It's all about me

I must say, I'm highly impressed with your fruit intake. OH YEAH!! you must shop all the time in order to get fresh fruit. I know you mentioned growing stuff, do you grow any fruit?? I hear ya on the CARBS, those I have to run away from, they used to be my worst enemy! :eek: Have a great day!!
Kim
 
Kelly: Yep, gotta agree with you there - at least for myself. If I made a short list of everything important to me (i.e. quality of life), maintaining my weight loss would head the list...I've only got two choices: 1) do what it takes to maintain it or 2) ignore reality, "go with the flow" and allow myself to slowly regain it a pound at a time...and number two is no long an option for me because it would negatively affect everything else on my "quality of life list".

Tom Comiserate....comiserate PLEASE...misery loves company:cool: Looking over my daily caloric averages, I've been snuggling up far too often to the top end of the maint. range with a day or two of slightly over. Really, really time to reign it in a bit by aiming for the lower end with a day or two slightly under. Already had to give myself "the talk" earlier, as in "less does not mean stop eating silly girl, just have 2 pieces of flatbread instead of 3, have a tangerine instead of a banana, yada yada."

Kim: I shop for meat and staples every Tuesday, but probably pop in for fruit every other day and I have a friend with a lovely garden where I get tomatoes and carrots and such. Once a month it looks like I fell into a fruit patch or something because my body demands (in a very bossy way) "You will give me sweets...lots and lots of sweets" fortunately it does not seem to know the difference between fruit and candy so I stuff it with fruit.
 
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Hey cym, you sound like you have things down and that maybe I should be reading your diary for motivation on healthier eating. I feel I do tend to eat healthyish generally, but there's so much room for improvement.

I was wondering, how have YOU and your life changed as a result of losing 60 fatty pounds! Noticing more attention, whether negative or positive? Easier to get around and feeling less rickedy? You got a major make-over, so curious what has changed for you, aside from your own internal self-esteem surely skyrocketing (I would think anyway).

And if you have any words of wisdom on a beating a plateau, then **please** visit my diary.
 
cym said:
Tom Comiserate....comiserate PLEASE...misery loves company:cool: Looking over my daily caloric averages, I've been snuggling up far too often to the top end of the maint. range with a day or two of slightly over. Really, really time to reign it in a bit by aiming for the lower end with a day or two slightly under. Already had to give myself "the talk" earlier, as in "less does not mean stop eating silly girl, just have 2 pieces of flatbread instead of 3, have a tangerine instead of a banana, yada yada."
Click to expand...

This is exactly the strategy I'm going to employ over the next 10 days. I've been averaging about 2650 calories a day, and I'm cutting that to 2450 a day.
 
1701

Blancita: Hi and thanks for stopping by. I promise to stop by your journal really soon...sorry you're stuck on a platuea right now...it's never fun:mad: I hit a couple myself along the way each time the common link was...the food! Sometimes a little too much, sometimes not quite enough.

To answer your question(s) about life changes post weight loss....
I have the same job, same house, same car, same (mostly) friends and same everyday problems and concerns. Basically living the same life in a smaller size. I'm still more likely to be changing the kitty litter and doing a load of laundry than jetting off for Fashion Week in Paris. Do I feel better about myself? Hell yea! Not because I am in any sense (other than health) a better person being smaller, but I feel better about myself for being in control, for having a sense of discipline, for being able to do things I want to do without my weight getting in the way. I guess the biggest life altering difference might be my bf who I met while I was happily engaged in just "doing me".

...and as far as attention from other people. This is a bit touchy but I'll be honest. Frankly, yea, people, in general, not just men, are simply friendlier and more receptive and accommodating. Have you ever seen one of those shows where they put a woman in a "fat suit" and film how strangers react to her with and without the extra pounds? One that sticks in my mind is when they had the "overweight girl" drop a bunch of papers on the street and people just kept walking by while she scrambled to collect them - even when she asked for help. When the same girl in the same type clothing is placed in the same situation, minus the extra pounds, both men and women alike quickly stop to help her - without her even having to ask. I'm still hyper-aware of the difference - because it's like going from invisible to suddenly visible:confused: :confused:

I suspect that we like to think that rational, kind, intelligent human beings don't really treat us differently based purely on our size...but reality is that they often do without even realizing it. It's sad, it's stupid and it sucks. But it is what it is.

