Weighty Matters
171 this morning
I learned a couple of things this weekend. One is I cannot/should not eat bratwurst. I thought my body could handle them, but nope. That's fine; they really don't do anything for me. So out they go.
The second thing concerns coffee. Now, I'm not a huge coffee drinker. I want it maybe twice a year, usually when the weather turns colder. But for some reason I was craving coffee last week. The sticking point is that I could never drink it black--I always had to use some kind of sweetness. Well, this time I tried the coffee with only heavy cream, and to my surprise it was good. I didn't need any kind of sweetness at all. Although the problem that I've noticed is that I'm not as hungry for food when I drink coffee. The coffee and the cream fill me up to the point where I seem to want only about half as much food...and that's not good. To me, that's a false sense of satiety. I don't want that; I want to feel full by eating healthy food. So out goes the coffee, too. I'll stick with my tea, thank you (that I love to drink black).
Monday, September 19, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
9/14/2016
Weighty Matters
169.5 today
My weight hit the one-sixties this morning...when the scale finally settled and I saw the number, my first thought was, "I'm not ready for that." What? What the *bleep* does that mean, and why would I not be ready for the one-sixties?? I don't know. But my reaction was immediate and strong; I recovered quickly, but still. I think this is an instance where I need to simply feel the feeling, yet not dwell on it--not spend too much time in my head.
169.5 today
My weight hit the one-sixties this morning...when the scale finally settled and I saw the number, my first thought was, "I'm not ready for that." What? What the *bleep* does that mean, and why would I not be ready for the one-sixties?? I don't know. But my reaction was immediate and strong; I recovered quickly, but still. I think this is an instance where I need to simply feel the feeling, yet not dwell on it--not spend too much time in my head.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
09/08/2016
Weighty Matters
170.5 today
I finally gave in and bought some new blue jeans this past weekend. (Which was an odyssey in and of itself; do you know how difficult it is to find 100% cotton denim boot cut jeans that do not cost a fortune? Don't ask...I'm still looking.) I settled on some cotton/poly blend jeans (not happy) because at this point I simply need something to tide me over while still losing weight. I had to try on the jeans in-store, which I hate doing, because I had no idea what size I would wear. To date, I've lost 27 1/2 pounds. My old jeans were a size 16 "relaxed" which means they were honestly a size 17/18. There's that vanity sizing thing, sheesh. I ended up fitting a size 16 regular (no relaxed nothing, no fudging), at least in the jeans I bought. It's important to remember that there is little to no sizing standards between companies, or even within companies for that matter. You could try on four different pairs of pants, all the same size, made by the same manufacturer and have all of them fit differently. That's why you have to try these things on in-store, no matter how much you hate doing it. And you have to ignore the number on those little tags; you know, the "size" number. I've lost enough weight now and am feeling so much skinnier that I would have bet good money I was a size 14. Nope! But again, that's why it's crucial to disengage our feelings from this whole process. (Seriously, just buy what fits you and forget about that stupid (size) number.)
I gave up the carrots and really don't miss them. Also, I've upped my veggie intake. I've been eating three different vegetables at lunchtime along with some protein, usually broccoli and cauliflower and green beans. Sometimes for supper, if I'm not super hungry, I'll just have more vegetables. I can hardly wait for cooler temperatures to arrive so I can resume my daily walks.
170.5 today
I finally gave in and bought some new blue jeans this past weekend. (Which was an odyssey in and of itself; do you know how difficult it is to find 100% cotton denim boot cut jeans that do not cost a fortune? Don't ask...I'm still looking.) I settled on some cotton/poly blend jeans (not happy) because at this point I simply need something to tide me over while still losing weight. I had to try on the jeans in-store, which I hate doing, because I had no idea what size I would wear. To date, I've lost 27 1/2 pounds. My old jeans were a size 16 "relaxed" which means they were honestly a size 17/18. There's that vanity sizing thing, sheesh. I ended up fitting a size 16 regular (no relaxed nothing, no fudging), at least in the jeans I bought. It's important to remember that there is little to no sizing standards between companies, or even within companies for that matter. You could try on four different pairs of pants, all the same size, made by the same manufacturer and have all of them fit differently. That's why you have to try these things on in-store, no matter how much you hate doing it. And you have to ignore the number on those little tags; you know, the "size" number. I've lost enough weight now and am feeling so much skinnier that I would have bet good money I was a size 14. Nope! But again, that's why it's crucial to disengage our feelings from this whole process. (Seriously, just buy what fits you and forget about that stupid (size) number.)
