Thu Nov 29, 2012, 705 cal

Thu Nov 29, 2012, 705 cal (95 g carb), 189.9 lbs

Very little change from yesterday. I'll call it just random fluctuation...

-- breakfast
125 cal (25 g carb) oatmeal (plain + 1 tsp brown sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon)
-- lunch
180 cal (23 g carb) Special K protein meal bar, honey almond
-- dinner
400 cal (47 g carb) Subway 6" Tuscan chicken melt (flatbread, swiss, lettuce, tomato, no sauce)
-- exercise
1.2 mi walking

Wed Nov 28, 2012, ??? cal

Wed Nov 28, 2012, ??? cal (?? g carb), 190.0 lbs

We had a stupid going away lunch for some people at work at a Thai restaurant and everything was served family style. Unknown foods in unknown quanties. I had about 5 different things at about 1/4-1/3 cup each. How many calories is that? Fortunately I skipped breakfast.

-- breakfast
0 green tea
-- lunch
200-600 cal thai food
-- dinner
420 cal (41 g carb) chicken taco (no tortilla, cheese, lettuce, pico: 205c12g), 13 tortilla chips (195c26g)
-- exercise
1.5 mi walking
3 flights of stairs (up&down)

Tue Nov 27, 2012, 800 cal

Tue Nov 27, 2012, 800 cal (101 g carb), 191.3 lbs

I am so cold lately. You'd think with all the blubber I'm carrying around that I would be warmer.

-- breakfast
190 cal (29 g carb) Special K protein shake, milk chocolate
-- lunch
170 cal (26 g carb) Special K protein meal bar, chocolatey chip
-- dinner
440 cal (46 g carb) Popeye's loaded chicken wrap (310c33g) + biscuit, Popeye's (260c,26g) * 1/2
-- exercise
1.5 mi walking
5 flights of stairs (up&down)

Mon Nov 26, 2012, 790 cal

Mon Nov 26, 2012, 790 cal (72 g carb), 192.0 lbs

The Thanksgiving holiday was hard but I think I did pretty well. It looks like I gained one pound over the four days. I'll just try to tell myself that just delays me reaching me next goal weight for a few days -- nothing tragic. (If I keep repeating that I will believe it, right?)

Now that I am back home I can track and control so much better.

-- breakfast
165 cal (30 g carb) Special K cereal, cinnamon pecan, 3/4 c (120c24g) + 1/2 c non-fat milk (45c6g)
-- lunch
400 cal (28 g carb) chicken fresco lunch plate (green beans, cheddar mashed potato)
110 cal (12 g carb) small garlic cheese biscuit
-- dinner

116 cal (2 g carb) Egg Beaters 4 oz 2-1/2 eggs (56c2g) + swiss cheese 1 slice 21g (60c1g)

-- exercise
none

Surviving Thanksgiving

This won't be super interesting to anyone but I need to record it to keep me honest. All calorie counts are just estimates. I decided it will be too hard to be accurate.

Breakfast/Brunch

- What I ate: ~300
-- 165 Special K + milk 1%?
-- 60 Small orange
-- 75 1/2 slice homemade bread
-- peppermint tea

- What I didn't eat (yay me!)
-- Mini chocolate cupcakes
-- Mini quiches
-- Ritz crackers
-- Chocolate peanut butter spread
-- Nuts

Afternoon snacks

- What I ate: ~175
-- 30 4 almonds
-- 16 4 olives
-- 50 carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber spears
-- 75 1/2 slice homemade bread

- What I didn't eat (yay me!)
-- Mini quiches
-- crackers and cheese (I love crackers and cheese!)

Awesome news! We were going to have Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (110 each) with dinner which I absolutely adore and couldn't have possibly stayed away from but I think I heard we aren't going to have them.

Update: crescent rolls are back on. Goddess help me!

Dinner

- What I ate: ~650
-- 130 Turkey
-- 75 1/4 c mashed potatoes
-- 180 1/2 c stuffing
-- 30 1/4 c peas
-- 75 1/2 slice homemade bread
-- 160 1/2 slice pumpkin pie

- What I didn't eat
-- Crescent rolls
-- Chocolate mints
-- some other things I don't like (eg turnips) so they don't count as an accomplishment

I'm actually really super uncomfortably full even though I don't think I ate very much. Maybe my stomach has shrunk a lot after two weeks of an average of 700 calories for the whole day and having that much in one sitting was too much...