Cals at 1700, on target for below maint range. Sat fat great at 15g 8%, fiber on target at 34g and protein on mark at 133g. Satisfied with all choices.


liquids:
coffee, 16 oz
lemon juice, 1 oz
water, 40 oz

fruit
strawberries, 2 extra large
banana, 1/2 small
cantaloupe, 1 small wedge
raisins, .05 oz
apple, 1 small

veggies
broccoli, 1 cup cooked
spinach, 1 cup cooked
turnip greens, 2/3 cup
yam, 1/4 small potato
corn, 1/2 cup
tomato, 1 medium fruit
beets, 2 slices

dairy
4-cheese Italian blend, 1/8 cup
yogurt, whole, plain, 2/3 cup

meat
talapia, 4 oz
chicken breast, 1 small
ground turkey, 97% lean, 4 oz
egg white, 1 large

nuts/grains/seeds/legumes
corn flour, 1/4 cup
corn muffin, 1/4 muffin
brown beans, 1/4 cup
almonds. 1 oz
rye flatbread, 2 crackers
saltines, 2 crackers

other:
olive oil, 1 tablespoon
sf/ff pudding, 1 serving

Total: 1701
Fat: 60 540 33%
Sat: 15 134 8%
Poly: 9 81 5%
Mono: 27 239 15%
Carbs: 175 565 35%
Fiber: 34 0 0%
Protein: 133 531 32%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%
 
...and as far as attention from other people. This is a bit touchy but I'll be honest. Frankly, yea, people, in general, not just men, are simply friendlier and more receptive and accommodating. Have you ever seen one of those shows where they put a woman in a "fat suit" and film how strangers react to her with and without the extra pounds? One that sticks in my mind is when they had the "overweight girl" drop a bunch of papers on the street and people just kept walking by while she scrambled to collect them - even when she asked for help. When the same girl in the same type clothing is placed in the same situation, minus the extra pounds, both men and women alike quickly stop to help her - without her even having to ask. I'm still hyper-aware of the difference - because it's like going from invisible to suddenly visible
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I remember that show really well. There's a lot of hidden hatred for fat people. I can only conclude that it's borne of fear - fear that one will turn into that fat person. If you really want to see some raw language about fat people, go over to bodybuilding.com and look at some of the threads about "why fat people are gross."

And then, of course, there's the European dislike for fat people, and its particularly virulent strain, the German variety, under which I grew up. Many people think Hitler invented the "youth and beauty" culture; in fact, he just latched on to it, because it was there in full bloom in Berlin in the 20's.

Of course, it's NOT true that fat people are the last safe people to make fun of and deride, or else all the rest of the Imus-wannabes would be off the air as well. But it is safe to make fun of fat people in a very public way.

I wonder if that will change, now that 65% of all Americans are overweight.
 
Oh my CYM, I just saw a program like that the other night, I think it was on the Tyra Banks show or something like that. I DVR'd it because It came on late and I was tired, but the next day when I watched it I was pissed off all day, why are people so cruel to larger individuals, CREEPS!! I help EVERYONE regardless of size, shape, rich or poor, I'm that person on the buss that tries to make conversation with the person next to her that seems sad or shy or afraid. I want everyone to feel comfortable or excepted. Why not?? We all deserve it for living right. I believe that what comes around goes around, AND "Pay It Forward". That movie is awesome, and I do believe it works.!! I'm glad you posted that little diddy, it struck a cord with me, and it's good to know you feel the same. Have a great day!
Kim
 
TomO said:
I wonder if that will change, now that 65% of all Americans are overweight.
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You know, that's something I wondered about myself....but I actually think for some perverse reason it works in the opposite direction. Probably the vast majority of people who daily make favorable comments on my appearance (based purely on size) are overweight men/women....usually followed up with a disparaging comment on their own size. It makes me uncomfortable. The only way I can describe it is like wearing a pair of shoes in a room where lots of people are barefoot and can't (or think they can't) afford shoes.

And, this is going off on a bit of a tangent here, but I honestly think the vast so-called "diet industry" has succeeded in not only contributing to actually making us fatter, but in making it darned near impossible for us to lose weight in a way that's sustainable. So the collective "we" go on diet after diet (Special K, Nutrasystems, Jenny Craig, Slim in Six, 100 cal snack packs, pick your posion), never learning to eat properly in the process, becoming ever more discouraged and convinced it's something wrong with "us", until discouraged, disempowered and disgusted with ourselves we eventually give up. And, since we've concluded that our failure to successfully lose and maintain the loss is due to some flaw in us...it's inevitable that we look at someone who has what we want as though they have done something special, as though they have some secret (a little red pill, will power of steel, killer genetics...just something we that we lack) that makes them "better".

