanted to get this up and ready for my first entry tomorrow. I love this, I've been feeling a bit downhearted about my weight loss plan the last few days, and doing this is getting me excited again.
 
Hi Bethyness :)

Welcome to the first entry of your brand spanking new diary!

Good for you for starting one!

It sounds like you've got everything set up to succeed. Try not to look at those 85 pounds as one big number - they all come off the same way - one at a time. You CAN do this :)
 
Welcome Bethy!!

Sounds like you have lots of good habits already, and a strong plan, so I bet you're gonna do great!! :)
 
01-15-07
04:45 PM Woke up
05:10 PM Slice of whole wheat bread (100 Cal)
.............~1 tbsp strawberry preserves (50 Cal)
06:10 PM 8 oz orange juice (112 Cal)
07:45 PM Slice of whole wheat bread (100 Cal)
.............~1 tbsp strawberry preserves (50 cal)
08:45 PM granny smith apple (101 Cal)
10:30 PM 2 Tostitos chips (40 Cal)
.............~1 tbsp organic salsa (10 Cal)
10:50 PM 1 hamburger patty (280 Cal)
.............on slice whole wheat bread (100 Cal)
12:30 AM 12 triscuits (240 Cal)
03:10 AM 6 fish sticks (320 Cal)
.............ketchup (~50 Cal)
03:30 AM 3 hershey cherry cordial kisses (66 Cal)

total intake = 1619/1800 max
exercise: 45 minutes on exercise bike, 20 crunches/20 reverse crunches, 20 push-ups, hand weight exercises
weight: 212 lbs (recorded at 7:00 PM)

I was less hungry today than I have been, though still a bit rumbly between meals. I'm optimistic that if I can keep this up, that'll settle.
I've started trying to space my meals out over more time to keep myself more full, too--like normally I'd have 2 slices of toast with the strawberry preserves or blackberry jam and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, and start feeling pretty hungry an hour later. I spaced it out over about three hours today, and the hunger wasn't so intense as usual.
I don't normally eat Tostitos, but Mom had bought some organic salsa for her friends that were over yesterday that got left here and I've never tried salsa before, so I used two chips to try it. It was hotter than anything I normally eat, but I was surprised how good it actually tasted.
I should be able to go grocery shopping again soon, once I sell some stuff so I can afford it, and I'm hoping to get a bigger variety of foods. It's always kind of annoyed me that healthier food is more expensive than junk. I rarely have the money to get much food, so it's always been easiest when I do have it to buy the unhealthy stuff like canned ravioli and canned pasta and ramen and the cheaper frozen meals.
Mom has agreed to help me out with money for some food this time, though, so I should be able to get some better stuff.

I haven't weighed myself for a few days, and I was surprised when I stepped on the scale and found I'd lost 3 lbs. Surprised in a very good way, of course :D
I took a 'before' picture today though, and that was a little disheartening. I can't bring myself to post it, at least not until I'm further down the road.

Exercising was a bit hard today--the seat of this exercise bike is really uncomfortable. Actually, the bike's not really great to begin with, it's really loud, the heart rate measurement is never anywhere near accurate, there's no kind of programs or adjustable resistance--it's a really cheap one. But it's what we've got.
But yeah, this seat has my bum hurting now XD I'm trying to find something I can put on the seat to cushion it a little better.

I've got to go to bed a bit early, (Yeah, I know, my schedule's strange to begin with, I tend to be nocturnal) as I have to go to my old high school tomorrow to get a letter of reference for college from my counselor. So goodnight!
 
An Oregonian who has the same schedule I do? My goodness, what the heck happened here?!
You really have a handle on the food diary; it's good to see that you're tracking so much, I mean 2 chips and a tablespoon of salsa? I'm not sure that would even have registered for me... Then again, I have a lot more to lose. :D
See you around! ~QJ
 
hey bethy you're doing great :) keep it up and you'll feel and look great. i can just feel it :) as for that photo. i will take mine one of these days, but won't post it just now, maybe after some really visible change lol

if you need anything just pm me :) Lena
 
Bethy, maybe a pillow on the seat of the bike? I know the regular stationery bikes at the gym with the hard seats that are made for people with little bitty skinny butts give me hell. I doubt they'd let me carry a pillow around, though. But if you're doing it at home, it shoudln't be a problem.

Hope you find something that'll work for you.
 
01-16-07
01:00 PM Woke up
01:00 PM Cursed out the window at the heaps of snow covering everything, telling me I would not be making it into town today like I'd planned
02:45 PM Slice of whole wheat bread (100 Cal)
.............~1 tbsp strawberry preserves (50 Cal)
5:30 PM granny smith apple (101 Cal)
6:30 PM 12 triscuits (240 Cal)
09:15 PM Quesadilla-- (780 Cal) (3 oz cheese (480 Cal), 2 tortillas (300 Cal))
09:30 PM 2 cookies (240 Cal)

total intake = 1511/1800 max
exercise: 20 minutes yoga, 5 minutes exercise bike, 30 minutes step exercises
weight: 210 lbs (recorded at 1:50 PM)

It snowed pretty heavily today, ruining my plans of going into town and getting my reference letter and maybe the groceries. My car can't handle snow, it barely runs in plain cold weather. I wish I could make use of this at least and go out and play in the snow, but I don't have warm enough clothes :p Oh well. My poor dog seems to think I'm playing some joke on him. I let him out in the back to do his business, he galloped out, stopped in his tracks suddenly as he took in the scene, then turned and gave me this accusing LOOK.