Community while Away?

I'll be away from home and away from my scale and away from control for a few days. I won't be able to weigh myself until I get back. I won't be able to count calories well because I'm not good at measuring portions or guessing about strange foods...

I need to find a community to help with motivation and control...

I'm sure most of us struggle during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving which seems to be devoted to food.

Stay strong! Control. Moderation. Relax and enjoy.

Tue Nov 20, 2012, 655 cal

Tue Nov 20, 2012, 655 cal (84 g carb), 192.5 lbs

Does anyone else have weird thoughts? Here's one of my mine. Sometimes in the morning I think to myself: if I don't use my face moisturizer until after my weighing, I'll weigh less.

-- breakfast
190 cal (29 g carb) Special K protein shake dark chocolate
-- lunch
125 cal (25 g carb) oatmeal (plain + 1 tsp brown sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon)
-- dinner
205 cal (12 g carb) Moe's chicken taco, beans lettuce cheese, no shell
135 cal (18 g carb) 9 tortilla chips
-- exercise
1.7 mi walking
1 flights of stairs (up&down)

Mon Nov 19, 2012, 605 cal

Mon Nov 19, 2012, 605 cal (105 g carb), 193.1 lbs

I had kind of a crummy day today but only 605 calories so I can be proud of that! Stay strong, everyone.

-- breakfast
125 cal (25 g carb) oatmeal (plain + 1 tsp brown sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon)
-- lunch
116 cal (3 g carb) Egg Beaters 4 oz (56c2g) + swiss cheese 1 slice 21g (60c1g)
104 cal (26 g carb) Banana, med 7"
-- dinner
80 cal (15 g carb) Panera chicken noodle soup (80c15g) + baguette
180 cal (36 g carb) Panera baguette, side portion
-- exercise
2.1 mi walking
6 flights of stairs (up&down)

Sun Nov 18, 2012, 816 cal

Sun Nov 18, 2012, 816 cal (62 g carb), 193.6 lbs

-- breakfast
165 cal (29 g carb) Special K cereal, 1 c (120c23g) + 1/2 c nonfat milk (45c6g)
55 cal (8 g carb) cocoa: (1/4 c nonfat milk (23c3g) + 1 Tbsp ben & jerry's hot fudge sauce (60c10g) * 2/3 (shared with GF)
-- lunch
420 cal (20 g carb) Five Guys little hamburger (480c39g) - 1/2 bun (60c20g est)
60 cal (2 g carb) 10 peanuts
-- dinner
116 cal (3 g carb) 1 Egg Beater 4 oz (56c2g) + swiss cheese 1 slice 21g (60c1g)
-- exercise
0.25 mi walking

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 849 cal

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 849 cal (116 g carb), 194.0 lbs

My GF had to go into work a bit today just before lunch and she brought lunch with her. So for lunch I had a protein snack bar (100). When she got back in the late afternoon, it turns out she hadn't eaten after all. So we went out for lunch and I had chili (400). That put me up to 850 before dinner. I'll need something small and healthy tonight. (Update: I was able to skip dinner so 850 for the day.)

-- breakfast
235 cal (45 g carb) 1 c raisin bran (190c45g), 1/2 c nonfat milk (45c6g)
104 cal (26 g carb) Banana, med 7"
-- lunch
110 cal (15 g carb) protein snack bar, Special K chocolate peanut
400 cal (30 g carb) cup of chili , cheese (300c30g est) + <7 tortilla chips (100c6g)
-- dinner
none!
-- exercise
0.5 mi walking

Strange weight...

193.8? I can't have lost a pound in one day. It's impossible. I don't trust my scale. Many times in the past it would give the exact same number as the day before. I can't weigh exactly the same to the tenth of a pound everyday.

I do five weighings: (1) normal, (2) half off the scale to get a low weight, (3) normal, (4) holding something heavy to get a high weigh, (5) normal. Then I look at the three normal weights and pick one.

(Update: I weighted myself again a little later (after breakfast) and got 193.7/194.0/194.1. I'll claim the 194.0 for today and see what tomorrow brings.)

