Want2Lose's Diary

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September 23

I had a major setback today. I don't know what it is. Coming down with a cold? Haven't been sleeping well? I have a sneaking suspicion that trying to reduce fat makes me hungrier than usual. Anyway, here is the damage (and it was all before 10am).

Breakfast: Yogurt, blueberries, banana, almonds, protein powder
Snack: Chex mix, barbecue potato chips, cheese, ice cream, popcorn
Lunch: Apple
Snack: Celery, green pepper
Dinner: Butternut squash, cod
Snack: Strawberries, decaf coffee

Exercise
12,000 steps

I walked extra today to try to make up for the awful binge earlier, but you know the strange thing? That is how I used to eat all the time! Maybe not quite in those quantities, but was is certainly not unusual for me to eat like that a year ago.
 
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September 24

Hi Trusylver! Thanks for the congrats. I have been reading some authors like john Robbins, Dean Ornish, Pritikin, Esselstyn, that say a very low fat vegan diet is the way to go. They say that even good unsaturated fats should be eaten in moderation. I am trying to find studies that quantify this. For example, Robbins shows charts in his book that corralate the grams per fat per day with the incidence of various diseases in different countries. The countries with the lowest average fat intakes have the lowest indicences of heart disease and certain cancers. However, the studies Robbins cites are older and do not differentiate between saturated and unsaturated fat.

In the meantime, I am not going to cut fat too drastically, because I just get too hungry. I think 40 grams/day is reasonable. Some of these authors recommend 15 or 20!

Menu
Breakfast: Chocolate soymilk (saccharin) with protein powder
Snack: Grapefruit
Lunch: Pasta with sauce (rapini, lentils, tomato paste, garlic, thyme), romano cheese, walnuts
Dinner: Salmon (lemon), petite sirah
Snack: Cheese, raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, raisin bran

Exercise
Walked 10,000 steps.
 
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September 25

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, protein powder, green tea
Snack: Chocolate soymilk (splenda)
Lunch: Cheese, green pepper, cucumber
Snack: Popcorn, diet Pepsi
Dinner: Leftover rapini from yesterday over gluten-free pasta
Snack: Apple and peanut butter

Exercise
10,000 steps.

I have my period, which is my only excuse for last night's really crazy binge, the likes of which I haven't had in months. Yet I used to eat like that every day! No wonder I got so overweight. I ended up at 2,200 calories! And ate gluten again. Will I never learn? I am happy to be back on track today.
 
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September 26

My weight is bouncing around like a ping-pong ball this week, all the way up to 158 at one point. This morning I was 154. But I am not going to move my ticker up. Hopefully, it will come back down soon. I went for an extra-long walk to get things moving again. Also visited open-air market: two kinds of squash, red and green peppers, carrots, grapes, sweet potatoes, zucchini.

Breakfast: Yogurt, protein powder, walnuts, strawberries, blueberries
Lunch: Kale sauteed with tofu and garlic, butternut squash
Snack: Grapefruit
Dinner: The rest of the kale from lunch with pasta sauce (Classico tomato & basil brand) and cheddar added, served over gluten-free pasta
Snack: Petite sirah, grapes, strawberries with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, almonds

Exercise
Walked 14,000 steps. My legs hurt.
 
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September 27

Menu
Breakfast: Egg and two egg whites scrambled with kefir. Half grapefruit
Snack: Apple with peanut butter, raisins
Lunch: Butternut squash, purple bell pepper, pinto beans cooked with jalapeno and carrots on two corn tortillas topped with cheddar
Snack: Grapes, green tea
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), zucchini (onion, Italian seasoning, cooking spray)
Snack: Almonds, pinot noir, popcorn

Exercise
Walked 12,000 steps.
 
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September 28

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, walnuts, protein powder, blueberries, green tea
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Cheese, raw vegetables (red bell pepper, carrots, celery)
Snack: Apple, popcorn
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), navy beans cooked with garlic
Snack: Pinot noir, one chocolate truffle.

Exercise
Walked 10,000 steps.

My weight was back down to 152 today.
 