I gave up the carrots and really don't miss them. Also, I've upped my veggie intake. I've been eating three different vegetables at lunchtime along with some protein, usually broccoli and cauliflower and green beans. Sometimes for supper, if I'm not super hungry, I'll just have more vegetables. I can hardly wait for cooler temperatures to arrive so I can resume my daily walks.
Friday, September 2, 2016
9/02/2016
Hair
New month, new photo.
No change in products or anything; still using Pantene as the primaries. Probably need to do a vinegar rinse soon.
Weighty Matters
171 today. Adele pointed out (reminded me) that carrots have a high glycemic index, so I've banished them from my WOE (Way Of Eating). Doing well in general. Every time I catch myself wishing the weight would drop faster I remind myself that it took years to gain these pounds, and it could take years to lose them--and to just be patient. My ever-loosening clothes and the number on the scale reassure me that this plan DOES work. (Just look at the saggy butt in those pants in the picture above!!) Yes, it's simply a matter of sticking with Adele's 4 Ps of the Journey.
New month, new photo.
Weighty Matters
171 today. Adele pointed out (reminded me) that carrots have a high glycemic index, so I've banished them from my WOE (Way Of Eating). Doing well in general. Every time I catch myself wishing the weight would drop faster I remind myself that it took years to gain these pounds, and it could take years to lose them--and to just be patient. My ever-loosening clothes and the number on the scale reassure me that this plan DOES work. (Just look at the saggy butt in those pants in the picture above!!) Yes, it's simply a matter of sticking with Adele's 4 Ps of the Journey.
Friday, August 26, 2016
08/26/2016
Weighty Matters
171.5 this morning
I have all of my entries from the message board (Lead With the Diet) moved here to my blog.
I think Adele is entertaining the idea of creating a group on Facebook for LWTD, where she could reach and help a lot more people. I hope she does.
So yeah, 171.5 this morning...I'm pretty sure I haven't been eating enough vegetables lately, so need to step up my efforts. Also during the past couple of weeks I've eaten cheese a few times, and I'm pretty sure it stalled my weight loss. So no more cheese for me. I think I keep trying to add cheese back into my life because it's an "easy" food; easy to add, easy to grab, etc. But "easy" doesn't equal good for my body. Another thing, I seem to experience a waning amount of energy around 4:00 along with feeling a little peckish, so I'm going to add an afternoon snack to my routine (probably more carrots), in the form of vegetables.
171.5 this morning
I have all of my entries from the message board (Lead With the Diet) moved here to my blog.
I think Adele is entertaining the idea of creating a group on Facebook for LWTD, where she could reach and help a lot more people. I hope she does.
So yeah, 171.5 this morning...I'm pretty sure I haven't been eating enough vegetables lately, so need to step up my efforts. Also during the past couple of weeks I've eaten cheese a few times, and I'm pretty sure it stalled my weight loss. So no more cheese for me. I think I keep trying to add cheese back into my life because it's an "easy" food; easy to add, easy to grab, etc. But "easy" doesn't equal good for my body. Another thing, I seem to experience a waning amount of energy around 4:00 along with feeling a little peckish, so I'm going to add an afternoon snack to my routine (probably more carrots), in the form of vegetables.
Weighty Matters 07/20-08/02/2016
07/20/2016
Adele, I've been meaning to ask you a question for some time now, but kept forgetting.
Do you eat at set times (breakfast, lunch, & supper) regardless of hunger, or do you ONLY eat if you're hungry?
Adele's Response:
Well... I don’t really eat at SET times (i.e. especially now that we’re both retired we might get up at 7 and not eat breakfast until 9), but I almost always eat three meals plus one snack every day. I have always had a pretty big appetite so it’s pretty rare that I’m not hungry. But if I’m not hungry at snack time, I’ll skip that. I probably skip my snack once a week, no more than twice, usually when I’ve had a big—or late—lunch. But I never skip lunch or dinner, and I almost never skip breakfast. I almost always eat the same thing for breakfast (3 eggs, cooked in oil), which leaves only 14 meals/week to think about.