Fri Nov 16, 2012 570 cal

Fri Nov 16, 2012 570 cal (84 g carb) 194.8 lbs

Reached my second, modest goal: 195 lbs. The next whole number in the BMI chart is 189 lbs (bmi 28). Maybe that's the next goal?

I actually meant to eat more today but apparently I didn't.

-- breakfast
125 cal (25 g carb) oatmeal (plain + 1 tsp brown sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon)
-- lunch
90 cal (16 g carb) yoplait light yogurt, orange creme
-- dinner
230 cal (23 carb) Wendy's Grilled Chicken Go Wrap (no sauce)
25 cal (5 carb) Wendy's garden side salad (no dressing)
100 cal (20 g carb) Special K Snack crisp
-- exercise
2.0 mi walking
8 flights of stairs (up&down)

Goal Weight 2

This morning: I step on the scale and hold my breath. This body weighs one nine four point eight zero. I am officially standing on goal weight number two. Yay!

It's still a small goal but good to reach.

I will not celebrate with food.

Thu Nov 15, 2012, 775 cal

Thu Nov 15, 2012, 775 cal (90 g carb), 195.4 lbs

OK, today in the halls at work I smelled chocolate one time and the Buffalo wings another time. What's going on?

-- breakfast
125 cal (25 g carb) oatmeal (plain + 1 tsp brown sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon)
-- lunch
80 cal (1 g carb) 2 oz roasted chicken (Purdue Short Cuts)
-- dinner
570 cal (64 g carb) 6" Subway meatball marinara sub
-- exercise
2.0 mi walking
7 flights of stairs (up&down)

Wed Nov 14, 2012, 670 cal

Wed Nov 14, 2012, 670 cal (85 g carb), 195.7 lbs

Nothing much to say. The day went well. At one point when I was walking the halls at work I thought I smelled cinnamon raisin toast. I don't know if it was real or my imagination but it sure smelled good.

-- breakfast
110 cal (2 g carb) 1 Egg Beater cup (60c2g) + light string cheese Frigo Cheese Heads(50c0g)
-- lunch
220 cal (40 g carb) macaroni & cheese, Kraft instant
-- dinner
340 cal (43 g carb) 1/2 Herby Turkey on sundried tomato bagel (540c72g), 1/2 chicken spaetzle soup (140c15g)
-- exercise
2.4 mi walking
9 flights of stairs (up&down)

Tue Nov 13, 2012, 724 cal

Tue Nov 13, 2012, 724 cal (95 g carb), 196.3 lbs

I'm not sure that's the right weight. :-( I couldn't find the scrap of paper I wrote it on this morning. I'll adjust it if I find it in the morning.

Tomorrow going out to dinner with friends. Wish me luck!

-- breakfast:
180 cal (23 g carb) protein meal bar, Special K honey almond
--lunch:
104 cal (26 g carb) Banana, med 7"
--dinner:
440 cal (46 g carb) Popeye's loaded chicken wrap ( 310c33g) + biscuit, Popeye's (260c,26g) * 1/2
--exercise
2.0 mi
9 flights of stairs (up&down)

Mon Nov 12, 2012, 795 cal

Mon Nov 12, 2012, 795 cal (114 g b), 196.9 lbs

Not much to say. Today was hard. Was tempted to chew food for the taste and spit it out but resisted. I'm only in my first week. I can stay strong and not revert to bad habits.

-- breakfast:
165 30 cereal, Special K cinnamon pecan, 3/4 c (120c24g) + 1/2 c non-fat milk (45c6g)
-- lunch
80 cal (1 g carb) Chicken, Purdue shortcuts 1/4 package
-- dinner
550 cal (84 g carb) pasta + sauce (500?c70g), 1/2 breadstick (50c14g)
-- exercise
2.3 mi walking

A Pint's a Pound the Word Around

A pint (16 fl oz) of water weighs a pound (16 oz). There are 2 tablespoons in a ounce so 0.1 lbs = 1.6 oz = 3.2 Tbsp.

Drinking a cup of water will (temporarily) increase your weight by a 1/2 pound.

An extra 3 tablespoons of water in your system will add 0.1 lb to your weight.

