There's not much to say about this Saturday. Things went smoother than ever before in terms of coping with hunger. I ate pretty healthily and came out at about 1430 calories for the day. I'm wondering what I'm going to do when I'm through with the whole wheat sweet potato bread I've been eating for breakfast on counting days. It's about as healthy and satisfying as things get, but I think I have very little left. I'll either have to bake again, or go back to whole wheat toast.
It seems that my body has adjusted to having between 1400-1500 calories such that I'm not struggling so hard with hunger. I'm still hungry, but it's not making me quite as crazy. I'm slightly concerned that the adjustment may mean my body may not burn calories so readily, but I'm not going to worry too much about that. I'm just going to be happy to have a low calorie day where I wasn't being driven crazy by a gnawing pain in the gut.
Showing posts with label Saturday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saturday. Show all posts
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Saturday: October 10, 2009
Today, I had what I consider to be my first "Russian doll" moment. That is, I could see an overall reduction in size rather than just specific areas shrinking. It's like the somewhat smaller doll inside the largest doll of the nested Russian dolls (though I'm not getting any shorter...yet). It's not a huge, dramatic difference, but both my husband and I noticed it. There are a lot more smaller dolls to peel away to, but it's going to take time.
On the calorie counting front, I did exceptionally well with some huge hunger battling between 6:00-8:00 pm. I had yogurt orange bread and coffee, the world's least-stacked ham, cheese, and avocado sandwich on whole wheat bread, tomato soup, a persimmon, rice, chicken, onions, and a sugar-free hot chocolate. Even though I "allowed" myself 1500 calories, I landed at 1408. Not snacking is what allowed this, but it was pretty rough.
The fight to not eat something (and almost certainly the lower calorie count) was assisted by the rare consumption of a take-out meal for dinner. My husband was bringing dinner home and I had to wait for him to bring it. Every time I wanted to snack on something, I focused on the fact that I'd rather have a "perfect" dinner with an intact appetite than spoil it by eating something an hour or two before the meal. It also helped to take a 35-minute walk while I waited.
I've only recently read about "calorie cycling" on weight loss blogs and forums, but it's something which I've been aware of since the days when I followed a low carb support group. People who were following low carb or Atkins diet and were plateauing in their weight loss would find that they'd suddenly lose more if they slipped up and ate more or more carbs. That is, eating low calorie day-in and day-out isn't necessarily the best way to go.
The way I've been handling my eating is a natural form of calorie cycling since I eat somewhat more on days that I don't count. I didn't realize this helped you make progress by preventing your body from going into starvation mode or adjusting to lower calories as its new set point. It does encourage me to keep following the plan as it currently is rather than to count every day. I can't say that bothers me as I still hate counting.
On the calorie counting front, I did exceptionally well with some huge hunger battling between 6:00-8:00 pm. I had yogurt orange bread and coffee, the world's least-stacked ham, cheese, and avocado sandwich on whole wheat bread, tomato soup, a persimmon, rice, chicken, onions, and a sugar-free hot chocolate. Even though I "allowed" myself 1500 calories, I landed at 1408. Not snacking is what allowed this, but it was pretty rough.
The fight to not eat something (and almost certainly the lower calorie count) was assisted by the rare consumption of a take-out meal for dinner. My husband was bringing dinner home and I had to wait for him to bring it. Every time I wanted to snack on something, I focused on the fact that I'd rather have a "perfect" dinner with an intact appetite than spoil it by eating something an hour or two before the meal. It also helped to take a 35-minute walk while I waited.
I've only recently read about "calorie cycling" on weight loss blogs and forums, but it's something which I've been aware of since the days when I followed a low carb support group. People who were following low carb or Atkins diet and were plateauing in their weight loss would find that they'd suddenly lose more if they slipped up and ate more or more carbs. That is, eating low calorie day-in and day-out isn't necessarily the best way to go.