While I won’t say I *never eat after dinner, I try not to and rarely do. But if we had a smaller, lower-fat dinner, I’m sometimes hungry before bed and will eat an egg or two before bed if that’s the case. Turkey breast as the protein choice for dinner is usually what has me hungry before bed, lol. The same thing would probably happen with fish but because DH hates fish, we never have it for dinner. I sometimes make fish for my lunch.
Just because I was curious, I dabbled a few times with intermittent fasting within the last year—that’s supposed to be the latest and the greatest for health/weight loss. But it turned out that for me, adding clock-watching to my fairly rigid, paleo-style diet ended up causing me obsess to and worry about food much like I used to, which I really don’t want back in my life. I came to the conclusion that I was trying to fix something that ain’t broken, as the saying goes, so I’m back to doing what I found works so well for me: Three filling meals, boring foods to most people, but peaceful ones to me.
(This is not to say that YOU shouldn’t try intermittent fasting if you read up on it and decide it might be for you. I really get that we’re all individual and have to find—within certain parameters of course—what works best for ourselves.)
Does that answer your question? Hope so!
Adele
132 this morning
Me:
It does answer my question, yes. There are nights when I'm not terribly hungry at suppertime, and I find myself wondering if I should simply skip eating. I used to do that on zero carb (meat only); eating ONLY when one is truly hungry is emphasized strongly. (But then, one must also learn what is "true hunger"--often difficult for people with eating disorders.) Thanks Adele!
07/22/2016
174.5 this morning
Some days I wonder how long can I sustain this way of life* (eating). As if some external force is in charge of my eating habits, or there's a genie somewhere who has granted me a wish of clean eating-weight loss, but only for a limited time, and that time will run out any day now. And then I have to remind myself that it's me...that I am in charge of this thing, this wonderful "thing" of clean eating that is enabling me to get healthy AND lose weight (at the same time!). That if I fail it is on me, because the tools I have now (from Leading With the Diet) are more than enough for me to succeed. I simply have to be strong enough to admit the reality of how really weak I am, and face the knowledge that I will end up back in carbohydrate hell if I go down that road again. It's a dark, scary road with potholes big enough to swallow the whole universe and there's no one around with a winch to pull my arse out. There is a certain amount of strength in weakness.
*My pattern seems to be around 3 months of dieting before crashing.
Adele's Response:
Some ramblings from me:
I think it's really good--maybe even critical--that you recognize your pattern. That's a big step to changing it! Just keep telling yourself no, we're not doing that this time. We're doing something different. That didn't work.
BTW, I still think about, and relate to in many ways, your post where you talked about being alone with a candy dish at your husband's office. What pleasure would you truly have derived from eating that candy? Nobody around, nothing to celebrate, just a little party in your mouth that you used to be able to do. Would that really have been any kind of wonderful? Isn't it interesting and telling that we want and have to resist such meager "pleasure"?
I just stumbled onto this guy, Butter Bob, who I think I love. He's a big proponent of intermittent fasting, I mentioned that in my last post and that it doesn't work for me, at least not right now. I'll never say never though, lol. Anyway, this video in particular really resonated with me about simplicity. Mingled, in his case with the intermittent fasting, but I still loved and really related to what he says about simplicity and how it changed him. Leading with a simple diet WILL change you and I'm not just talking about your weight. Living with the changes over time is what does that. If you can't/won't live with the changes, then you haven't changed. See?
Keep going and keep posting, Trisha.
Adele
133 this morning
(Adele included a link to a Butter Bob video)
08/02/2016
173 this morning
...and the pounds continue to drop, slowly but surely. No calorie counting, no exercise, just healthy high fat/low carb foods.
On Sunday I cooked fried chicken (drumsticks) using Ol' Butter Bob's method with lard. Lard is wonderful stuff.
I've gone back to scrambling my daily eggs in butter, although I'm still using the olive oil for my salads.