I'm not saying this to avoid drinking water. Drink lots of water. It's important and healthy.

I'm saying this to account for daily variations in weight and to make myself feel better when some days don't look as good as others.

I'm in this for the long haul, not just to see daily drops.

Stay strong!

Sun Nov 11, 2012, 675 cal

Sun Nov 11, 2012, 675 cal (99 g carb), 197.4 lbs

I've already confessed about not losing any weight this morning. I'm hoping today will be better, but we won't know until the morning. (The weights posted are my morning weights.)

I did manage to drag myself out for a walk today. I was able to read a book while walking so that made it more fun.

-- breakfast:
165 cal (29 g carb) 1 c Special K (120c23g) + 1/2 c nonfat milk (45c6g)
-- lunch
330 cal (45 g carb) 1 slice cheese pizza (300?c40?g), small salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cabbage) no dressing (30c5g), unsweetened tea (0)
-- dinner
180 cal (25 g carb) Special K protein meal bar
-- exercise
1.4 mi walking

No change? That sucks!

I weighed the same today as yesterday. :-( I was hoping my weight would have gone down a little because that would have been positive reinforcement for healthier eating ("don’t go below 1000 calories"). Instead it gives reinforcement to the “don’t eat” voices in my head. Also I’m scared maybe my restricting lowered my metabolism and now I’ll just start gaining weight again!

Intellectually I know there will be variations. Weekends are different and my morning rituals are different so my weighing time and conditions will be different. There are so many variations, even just in the scale itself. I should expect day-to-day variation and I should look at things from a longer term perspective. For example, this past week I lost four and a half pounds.

I’m taking deep breaths and trying not to go to any extremes. Consistency and patience are key to losing weight.

Stay strong!

Hiccups

I got a wicked case of the hiccups. I bet it is from eating so much or too fast. That should teach me a lesson.

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 1010 cal

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 1010 cal (94 g carb), 197.4 lbs

Weekends are hard. The weekdays are very structured so it isn't too hard to be good. I will have to be extra strong...

Looks like I went over 1000 calories. That's probably not a bad thing since "they" say not to go below 1000 calories. We'll see what the scale says in the morning.

-- breakfast:
235 cal (45 g carb) 1 c raisin bran (190c45g), 1/2 c nonfat milk (45c6g)
205 cal ( g carb) hot cocoa (80 cocoa powder + 35 raspberry syrup + 90 nonfat milk)
--lunch:
180 cal (25 g carb) special K protein meal bar
--dinner:
390 cal (24 g carb) moe's joey jr (no tortilla, no rice, chicken, black beans, lettuce, cheese, tomato: 300c11g), salsa (15c3g), 5 tortilla chips (75c,10g)
--exercise
1.7 mi
1 flight of stairs (up&down)

New blog

I just copied my few Google+ posts to Blogger. Hopefully no one got spammed with the updates.

Off to the mall to shop and walk and hopefully have a sensible lunch. Wish me luck, please! If you all can stay strong, so can I!

Going back in time

I was writing my weight in code in a notebook so I left out the decimal points:

    2021, 2008, 2003, 1997, 1983, 1974.

They look like years. I started out in the future and just went past my birthday! I can't wait until I'm in the Renaissance! ;-)

Fri Nov 9, 2012, 705 cal

Fri Nov 9, 2012, 705 cal (100 g carb), 198.3 lbs

Here are yesterday's numbers. Sorry I didn't post last night but we went to a local band's CD release party and I was too tired.

Hit my first goal weight. I know it was modest but I wasn't sure how well this would go. If I were only losing the recommended 1-2 lbs / week it would have taken a while. Goal weight #2 is equally modest but it puts me firmly in the next lower bracket of the BMI chart. Granted, that's the "overweight" bracket but that's better than "obese". Once I hit that, maybe I'll get more aggressive.

It's hard to guess sizes and calories at local restaurants that don't post nutrition information. I do my best and don't worry too much about it. The sub was comparable to a Subway sub so I used their numbers plus a little bit.

-- breakfast:
180 cal (25 g carb) protein meal bar (Special K)
--lunch:
125 cal (25 g carb) oatmeal (plain + 1 tsp brown sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon)
--dinner:
400? cal (50? g carb) 6" roast beef/turkey sub, lettuce, tomato, no dressing
--exercise
9 flights of stairs (up&down)
1.3 mi walking

Every time I feel hungry...