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September 29

I weighed in at 151 today. I can't believe it. Almost there. By this time next week, if all goes well, I could have a normal BMI. I have been thinking about what to do when I reach 150. The way I see it, these are my choices:

1. Stop dieting and go into maintenence mode.
2. Set a new goal and continue with diet (150 is the top limit for "normal" BMI for my height. It might be prudent to get down to 140 or even 130 so I have some wiggle room. Also, I have never weighed less than 145, as far back as high school. It would be interesing to see how I feel at a lower weight. I still have some issues with energy. Maybe I would feel more vigorous if I weighed less.)
3. Maintain weight at 150 for a while. Then continue to lose.
4. Continue with diet but much less aggressively. Somewhere between my current weight loss program and maintaining.

Right now I am leaning toward choice 3. It would give my body a rest, and I could learn how to eat and exercise on a maintenance basis.

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, apple, walnuts, protein powder
Lunch: Soup (leftover navy beans and garlic from last night, butternut squash (am I glad to be finished with this squash. it was too much of a good thing), tomato, celery, onion, salt) topped with cheddar
Snack: Green tea (with mint), grapes
Dinner: Tempeh in pasta sauce (Classico tomato and basil brand) with zucchini and onion added, served over gluten-free pasta
Snack: Pinot noir, half apple with peanut butter, popcorn

Exercise
12,000 steps. I deliberately went over my goal of 10,000 because tomorrow is a busy day. I am going to apply 2,000 of today's steps to tomorrow, which will allow me to walk only 8,000 steps tomorrow.
 
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September 30

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts
Snack: Apple, green tea
Lunch: Cheese, raw veggies (carrot, celery, red bell pepper, tomato)
Snack: Popcorn
Dinner: Cod (lemon juice), kidney beans (garlic, tumeric), spinach, corn
Snack: Pinot noir, one chocolate truffle, popcorn, almonds

Exercise
Walked 8,500 steps.
 
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October 1

Fall is really here. It is quite crisp outside.

Menu
Breakfast: Omelet (egg, egg white, spinach, cheddar, salsa), half grapefruit
Snack: Yogurt, protein powder, blueberries, almonds, raisins
Lunch: Tempeh, brown rice, sweet potato (cinnamon), broccoli
Snack: Corn tortilla with spinach, cheddar, salsa, decaf coffee
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), gluten-free pasta and sauce (Classico tomato & basil brand, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, hot red pepper)
Snack: Grapefruit, almonds, dried cranberries

Exercise
Walked 13,000 steps. Will enable me to do a shorter 7,000-step walk tomorrow, which promises to be another busy day.
 
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October 2

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts
Snack: Green tea
Lunch: Cheese, raw vegetables (carrot, celery, green bell pepper)
Snack: Apple and peanut butter, decaf coffee with soymilk
Dinner: Acorn squash, corn, tempeh, broccoli
Snack:

Exercise
Walked 7,000 steps. So glad I did a little yesterday. It was raining this evening and I wouldn't have been able to do a full 10,000.

I hit my goal this morning. The scale weighed me at 149 pounds. I am going to go a little easier the next few days, increase my calories to about 1800, start slowing the loss. I have ordered a book on maintaining weight loss, and am eager to hear what it says. I think I will try to hit 145, but not right away, and then see how I feel. I read a study about middle-age spread and apparently slender women with BMIs of 20-22.5 have longer lives. To get 22.5 I would have to weigh 137. That may be my ultimate goal, but for now I am taking it nice and slow to 145 and will try to get there by Thanksgiving.
 
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October 3

Menu
Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, soy milk
Lunch: Stew (swiss chard, lentils, Classico brand pasta sauce, garlic, thyme, hot red pepper)
Snack: Grapes, popcorn
Dinner: Salmon, acorn squash, cabbage
Snack: Pinot noir, apple, almonds

Exercise
Walked 11,000 steps.

Went to open air market today: delicata squash, green bell peppers, eggplants, swiss chard, cauliflower, cabbage, apples, grapes. Also got a book called No White at Night by Bill Gavin that gives three rules for diet: (1) eat protein at every meal, (2) no skipping meals, (3) no refined carbs (white food) at night. It is a slender book. I will post anything interesting I read in it.
 
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October 4

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, protein powder, blueberries
Snack: Grapes, almonds
Lunch: Stew (swiss chard, navy beans, tomato paste, garlic, hot red pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning) over gluten-free pasta topped with cheddar
Dinner: Raw vegetables (carrot, celery, green pepper), salmon (lemon juice)
Snack: Petite sirah, almonds, apple

Exercise
Walked 14,000 steps. This will enable me to do a shorter walk tomorrow.
 