God, I used to be sooooo passionate about this. "How did you lose so much weight?" "How do you stay so thin?" Seriously, I would engage in long conversations with relatively random strangers about how it was basically just a matter of eating food, real food, in reasonable portions for a long time...and then, I just gave up....the diet industry has done a wonderful job of convincing us that we are powerless
 
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And, this is going off on a bit of a tangent here, but I honestly think the vast so-called "diet industry" has succeeded in not only contributing to actually making us fatter, but in making it darned near impossible for us to lose weight in a way that's sustainable. So the collective "we" go on diet after diet (Special K, Nutrasystems, Jenny Craig, Slim in Six, 100 cal snack packs, pick your posion), never learning to eat properly in the process, becoming ever more discouraged and convinced it's something wrong with "us", until discouraged, disempowered and disgusted with ourselves we eventually give up.
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Exactly. Obesity is the new nicotine, and will prove more lucrative than cigarettes ever were.

There was a great article in the NY Times a couple of weeks ago about the Farm Bill, and how we subsidize exactly the foods that make us obese, which not giving a nickel to healthy foods -- one of the reasons why the organic foods section in the supermarket is the exclusive province of the upper middle class and the wealthy.

The food and pharma industries have a gold mine on their hands, and they know it. And every fad diet that comes along just increases the profits. The more we diet and fail and diet and fail, the richer they get.
 
Hi CYM!

This page is so interesting I could comment on everything....but I don't have enough time. Just reading is satisfying enough--but I want you to know I enjoyed the read, and I agree with you, Tom and Kim. Have a great day!
 
Hi Kim...I was so busy ranting on my favorite soapbox I missed your post first time around:doh: Yes, I believe in paying it foward..karma flows in both directions.

And Tom, regarding the phara industry: I read lots of studies about food research...the thing that gets me every single time goes like this:

Researchers at The University of XYZ discover that there is a heretofore unknown, wonderful, health enriching substance contained in a daily serving of say, green beans. Skip to the conclusion--I (being the still trusting kinda girl I am) ALWAYS expect to see some reccommendation, suggestion that people simply start eating more green beans...and am ALWAYS surprised when the conclusion turns out to be along the lines of how beneficial it may prove to be to extract the substance.:rotflmao:
 
I am risking my neck here but I am a victim of negative thinking toward fatness. Not to the individuals, of course, because I love people too, but to the fatness. Fatness or obesity makes me think of loss of control, sloppiness, ignorance, not caring enough or knowing enough, or being ready enough for change or being able to change. It largely makes me think of food manufacturers who do anything to make us part with our money using cheap ingredients like corn syrup and palm kernel oil and corn meal and the proliferation of unhealthy foods on the market. All these things are sad, if and when they are true, because the fat person is suffering. Maybe it is the implied suffering that people hate. Maybe it is helplessness or sorrow we feel toward the fat. Of course we should treat all people equally because we are all equal. Maybe fatness reminds us of the sloth of our culture, and we should hate that. Maybe fatness reminds us of our own failings. Fatness is a disease, a symptom of our culture.

I don't know if I'm making sense here, but I'm just trying to look deeply at the reasons for hatred toward fat people. Otherwise intelligent caring people hating fat people? There must be something going on underneath the avoidance. After all, people are just people, except for the truly hateful and heaven help them.

Trim athletic types are admired for their discipline and dedication and that makes people happy. That is success. But the obvious disease of fatness makes people unhappy and may be the cause for avoidance. It is common to not know what to do in the face of suffering. Not that all fat people are suffering because they're not. They're just at an unhealthy weight.
 
1713

Kelly: I understand what you're saying. I think of it as the "not me" mentality. It happens all the time and I think we all do it on some level, not just with size. We look at someone very different from ourselves and think "I could never be like that"... if we perceive the difference as "good" we overly credit them with positive attributes...and if the difference is "bad" we overly exaggerate the negative and devalue them as people.

Cals on target at 1700...plan is just to stay at 200 cals below maint. range until Monday, then return to low end of maint. range with one random day at top of range. Sat fat, fiber, protein all right on mark at 13g 7%, 37g and 120g. This really isn't that big a pain...I've realized it's basically just meant cutting out or reducing some of the junky food that was causing my calorie creep: like popcorn and crackers.