I want to start weighing myself pretty soon after I get up, before I eat anything, so the time switched around today, and I'm going to assume this also accounts for the extra 2 lbs lost, I can't imagine that I lost a full two pounds since last night XD

I'm a lot less hungry today, which is really nice. This morning I seemed to be back to that feeling I was used to for a while, where you feel your stomach rumbling but you don't actually feel hunger--it's a little frightening, as before, I got this because there was no food available, and part of my brain is panicking and wanting to go eat as much as I can while there's food available. This is a tough part to overcome.

I haven't had a quesadilla for a while now, but I've been pretty good for the last couple weeks, so I left room in my calorie budget for a quesadilla and dessert today. I wish we had a lower calorie cheese, though. And whole wheat tortillas would be nice.

Exercise was tough for today. I managed to bike for five minutes before my butt was hurting too much, and I discovered that this stupid seat has actually worn the skin down to the point of bleeding in a couple spots. I tried with a cushion, but it was still pretty painful, so I got off and did step exercises for a half hour while I watched Jeopardy instead XP

I might have a couple of kisses before bed, but that's it. I'm pretty much done for the night.
 
Hi Bethyness,

It all looks good :)

I know I used to be really hungry, and what helped me a lot was to make my calories really count, bulk wise - lots of carrots, an entire bag of baby carrots is less then 12 triscuits or 2 cookies. I really needed to get the most out of my calories when I went through that ravenous always hungry phase. I could make this gymungo salad with everything except the kitchen sink and the calories were nominal.

I also switched my cheese from regular cheese to 2%. Now it's not so bad, but in the early days, if I devoted 240 calories to something, I needed to FEEL full!

As for playing in the snow - well, I'm right there with your dog - I'd be sitting on the inside of the door going "This IS a joke, right?"
;)
 
That's a big reason I need to go grocery shopping as soon as possible. What I'm eating is what I have available. The cookies were a treat for me tonight because I haven't had them for a couple weeks, but yeah, in general, what I have available just isn't very good as far as filling for the calorie weight. I need to get the money I can, take cans back, and get some more filling stuff.

This is my shopping list so far that I'm going to e-mail my mom and see how much she'd be willing to help out. Anyone have any suggestions to add that wouldn't be expensive?

Flavoured oatmeal (I cannot *stand* plain oatmeal, but I used to like the flavoured packs when I was younger)
Milk (I only drink skim, that's what I was raised on)
Salad fixins
Carrots (hated for a long time, but I haven't tried them for years)
Brown rice
Soups (gonna check labels, find good ones)
Lean meats (fish/poultry...fish sticks tasty but high calorie)
Bananas
Oranges
Cereal (pick one that's pretty healthy and low calorie, but that I can stand to eat)
See if there's a better yogurt (kirkland is 240 cal each :p)
Broccoli <3
Blackberry, grape, strawberry jam - Smucker's seems to taste best to me
Sugar-free Jell-o
Light/low calorie mayonnaise
More tuna
Lower calorie cheese

Possible but not for-sure stuff:
Granola bars? (not sure how good these would be, how filling or healthy...)
Wheat tortillas? (only if I can find a good low-cal cheese)
Whole-wheat English muffins?
Honey? try on toast, english muffin maybe? (dunno though, I never liked honey)
Slim-fast bars? (or basically something healthier that's sweet to stave off candy cravings. Mom has these slim-fast bars, I might try one of them if she lets me)
Tofu? (know nothing about how to prepare tofu...)
V8? (to try, possibly try the smoothie versions...I've heard those are better, but I'll probably want to try a few varieties)
nabisco 100 calorie packs? (see how expensive)
Grape Nuts (to try, Mom tells me my dad loved putting these in yogurt)


I just know there's stuff that I wanted to add to it that I'm forgetting. Urgh at my memory.
 
