It's all about me

cym said:
I looked at your Saturday foods...and if that's a typical example of how you are eating most days...well I'd be ready to scream too because there's no variety, not a single meal that says "yum, can't wait to dive into this"...I bet a hot cheesy pizza looks good as hell right now in fact.
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YES! And I know that everyone is emphasizing the inportance of cooking, you, Leigh, Mal, everyone. I have been so lazy in probably the most important aspect of this. I think I say at least twice a week "I'm going to cook and prepare meals from now on" but I realized that instead of really thinking about cooking, I've just been planning what I'm going to eat. Like "I'll have 6 egg whites, 2 tbsp PB, 1 ww english muffin, and a protein smoothie."

If I had a number one "rule" for eating while dieting it would be "don't eat in the way you won't be able/want to continue eating for the rest of your life"...Ask yourself "how many more times in your life do you want to wrestle with losing weight?" I'm guessing "never again" right? So, now's the time, the best time, to free yourself from "dieting" mentality. IMO if you can look at a single day's food intake and not honestly think: "Yea, I could eat exactly like that 90% of the time for the rest of my life" then it's "diet" not "lifestyle". See where I'm going?
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Yes I definitely see what you mean. I've been fooling myself a little bit lately by thinking, "ugh I could never go back to how I was eating before, I love the fact that none of my food contains any scary chemicals or preservatives, all of my food is so natural and beautiful" but here I am craving Doritos. Pringles. And I tried melting my natural peanut butter like I used to with my old peanut butter for dipping apples, and it just got crusty and dry and started smoking. I was really sad when I realized how much junk is thrown into the JIF PB that makes it possible for it to melt like that. Well I was more sad that I can't dip my apples in peanut butter anymore.

Just one example: your egg whites. You know if you got some big portabello mushroom caps, brushed them in olive oil, mixed some egg whites, skim or soy milk, spinach, finely diced peppers, onions, garlic & spices to taste, poured the mix into the caps and baked, then sprinkled some low fat provolone or skim mozzerlla on top - it would turn a "I hate this shit" meal into a well balanced, naturally low calorie healthy meal or snack that you'd be just as happy to eat whether you were in weight loss mode or just maintaining your weight. And we're talking no more than 20 mins. from fridge to plate.
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This sounds amazing, I'm absolutely going to try this.

Stuff to think about when you do your weekly food prep: go ahead and dice a bunch of stuff to make cooking easy and quick and tasty through the week....like dice a bunch of onions, peppers, garlic etc. and put it in little containers in the fridge. Pre-wash and slice a bunch of veggies. Little plastic storage containers are a girl's best friend.
Two: If the people in your life are anything like the people in my life, this is just about the point where they will start to tell you "oh just one won't hurt...you've been so good". IMO, that's total and complete bs....because what that "just one" does is set you up to keep having cravings for junk...and make it just that much harder to resist the next time. Think of your body like a willful, spoiled child who will ask and ask and ask for something outrageous until you give in or go nuts...but guess what? You don't really go nuts and If you keep saying "no" long enough, the kid gets bored asking and goes on to something else. And down the line, when the kid asks for something, and you say "no", it understands that you mean business and the pestering is only half-hearted and eventually pretty much stops. But everytime you give in, the opposite happens, cause you're reinforcing the idea of "just keep bugging me about it and I'll eventually say "okay".
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I am going to dice a bunch of onion and peppers and such, I have so many that often get wasted and you're right, it makes so much sense to throw them into whatever I'm cooking, I'll get my veggies in and hardly have any extra work. And also I couldn't agree more on the not giving in to the "just one won't hurt" trap. That's why I just can't have anything dangerous inside my house, because it is absolutely bs. I really hope that my cravings die away.

Three: except for this chocolate fudge/brownie that my favorite coffee shop hangout sells (that I'm currently circling like a shark), there is not one single item of "junk food" from cheese cake to potato chips that I have not been able to create a healthy, whole foods version of. When you see something, or just randomly think of something you really want, just sorta break down what it is about that food that you are wanting so bad (is it crunchy? salty? sweet? creamy?) and assemble the indgredients in your head using "real food"...and if sometimes, even though it's all good food, the result is more calorie dense than you'd like... that's one thing you can use your "refeed" days for.
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That's an excellent suggestion. What you're talking about is not difficult, it's just the next level of dedication that I AM willing to take. I think it might be the most important one, because I do want to sustain this lifestyle, and if I plan on doing so, I better start enjoying food and cooking for myself.