Happily, doing this has resulted in two big positives 1) I now understand I don't have to wait for my pants to get tight or the scale to show an increase to realize that my food intake needs to be reigned in...I can be proactive and just look at my food journal to identify a potential problem before it becomes a real problem. 2) Even while restricting my calories to below maint. I can have something like fudge pops in the freezer, eat just one and move on without even thinking about it.

liquid:
coffee, 16 oz
green tea, 20 oz
lemon juice, 1 oz
water, 60 oz

fruit:
Apple, 1 medium
Tangerine, 1 small
Raisins, .05 oz

veggies:
Beets, 2 slices
Broccoli, 1 cup
Corn, 1/3 cup
Turnip greens, 1/2 cup
Tomatoes, 2 small
Sweetpotato, 1/4 small potato
Spinach, 1/2 cup

dairy:
4-cheese italian, 1/4 cup

meat:
Chicken, breast, 1 small
Turkey, ground 97% lean, 4 oz
Crab salad made with imitation crab, 1/3 cup

nuts, seeds, grains, legumes:
Beans, great northern, 1/4 cup
Corn flour, masa, 1/4 cup
rye flatbread, 2 crackers
Crackers, 2 saltines
Muffins, corn, 1/4 muffin
Almonds, 1 oz

other
Olive oil, 1 tblspoon
vital wheat gluten. 1 teaspoon
sf fudge pop, 1

Total: 1713
Fat: 61 545 33%
Sat: 13 119 7%
Poly: 12 104 6%
Mono: 26 232 14%
Carbs: 190 611 37%
Fiber: 37 0 0%
Protein: 120 482 29%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%
 
Hi cym, I admire you for being able to keep stuff like fudge pops in the freezer and only eating one of them. I'm still not there yet. Treats like that I have to get one at a time, and in the store.

Have a great weekend!
 
Tom: Oh, I have to comment on that. It has taken me a full year and a half to get to this point! I've said "no" to "pure junk" soooo many times...at work, on holidays, at parties, while dining out....and never, ever allowed it in my house with the exception of popcorn (redeeming value fiber) and sf/ff pudding (redeeming value - makes ff cream cheese palatable). I've sort of forced my brain to look at food and think "nutrition first". I came home last night and put my food into fitday and decided I needed to "top off" cals to at least 1700...spent about 3 mins. mentally reviewing what was in the fridge that would do it (came up with choices between an apple, a tangerine and a fudge pop) and my first thought was "vit. C & fiber, I guess I need a tangerine":jump: I guarantee that even six months ago my mind was still at the point where I would have been thinking "oooh, 40 extra calories...I can have a fudge pop - or two"
 
cym said:
Tom: Oh, I have to comment on that. It has taken me a full year and a half to get to this point! I've said "no" to "pure junk" soooo many times...at work, on holidays, at parties, while dining out....and never, ever allowed it in my house with the exception of popcorn (redeeming value fiber) and sf/ff pudding (redeeming value - makes ff cream cheese palatable). I've sort of forced my brain to look at food and think "nutrition first". I came home last night and put my food into fitday and decided I needed to "top off" cals to at least 1700...spent about 3 mins. mentally reviewing what was in the fridge that would do it (came up with choices between an apple, a tangerine and a fudge pop) and my first thought was "vit. C & fiber, I guess I need a tangerine":jump: I guarantee that even six months ago my mind was still at the point where I would have been thinking "oooh, 40 extra calories...I can have a fudge pop - or two"
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Well, I'm not even at a year yet, so hopefully in another 7 or 8 months or so, I'll be where you're at today!
 
Hey I like your focus on your calories, that's a big credit that you can evaluate and correct your eating once you feel it's necessary. You really have it going on! No wonder you have done so well. And Tom is right, it takes a lot not to eat a whole box or bag of something. BIG THUMBS up for having such will power. I think your amazing!!:)
Kim
 
Kelly: I weight 126 lbs and you know what - I am one of "them" too! And I'm totally cool with it.:cool: Cause the reality check is: I have as many fat cells in my body as a 200lb woman, they just happen to be emptier right now. I am not a stranger to consuming a 4000 (no exaggeration) calorie meal in a single sitting. I have a Pavolvian response to the sight of cheesecake. I eat roughly six small meals a day...and during at least one of them it takes a deliberate effort to put the fork down and walk away because my belly knows I've had enough food but my mind is insisting on "one more piece". And, as much as I've learned to love working out, there is seldom a Saturday night when I don't fall asleep thinking "Thank God I don't have to get up and work out in the morning!" I guess what I'm saying is there really is not "them" or "us" in my head when it comes to weight...fat or lean I am basically the exact same person - only the habits are different. Make sense?
 
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