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Oh yeah, I also wanted to get a big thing of vanilla yogurt and some frozen fruit like strawberries and blueberries so I can try making smoothies. I remember they tend to be smoother if you use vanilla ice cream too, but I think that's something to skip now XD
 
well if the soups are expensive for you, you can always make some. i know some good starting recipes. what i would also reccomend you add are:

more veggies: peppers, onions, tomatos, garlic, regular green salads,well all sort. if you buy only for yourself it really doesn't cost much and you can divide them for several times (and stirfry, cook, steam them - i use olive oil, and soya sauce for stirfry- and since i use only very small amounts of oil, it lasts me several months).

yogurts are great: there are lots you can choose from and which have much less calories.
cottage cheese: i eat lot of it actually...i use it for dressings for salads.

there are cheeper things, that don't cost too much. since i don't eat chips and junk food anymore, i baught some almonds (only fresh, not baked ones...they actually have more calories) instead.. and eat a handful when i have cravings for snacks.

frozen fruits are a bit expensive if you can't afford it. so use season fruits, like oranges, apples, pears.. and buy a package of two of those frozen just to add flavour... it will last you longer.

for meat i eat chicken and turkey breasts, veel and fish.

and add brown rice or basmati rice, and wholewheat bread or cookies, and eat it in only small amounts and it will last you for days, so you'll save there.

look at me...how to save on foods seminar lol

anyway... sorry if i bored you to death. hope you'll find what suits you best. have a great day :)

Lena
 
It's great that you're planning ahead :) It looks like you're willing to try to incorporate foods you haven't always liked!

For breakfast, I generally have Kashi Go Lean High Protein, High Fiber cereal, .5 cu skim milk and a small banana.

It is the only cereal I've found that doesn't Quite taste like card board but comes with 13g of protein and 10g of fiber!

I eat a lot of romaine & spinach lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, baby carrots, broccoli, apples, bananas, canteloup.

I use Hidden Ranch fat free ranch dressing and the reduced fat best foods mayo and the smart balance lite butter spread (I have no idea if these products are where you are). I also go through about 4 cans of tuna a week and I put tomatoes, or salsa, peppercinis, dill relish and ranch dressing.

I grind up broccoli & carrots in the food processor and find many things to dump a quarter of a cup here or there.

The yogurt I buy is Dannon Light & Fit (60 calories).

Once you find what you like and what works for you, it will get easier :)
Hope your day goes well,
 
Hi looks like you are doing great, heres some ideas
I am a big fan of special k, special k any thing really, the snack bars to me taste like im eating candy yet theyre 90 cals,, and the meal bars are really yummy too, i alo really like the cereal, LOVE it really, so theres a good tip for you, try them!! and i really like lean cuisines, theyre real food and its a no brainer, you just pop it in the microwave and its done, theres no thought behind them, i really like them!! Good luck!
 
Thanks so much to everyone for your ideas! I've made a few revisions to my list before I send it off to mom :D
But the snow is still hanging around, and I'm getting nervous. I have to have this reference letter to the college by February 1st :-/ This is cutting it awfully close. That, and I'm anxious to get this grocery shopping done!
 
Oh and it's kind of funny, I have to share...
I've been a bit worried about what I'm going to say when friends or family want to go out to eat with me and get our old usuals--I realized the other night part of why I eat when I get depressed is because I was raised like that, when my parents wanted to show they loved me or I did something really good, we'd go out to eat, when my friends wanted to hang out, the only thing we ever really did was go out to eat, when my boyfriend wanted to show he loved me, he'd bring me home candies and snacks, it's hard not to associate food with love, so when I get lonely...I want to eat.
But anyway, I had a dream last night, and a few different times these people I was making friends with in the dream would offer me fast food and stuff, and I kept smiling and refusing, and near the end we went to this food court to eat, and the others had stuff like pizza and huge buckets of fries and the biggest hamburgers there, and I went and got myself a half of a grilled chicken sandwich and a little salad, and woke up feeling all proud of myself.
When I realized it was a dream, I just felt bad that I wouldn't actually get to eat my sandwich and salad. They smelled good!

Just felt like sharing that XD
 
lol great dream :) i also dream food sometimes :) but i eat it in my dream. i do the same since i quit smoking with cigarettes i dream that i smoke. better there then in real life.
i read your diary and really realized that we have a lot in common. emotional eating is also my number one problem, and experiencing things without food is really a challenge. but we can do it, right?

have a great day :) Lena
 
Great dream :D
I´ve also had eating-related dreams, but it´s mostly that I eat awfully lot of everything in my dream and feel sooo bad and guilty about it... and then wake up and realize it was just a dream :D What a feeling! :D
 
Okay, I haven't been posting every day, but I've still been keeping my diary. I had a couple days where I was really depressed and had some candy and chips, but I did still keep to about 1500-1600 in calories every day. It's hard to avoid the snacks when I'm pretty much out of regular meal foods :p But I am finally going to get to go grocery shopping tomorrow!
My mom did bring me some Slim-Fast Optima Meal bars to try though, a box each of Chocolate Cookie Dough, Milk Chocolate Peanut, and Rich Chocolate Brownie, because she eats them for breakfast (she isn't trying to lose weight though, and she drinks really heavily every night, bleah). I had wanted to try the snack bars, not the meal replacement ones, because I couldn't see them being filling enough to justify being meal replacements (And really, I was right, they're not as filling as I'd like) but they're not too bad.
Anyway, yeah, I'm down to 6 lbs total lost, feeling pretty good, kept to 1500-1600 calories a day. I just finished a snack, can of green beans--I love green beans so much, they actually make a really nice snack :D
 
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