Four: take advantage of the sanity saving aspect of your refeed days. It does help a lot. My refeed days were always on Sunday, so if I found myself just really wanting something, say on Tuesday, I'd think "well, if I still want it Sunday, I'll have it then"...usually just knowing that I'd get it in on a specific, not to far away day was enough to quite the litle "gimme now" voice...and funny enough by the time Sunday rolled around I had forgetten about it.
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I think you're right. My refeed day was a drag...I just ate double of the stuff I usually eat :rotflmao: so it was not particularly fun.

Five: Feel good about your ability to "just say no" right now. Seriously, you are setting the pattern for the rest of your life...making choices that are difficult but have long term benefits vs. choices that are easy and provide instant gratification with long term consequences. I'm so proud of you for doing this while you are so young...by the time you are old and decrepit like me you will look back and be nothing but grateful that you took this difficult, but necessary, step in your life.
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I really mean it this time when I say, "I'm going to start organizing and cooking from now on" Cym thanks so much girl :hug2: And you're hot and young and about as far from decrepit as you can be :boxing:
 
Cym, I am not kidding when I tell you ... YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK! That last post to Sara, is information that many people require. It's really breaking it down. Most healthy eating books, talk about what to eat and why to eat it, and give recipes. But you are really talking about how the mechanics of making lasting changes to our eating habits. I've read a lot of books but have never seen this kind of information. I swear, re-training ourselves into healthy eating, makes capable cooks of us all. Cym, you could take every single one of your posts out of your diary, organize into chapters with different themes/topics, and then start submitting your manuscript (or at least an outline of it) to a few literary agents. I don't think you realize how helpful your diary is, not just to us, but to the general population. It's not enough to tell people quit eating crap and start eating healthy. You take it one step beyond and demonstrate HOW. It's not easy, and you're always honest about that. This is the sober truth that needs to be messaged out to the masses. Do it, girlfriend! If you weren't shy, you could even put a picture of yourself before and after on the inside cover because you are living proof. If you have a friend who likes to write, you could even print every page of your diary and have her/him organize into chapter topics for you. Shit, I'd do it for you, if you wanted. Promise me you'll think about it. You need an agent who won't just publish the thing, but also do a good job of marketing. An agent who will perhaps find celebrity endorsement, and invest some cash at the front to get the book on radio/t.v. It's great Oprah can afford a friggen' COOK in her array of house staff, but most of us can't. I'll bet if Oprah saw your book, she'd have you on her show, for pete's sake!
K, I could go on forever, but I'm passionate about this stuff. Because it's an entire area where the american (and canadian) public need education. I would venture to say american even more because you guys have so many more junk, convenience, fast food places on every block of every street. When my son was down in Miami, Florida, he couldn't believe how many obese people he saw...it took him aback and he couldn't understand why until he took a look around and saw the amount of crap stores all around him. How can people stand a chance with the garbage shoved in their faces day in, day out. The message can't just be choose healthy food, these folks need to be given info on how to choose healthy food and how to incorporate it into their daily lives.
 
cym said:
Hey Sara! Bitch and scream away. LOL. You are just gonna have to take my word for it that I know exactly 100% how it feels at the point you are at right now.
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Tried to rep you for this, but couldn't. This is one fabulous post!
 
i couldn't agree with more with Tom. this is really an excellent post. i'm thinking of printing it and putting it somewhere near me so i can read it every time i have silly cravings.
:) hope you have a great weekend
Lena
 
I concur. Cym, I've been riding my bike and loving it, the sense of well-being and the subtle other changes that come as a result, like wanting to walk down to the beach "just to stretch my legs", afterward and the freedom of the open road and moving through the neighbourhoods one at a time. Can ride to the next town without going on the highway, just the back roads and its an hour each way.

Haven't lost below 180 yet, but still eating around 2000 calories. Its slow. But then some nights I have got in to crackers and butter and probably ate, as Cannon mentioned to me, an easy 300-400 calories that way.

I went car free for a week. Gonna repeat it, hopefully over and over. My insurance is up for renewal and I"m just not gonna do it yet.

Posted a picture in my diary just now.
 