The way I've been handling my eating is a natural form of calorie cycling since I eat somewhat more on days that I don't count. I didn't realize this helped you make progress by preventing your body from going into starvation mode or adjusting to lower calories as its new set point. It does encourage me to keep following the plan as it currently is rather than to count every day. I can't say that bothers me as I still hate counting.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday: October 3, 2009 (late posting)
Last night, I noticed another change in my body which was encouraging. I noticed that my belly apron is hanging a little higher. This sounds gross, but it's hard to talk about your bodily changes without discussing such things, but there is air getting to places that weren't getting any exposure before. This, and a successful Saturday total made for a generally good day on the weight loss front.
I have adopted the use of reduced calorie margarine in my eating patterns with some reluctance. I don't want to eat butter because it is so dense in calories, but find that adding a fat-based spread to my breakfast keeps me sated longer. I'm partial to having small pieces of quick breads made with whole wheat flour and mashed fruit (bananas or apples) or vegetables (pumpkin or sweet potato) with little or no sugar in them for breakfast and they see me through much better if I lightly spread them with a fat. Note that I have to make such things myself in order to have control over the sugar content and to be sure it's truly whole wheat flour and not some mix of white and wheat. Given the choice of extended satiety and 35 added calories of margarine or 70 added calories of butter, I'm taking the low road (as it were).
I realize that I can avoid this issue entirely by eating yogurt or oatmeal, but I know my tastes and limits. If I hate what I'm eating, I'm almost certainly going to fail in changing my lifestyle. It's not that I hate either yogurt or oatmeal, but rather that I can't stomach eating them all of the time. I'd rather figure out a way to eat various enjoyable (but nutritious) things and stay sufficiently low calorie as well. Margarine, like diet sodas, is an evil I'll endure for awhile. That being said, I don't eat it everyday.
My daily total was 1410 for Saturday and the menu plan was similar to that on Thursday - sweet potato bread with margarine and coffee for breakfast, chef's salad for lunch, banana smoothie and crackers for a snack, and chicken with vegetable soup for dinner.
I have adopted the use of reduced calorie margarine in my eating patterns with some reluctance. I don't want to eat butter because it is so dense in calories, but find that adding a fat-based spread to my breakfast keeps me sated longer. I'm partial to having small pieces of quick breads made with whole wheat flour and mashed fruit (bananas or apples) or vegetables (pumpkin or sweet potato) with little or no sugar in them for breakfast and they see me through much better if I lightly spread them with a fat. Note that I have to make such things myself in order to have control over the sugar content and to be sure it's truly whole wheat flour and not some mix of white and wheat. Given the choice of extended satiety and 35 added calories of margarine or 70 added calories of butter, I'm taking the low road (as it were).
I realize that I can avoid this issue entirely by eating yogurt or oatmeal, but I know my tastes and limits. If I hate what I'm eating, I'm almost certainly going to fail in changing my lifestyle. It's not that I hate either yogurt or oatmeal, but rather that I can't stomach eating them all of the time. I'd rather figure out a way to eat various enjoyable (but nutritious) things and stay sufficiently low calorie as well. Margarine, like diet sodas, is an evil I'll endure for awhile. That being said, I don't eat it everyday.
My daily total was 1410 for Saturday and the menu plan was similar to that on Thursday - sweet potato bread with margarine and coffee for breakfast, chef's salad for lunch, banana smoothie and crackers for a snack, and chicken with vegetable soup for dinner.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Saturday: September 24, 2009 (late posting)
Lately, Saturdays have been so packed with work and extra household activity that I can't find a moment to clear my head and blog. Fortunately, last Saturday was easily successful due to having a vegetarian day and judicious allocation of calories. I finished the day at 1405 thanks to a yogurt parfait for breakfast (yogurt layered with tiny amounts of honey and half a banana), hummus for lunch, a banana smoothie, and a chef's salad for dinner. The snack was cheese and pretzels in carefully controlled portions.
That being said, I'm starting to grow impatient with my "watch my body" change progress checking. Part of the problem with it is that progress can only be measured in noticeable hops and there are stretches of time when I note no progress. When the time comes and I suddenly note some difference (like I'm swimming in my shirts), it's very gratifying, but there are weeks when I think I should try out the scale. That being said, I'm still worried that seeing real numbers may have a more harmful effect than beneficial one. The bottom line is not knowing how far I have to go or how far I've gone tends to be more encouraging than discouraging.