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October 5

Menu
Breakfast: Yougurt, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts
Snack: Tea, grapes
Lunch: Cheese, raw vegetables (cauliflower, green pepper)
Snack: Popcorn, apple
Dinner: Omelet (egg, egg white, spinach, onion, salsa, cooking spray), spaghetti squash topped with Classico brand tomato & basil pasta sauce and blue cheese
Snack:

Exercise
Walked 9,000 steps
 
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October 6

Menu
Breakfast: Soymilk, protein powder, blueberries
Snack: Grapes, green tea
Lunch: Two corn tortillas filled with refried black beans (La Prefirida brand) and cheddar, vegetable soup (cabbage, potato, carrot, celery, onion, tomato paste, garlic, hot red pepper)
Snack: Apple, peanut butter
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), spinach, spaghetti squash
Snack: Popcorn

Exercise
Walk 12,000 steps
 
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October 7

Menu
Breakfast: Soy milk, yogurt, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts
Snack: Grapes, green tea
Lunch: Refried black beans (LaPrefirida brand) on three corn tortillas with cheddar, broccoli
Dinner: Classico brand spaghetti sauce with eggplant, green pepper, onion added, served over brown rice. Egg and egg white.
Snack: Half grapefruit

Exercise
Walked 10,000 steps.
 
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October 8

Menu
Breakfast: Soymilk, yogurt, protein powder, blueberries
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Egg salad (egg, egg white, miracle whip, garbanzo beans, onion, celery), delicata squash, broccoli
Snack: Baked apple (cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon juice, walnuts) with yogurt
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), eggplant and garlic in Classico brand tomato & basil pasta sauce, braised carrots and cabbage (balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar)
Snack: Popcorn, one chocolate truffle


Exercise
Walked 11,000 steps
 
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October 9

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts
Snack: Grapes, green tea
Lunch: Cheese, popcorn
Snack: Raw vegetables (carrot, celery, green pepper)
Dinner: Black beans, two corn tortillas, salsa
Snack: Pinot noir, apple, full-fat cheddar

Exercise
Walked 5,000 steps.

Had a bad night last night, and overslept, which is why my walking was so little today. I was still to tired after work to do much. Fortunately I had a surplus of steps built up earlier in the week.

Someone handed me a delightful little chocolate cupcake with sprinkles today. It was so cute. If it hadn't been for the truffle yesterday, I probably would have eaten it. As it was, I resisted. Astonishing.

I tidied my closet today and found I can ALMOST fit into a US size 6 skirt I have. I have never worn it; someone gave it to me about 4 years ago. I was astonished. I have not worn less than a size 12 in nearly 20 years. It made me glad I resisted the cupcake.

My weight is still bouncing around between 149 and 152. I try to be patient because I know I am doing most things right, and now that I have added a few extra calories, the weight will come off slower. However, I am still in deficit, and it should come off, not plateau.
 
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October 10

Menu
Breakfast: Soymilk, protein powder, blueberries
Snack: Apple, almonds
Lunch: Gluten-free pasta topped with sauce (Classico brand tomato basil sauce, lentils, swiss chard, garlic, hot red pepper) and blue cheese
Snack: Decaf coffee, grapes
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), Brussels sprouts, carnival squash
Snack: Pocorn, one chocolate truffle, diet coke

Exercise
Walked 14,000 steps.
 
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October 11

Menu
Breakfast: Scrambled egg and egg white (coooking spray) on two corn tortillas with salsa
Snack: Apple, almonds
Lunch: Stew (kale, Classico brand tomato & basil pasta sauce, garlic, hot red pepper) topped with blue cheese
Snack: Raisins, grapes, green tea
Dinner: Cod (lemon juice), brussels sprouts, carnival squash
Snack: Pear, full-fat cheddar

Exercise
Walked 10,000 steps (a real effort today. It was cold and I was tired.)

I am down another pound to 148 this morning.
 
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October 12

Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts
Snack: Popcorn
Lunch: Cheese, raw vegetables (carrot, green bell pepper), green tea
Snack: Grapes
Dinner: Salmon (lemon juice), garbanzo beans, cauliflower, sweet potato
Snack: Pear, full-fat cheddar

Exercise
Walked 10,000 steps.
 
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