Yesterday I was crazy tired...after deciding that partially it was because my cals were on the low end for several days I also realized it's been too long since I've had beef....so I killed 2 birds with one stone and ate a steak. This morning I woke up feeling 100%, impatiently waiting for the sun to come up so I could go run. I don't know, I think my body just likes meat that doesn't cluck or swim.:confused:

Saturday foods:
fruits: 4-6 daily servings. 1 berry, 1 apple, 1 citrus, the rest chosen from:
apricots,banana, canteloupe, cherries, figs, grapes, papaya, pineapple, prunes, raisins, strawberries, watermelon

veggies: 6-7 daily servings, 2 dark green leafy, the rest from:
artichokes, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, califlower, chili pepper, daikon, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes
dark green type: spinach & turnip greens
squash type: pumpkin

grain/nuts/seeds/legumes: 4-6 daily servings, 1 nut, 1 flax, 1 legume, the rest chosen from:
buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, oats (rolled or bran), pumpkin seeds, rice, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat
nut type: almond
legume type: black eye peas
whole wheat type: ww crackers

dairy :1 daily servings chosen from:
yogurt, soy milk, cheese (any type)
cheese type: 4 cheese blend

meat: 3 daily servings chosen from
chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef

other: 1 daily serving each
olive oil
green or echitacea tea

optional:
honey or molasass
one sugarfree piece of crap: sf cookie
 
Sara: okay, I'm holding you to that last "I'm going to start organizing and cooking from now on":rotflmao:
Tom & Lena: Txs guys:)
Anna:Wow, that was the nicest thing for you to say and believe me I appreciate it greatly! I don't think I see what you see, but I love what you see (um, that made litttle to no sense:rotflmao: ) I am really, really pleased though that you get something useful from my journal. I know what you mean about our son's experience.....my best friend is from the Phillipines and she was telling me that the first time her father came to visit her here he was literally frightened when she took him grocery shopping bcause, although he'd seen overweight people, he'd never seen the degree of obesity that I guess we've started taking for granted. Like you, it's a subject I'm really passionate about...way beyond physical appearance....sometimes I look around and it feels like we, as a culture or society, are just killing ourselves - literally - and it makes me sad because it really doesn't have to be this way at all.
Kelly: ...oh pics...here I come...
 
cym said:
I used to never, ever eat apples unless they were mixed with sugar, tucked into deep fried dough, crammed in a little retangular red and white cardboard box and handed to me through the drive-through window along with my Big Mac, fries and diet coke. I'm not even kidding. Now, I not only eat a great big crispy apple every single day - if I haven't had one by bedtime I'll actually start craving it enough to get up and scarf one down. Scary.
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So.... What I should do is just pinch my nose, eat the food like its medicine, and I'll get hooked? LOL! I once loved mango so much I could eat a mango for lunch and be happy. Turns out I was allergic to mango (apparently its a relative of the poison ivy plant?). After that, my taste for fruits plummeted. I don't mind green apples much, but I can't stand red ones or even the semi-red ones like fugi or gala apples. I'll eat a banana most days but thats about as far as I go with fruit unless I can find a perfectly ripe grapefruit.

Have any good recommendations?

-Sunny

By the way, thanks for stoppin' by on my journal. :D
 
Sunny: Hey, sounds like your taste preference for fruts lean toward the creamy, slightly tart side (I'm more a crispy, sweet girl)...have you tried papaya, kiwi, rasberries, blueberries, peaches & pears?

Okay, Even if the rest of my day sucks (which I don't expect it to), I had the best morning...in the gym:) Two reasons:

1) I did a 100# BENCH. Okay it was ONE rep only, and despite all my grunting and mental determination, I literally could not even move the darn thing even a half a fraction of an inch beyond the first rep:rotflmao: ....but damnit I did one friggin perfect lift at my target goal!....and then completed 4 sets of 8 at 80#.....there was a little sweatin', gruntin' and cursin' going on...but it was by far my "personal best"...that one lift took all of 10 seconds maybe...but it was a very, very cool 10 seconds!:cool:

2) And this one blows me away....I'm still grinning like an idiot...I'm gonna be insufferable the next 24 hours. Okay...I haven't done a leg press in close to a year. For some reason I still don't understand, they always made my right knee feel a little "wonky" right afterwards. But today I'm thinking, I can do every squat from plie to romanian, do good mornings and step ups all day long, with no problems, so I decided, just to see, if I could just do a single set of leg presses without problem. I started at 60# - which was my weight last year - and it was like pushing cotton, so I kept increasing and increasing the weight until I actually felt the "right amount" of resistance....hello-210 friggin pounds...are you kidding me???? And no wonky knee.