That being said, I'm starting to grow impatient with my "watch my body" change progress checking. Part of the problem with it is that progress can only be measured in noticeable hops and there are stretches of time when I note no progress. When the time comes and I suddenly note some difference (like I'm swimming in my shirts), it's very gratifying, but there are weeks when I think I should try out the scale. That being said, I'm still worried that seeing real numbers may have a more harmful effect than beneficial one. The bottom line is not knowing how far I have to go or how far I've gone tends to be more encouraging than discouraging.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday: September 19, 2009 (late posting)
I'm starting to find it difficult to post as frequently to this blog for various reasons. One is that this account is separated from the others that I do in order to maintain anonymity from readers of my other blogs. Accessing this one requires me to sign out of one identity and log in under another. I'm hoping to make a little money (some day) off of the other blogs and I don't want fat-hating bias to influence my readership. Yes, I'm that sure there is weight-related prejudice. It's not like I haven't spent most of my life experiencing it.
Another reason is that I've gotten a lot of things off of my chest about issues already and don't have as much to say. There's still more, of course, but I'm finding it harder to find the time to say such things at the right moment. By the time I have a chance to write about them here, I've forgotten them!
Getting to the last Saturday of calorie counting though... My counts were around 1400, which was good, but I'm starting to develop an issue with chocolate, which is bad. That is, I'm not scarfing down vast quantities of it, but I am wasting up to 200 calories per day on it. Mainly, I'm a victim of eating those lovely 100 calorie York wafer bars and then nibbling on 2-3 pieces of small (Hershey's Kiss size) chocolates. I'm finding it harder to put the breaks on once I get started and have to mentally "shake" myself to stop. This is a slippery slope, and a wise person would probably get off the top of the hill and stop taking chances. I'm hoping to do better.
My bodily changes continue to be noticeable at a reasonable pace. I'd say that I'm likely losing 10 lbs. a month on average. Right now, I've noticed that my bulges are starting to resemble deflating balloons. I've noticed that my belly apron has shrunk such that more of my upper thighs are showing and all of my flabbiness is getting softer and squishier as the fat cells shrink and the skin goes slack. I sometimes wonder how long it will take for the stretched skin to retract (and if it ever will entirely), but that's not really my main concern right now.
I'm also noticing that I'm closing in on starting to swim in my current shirts. They were a bit loose to begin with, but now it's almost to the stage where it's hard to position the neckline so it doesn't sag down like some Flashdance era sweatshirt. The only difference is that I'm not Jennifer Beals and it's not sexy having my bra straps revealed by my too large shirts. All in all though, it's a good sign, but I'm going to need some new shirts soon.
Another reason is that I've gotten a lot of things off of my chest about issues already and don't have as much to say. There's still more, of course, but I'm finding it harder to find the time to say such things at the right moment. By the time I have a chance to write about them here, I've forgotten them!
Getting to the last Saturday of calorie counting though... My counts were around 1400, which was good, but I'm starting to develop an issue with chocolate, which is bad. That is, I'm not scarfing down vast quantities of it, but I am wasting up to 200 calories per day on it. Mainly, I'm a victim of eating those lovely 100 calorie York wafer bars and then nibbling on 2-3 pieces of small (Hershey's Kiss size) chocolates. I'm finding it harder to put the breaks on once I get started and have to mentally "shake" myself to stop. This is a slippery slope, and a wise person would probably get off the top of the hill and stop taking chances. I'm hoping to do better.
My bodily changes continue to be noticeable at a reasonable pace. I'd say that I'm likely losing 10 lbs. a month on average. Right now, I've noticed that my bulges are starting to resemble deflating balloons. I've noticed that my belly apron has shrunk such that more of my upper thighs are showing and all of my flabbiness is getting softer and squishier as the fat cells shrink and the skin goes slack. I sometimes wonder how long it will take for the stretched skin to retract (and if it ever will entirely), but that's not really my main concern right now.