Every time I feel hungry I'm losing weight. Every hunger pang is the dying echo of some fat cells.

Thu Nov 8, 2012, 428 cal

Thu Nov 8, 2012: 428 cal (66 g carb), 199.7 lbs

Getting closer to my very modest first goal! :-) I wore some smaller pants today. I did that to help stay strong. (I haven't lost that much weight and they are tight.)

I'm usually kind of depressed. The last few days I've felt happy/euphoric/manic. Is that something chemical from too few calories or is the endorphins from the extra exercise or is feeling good for finally taking control of myself again. I don't remember this feeling back from my last time, back before I got "better" (fat).

Stay strong!

-- breakfast:
190 cal (29 g carb) Special K protein shake
-- lunch:
78 cal (1 g carb) 2 oz roasted chicken (Purdue Short Cuts)
-- dinner:
80 cal (15 g carb) chicken noodle soup (Panera, cup not bowl)
80 cal (21 g carb) small apple
-- exercise:
12 flights of stairs (up&down)
1.7 miles walking

Wed Nov 7, 2012, 708 cal

Wed Nov 7, 2012: 708 cal (68 g carb), 200.3 lbs

My rules (for me, not for anyone else):

• Never purge. Never.
• No laxatives, diuretics, or other pills.
• No cutting.

Stay strong!

-- breakfast:
165 cal (30 g carb) cereal (Special K cinnamon pecan) + 1/2 c non-fat milk
-- lunch:
78 cal (1 g carb) 2 oz roasted chicken (Purdue Short Cuts)
-- dinner:
200? cal (15 g carb) 1/4 chicken & cheese quesadilla (no sauce)
250 cal (20 g carb) 1 slice cheese pizza (Little Caesar's)
15 cal (2 g carb) 1 tortilla chip
-- exercise:
9 flights of stairs (up&down)
1.2 miles walking

Tue Nov 6, 2012, 815 cal

Tue Nov 6, 2012: 815 cal (139g carb), 200.8 lbs

Did some walking today. That's good. Got tricked by the "single serving" vs "servings per container" stats on the OJ. That's bad. Told my body we were "hunting food" and not to go into power-saving mode while walking. Avoided left over Halloween candy.

Stay strong!

-- breakfast:
125 cal (25g carb) oatmeal + 1 tsp brown sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon
-- lunch:
90 cal (16g carb) light yogurt
-- dinner:
300? cal (35g? carb) small pork taco, bbq sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomato
90 cal (12g carb) 6 tortilla chips
210 cal (51g carb) 15 oz orange juice
-- exercise:
13 flights of stairs (up&down)
1.2 miles walking

Mon Nov 5, 2012, 615 cal

Mon Nov 5, 2012: 615 cal (81g carb), 202.1 lbs

I can't throw food away so I have to eat the leftovers from before I started. That's why the cheese bread. I know it's not healthy and I promise to do better tomorrow. Also I have way too much leftover Halloween candy. I'll bring that to work and let my coworkers eat it.

My total intake today is probably too low to be healthy but it was my first day and I was up for it.

Stay Strong!

-- breakfast:
100 cal (27g carb) med banana
130 cal (13g carb) 1 sl Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread
-- lunch:
130 cal (13g carb) 1 sl Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread
-- dinner:
230 cal (23 carb) Wendy's Grilled Chicken Go Wrap
25 cal (5 carb) Wendy's garden side salad (no dressing)
-- exercise: none

Douglas Crockford's take on weight loss

This looks like some good common sense about losing weight.

Permanent Weight Loss
http://www.crockford.com/pwl/
"... It requires two things: First, you need to be getting enough to eat. If your body thinks it is starving (which is how most diets work) then it stays in power-saver mode. You need to convince your body that you are not going to starve. Second, you need to work for your food. The hunters and gatherers did that mostly by walking around. I recommend at least an hour of walking every day. If there is just enough to eat, and if we are active, then the power-saver mode clicks off and slowly the fat comes off. ... The demons will tell you that there are no calories in a broken dorito or a broken cookie. Don't listen to them. ..."