Now, I'll probably never do another leg press in my entire life...cause obviously the stuff I do instead is getting me where I want to go without risking injury. But I'm totally loving that moment when I realized just how far my physical strength has come in the last year. Damn, I wanted to do a Jermamy Rice interpertation right there in the gym and yell "GET SOME":rotflmao:

Sunday foods:
fruits: 4-6 daily servings. 1 berry, 1 apple, 1 citrus, the rest chosen from:
apricots,banana, canteloupe, cherries, figs, grapes, papaya, pineapple, prunes, raisins, strawberries, watermelon

veggies: 6-7 daily servings, 2 dark green leafy, the rest from:
artichokes, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, califlower, chili pepper, daikon, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes
dark green type: spinach
additional: hominy

grain/nuts/seeds/legumes: 4-6 daily servings, 1 nut, 1 flax, 1 legume, the rest chosen from:
buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, oats (rolled or bran), pumpkin seeds, rice, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat
nut type: almond
legume type: raw peanuts
whole wheat type: ww crackers
****purposely went light on grains to make calorie room for extra protein

dairy :1 daily servings chosen from:
yogurt, soy milk, cheese (any type)
cheese type: sharp cheddar
***substituted skim milk for yogurt

meat: 3 daily servings chosen from
chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
additional: whole eggs, sausage

other: 1 daily serving each
olive oil
green or echitacea tea

optional: none
 
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Gonna have zero time to do this in the am so I'm loggin' er in now; no workout planned for tommorow either 'cause I'm going to be shamelessly throwing money away on a casino cruise most of the day:

Monday's foods:
fruits: 4-6 daily servings. 1 berry, 1 apple, 1 citrus, the rest chosen from:
apricots,banana, canteloupe, cherries, figs, grapes, papaya, pineapple, prunes, raisins, strawberries, watermelon

veggies: 6-7 daily servings, 2 dark green leafy, the rest from:
artichokes, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, califlower, chili pepper, daikon, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes
dark green type: turnip greens (x2)
additional: corn

grain/nuts/seeds/legumes: 4-6 daily servings, 1 nut, 1 flax, 1 legume, the rest chosen from:
buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, oats (rolled or bran), pumpkin seeds, rice, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat
nut type: raw peanuts
legume type: brown beans
whole wheat type: ww crackers

dairy :1 daily servings chosen from:
yogurt, soy milk, cheese (any type)
cheese type: cotage cheese

meat: 3 daily servings chosen from
chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef

other: 1 daily serving each
olive oil
green or echitacea tea

optional: sugar free cookie
 
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that is absolutely awesome cym :D i bet you feel in heaven hehe :D and have fun at that cruise and win a lot of money.

Lena
 
Casino cruise? Sounds like FUN. Hope you win some.

You are most welcome about my earlier post and it's funny how people clearly see giftedness and potential and we don't see it in ourselves.

You are the How-To Queen, my friend.

P.S. I love brown beans even though they make me toot.
 
Sigh...I had the "bestest" day:) I won 300 dollars...so minus the $100 I lost, the $40 I then borrowed and lost, the $9 that I then borrowed and managed to actually win on....net winnings $151:jump: - not bad since it icluded free booze (I was sorta good - a beer and a rum/diet coke) and free food (I was sorta good there as well, ate my protein bar instead of the breakfast buffet and had a burger and about 10 baked chips for lunch). I wore my little 4th of July sundress and strappy heels...cause what's the point of sweatin' and gruntin' through Good Morning's if you're not gonna show off the hamstrings:jump:

I'm sitting here thinking how grateful I am that I actually enjoy lifting. I wish, really really wish that more women liked weight training. My work-out partner still dislikes it and would rather run - she gets no joy from lifting at all but continues because 1)I am a bully:) and 2)she likes the results.

I know that exercise methods have to be dictated by prefernce to a point...cause if you really hate something you're not going to do it - like personally someone would have to offer me a lot of money to get on an elliptical - I hate it that much. So I get that part. I just don't get why exercise type/preference seems so gender specific: guys weights/women cardio. Oh well.
 
Congrats on the $$$!!

I know what you mean--when I'm doing my weight routine the men sometimes look at me funny. Then it came up in conversation that a woman said "You intimidate all the men." That didn't bother me one bit, who cares!
 
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