I'm also noticing that I'm closing in on starting to swim in my current shirts. They were a bit loose to begin with, but now it's almost to the stage where it's hard to position the neckline so it doesn't sag down like some Flashdance era sweatshirt. The only difference is that I'm not Jennifer Beals and it's not sexy having my bra straps revealed by my too large shirts. All in all though, it's a good sign, but I'm going to need some new shirts soon.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday: September 12, 2009
This was my first calorie-counting Saturday on the new plan where I count two days at 1400 instead of one at 1200, and it went pretty smoothly. I did notice, again, that I did a pretty poor job of getting fruit and vegetables into the day, though I did make a rice and chicken dish which was loaded up with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes for dinner. That wasn't much, but it was something. Though my total number for the day was 1345 (which was good as I only felt seriously hungry and taxed to avoid eating once), I'm not happy that that included a whole wheat scone, whole wheat pasta, rice, and rice crackers. I have to do better on these days for nutritional balance. I should note that none of this is processed food. All of it is made by me so at least I'm not consuming Lean Cuisine out of plastic trays.
I've noticed lately that I can feel my collarbones much more easily than before and generally the top of my chest is less spongy. This is continuing the trend where I lose weight much more rapidly above the waist than below. When I'm not retaining water, I've also notice my wrists are getting even smaller. These are encouraging signs, but the road ahead is still long and I have to be patient. I continue to be discouraged about weight loss in my belly and behind, but since those have always been with me, I have to have low expectations.
I've noticed that the more "solid" the fat in an area feels, the longer it takes to dissipate. I'm guessing these are the oldest and most concentrated areas with fat cells, and the areas the least likely to ever disappear entirely. This is something I'm reconciling myself to, and I'm never going to be some super shapely woman, at least not without the use of girdles to reshape certain areas. I'm okay with that. I just want to feel better and not be disadvantaged or feel socially anxious because of my weight.
One thing I do feel good about is that I have no sense of "waiting out" a diet and wanting to "start eating for real" when I'm "done". I am impatient to feel healthier and more confident. I would like to reach my goal in months instead of years, but I'm becoming acclimated to the idea that this is what life is going to be like from now on - small portions, fighting my impulses and desires to eat, and failing sometimes. Right now, "failure" is measured on a very small scale though. It's essentially becoming so ravenous that I eat about 200-400 calories of a snack (usually cheese, rice crackers, or fruit) that I wish I hadn't given in on. Such "failures" are less frequent now than they used to be, and also smaller.
As much as losing weight is a success, the greater one right now feels like the psychological acclimation to the process and the overall "feel" I'm developing for how to eat properly (both in portion and food choice). I'm convinced that this is the best path for me both now and in the future.
I've noticed lately that I can feel my collarbones much more easily than before and generally the top of my chest is less spongy. This is continuing the trend where I lose weight much more rapidly above the waist than below. When I'm not retaining water, I've also notice my wrists are getting even smaller. These are encouraging signs, but the road ahead is still long and I have to be patient. I continue to be discouraged about weight loss in my belly and behind, but since those have always been with me, I have to have low expectations.
I've noticed that the more "solid" the fat in an area feels, the longer it takes to dissipate. I'm guessing these are the oldest and most concentrated areas with fat cells, and the areas the least likely to ever disappear entirely. This is something I'm reconciling myself to, and I'm never going to be some super shapely woman, at least not without the use of girdles to reshape certain areas. I'm okay with that. I just want to feel better and not be disadvantaged or feel socially anxious because of my weight.
One thing I do feel good about is that I have no sense of "waiting out" a diet and wanting to "start eating for real" when I'm "done". I am impatient to feel healthier and more confident. I would like to reach my goal in months instead of years, but I'm becoming acclimated to the idea that this is what life is going to be like from now on - small portions, fighting my impulses and desires to eat, and failing sometimes. Right now, "failure" is measured on a very small scale though. It's essentially becoming so ravenous that I eat about 200-400 calories of a snack (usually cheese, rice crackers, or fruit) that I wish I hadn't given in on. Such "failures" are less frequent now than they used to be, and also smaller.
As much as losing weight is a success, the greater one right now feels like the psychological acclimation to the process and the overall "feel" I'm developing for how to eat properly (both in portion and food choice). I'm convinced that this is the best path for me both now and in the future.
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