Now, my husband has finally admitted he needs to lose weight. I don't know if my weight loss has had an effect on him
or not; I never nag or cajole. I figure an adult person needs to be responsible for their own health and well-being. If you're
going to change a bad habit, such as smoking or weight loss, then you MUST do it for yourself and not for the sake of anyone
else; otherwise the change won't "stick". (Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.) But anyway...he made the decision to
return to a low carbohydrate eating plan, starting yesterday. I...how do I say this? --I will help him, but I cannot/WILL NOT
be his conscience. For instance, this morning I packed a lunch for him (3 of the chicken drumsticks and a salad). Whether
he sticks to the eating plan, though, is entirely up to him. As I said, I do not nag; you're an adult--do the right thing. To me
it's that simple. Assuming he's truly committed to losing weight, I figure I'll help him get his food choices under control first,
and then we can tackle his soda addiction. That's going to be a toughie.
Adele, I've been meaning to ask you a question for some time now, but kept forgetting.
Do you eat at set times (breakfast, lunch, & supper) regardless of hunger, or do you ONLY eat if you're hungry?
Adele's Response:
Well... I don’t really eat at SET times (i.e. especially now that we’re both retired we might get up at 7 and not eat breakfast until 9), but I almost always eat three meals plus one snack every day. I have always had a pretty big appetite so it’s pretty rare that I’m not hungry. But if I’m not hungry at snack time, I’ll skip that. I probably skip my snack once a week, no more than twice, usually when I’ve had a big—or late—lunch. But I never skip lunch or dinner, and I almost never skip breakfast. I almost always eat the same thing for breakfast (3 eggs, cooked in oil), which leaves only 14 meals/week to think about.
While I won’t say I *never eat after dinner, I try not to and rarely do. But if we had a smaller, lower-fat dinner, I’m sometimes hungry before bed and will eat an egg or two before bed if that’s the case. Turkey breast as the protein choice for dinner is usually what has me hungry before bed, lol. The same thing would probably happen with fish but because DH hates fish, we never have it for dinner. I sometimes make fish for my lunch.
Just because I was curious, I dabbled a few times with intermittent fasting within the last year—that’s supposed to be the latest and the greatest for health/weight loss. But it turned out that for me, adding clock-watching to my fairly rigid, paleo-style diet ended up causing me obsess to and worry about food much like I used to, which I really don’t want back in my life. I came to the conclusion that I was trying to fix something that ain’t broken, as the saying goes, so I’m back to doing what I found works so well for me: Three filling meals, boring foods to most people, but peaceful ones to me.
(This is not to say that YOU shouldn’t try intermittent fasting if you read up on it and decide it might be for you. I really get that we’re all individual and have to find—within certain parameters of course—what works best for ourselves.)
Does that answer your question? Hope so!
Adele
132 this morning
Me:
It does answer my question, yes. There are nights when I'm not terribly hungry at suppertime, and I find myself wondering if I should simply skip eating. I used to do that on zero carb (meat only); eating ONLY when one is truly hungry is emphasized strongly. (But then, one must also learn what is "true hunger"--often difficult for people with eating disorders.) Thanks Adele!
07/22/2016
174.5 this morning
Some days I wonder how long can I sustain this way of life* (eating). As if some external force is in charge of my eating habits, or there's a genie somewhere who has granted me a wish of clean eating-weight loss, but only for a limited time, and that time will run out any day now. And then I have to remind myself that it's me...that I am in charge of this thing, this wonderful "thing" of clean eating that is enabling me to get healthy AND lose weight (at the same time!). That if I fail it is on me, because the tools I have now (from Leading With the Diet) are more than enough for me to succeed. I simply have to be strong enough to admit the reality of how really weak I am, and face the knowledge that I will end up back in carbohydrate hell if I go down that road again. It's a dark, scary road with potholes big enough to swallow the whole universe and there's no one around with a winch to pull my arse out. There is a certain amount of strength in weakness.
*My pattern seems to be around 3 months of dieting before crashing.
Adele's Response:
Some ramblings from me:
I think it's really good--maybe even critical--that you recognize your pattern. That's a big step to changing it! Just keep telling yourself no, we're not doing that this time. We're doing something different. That didn't work.
BTW, I still think about, and relate to in many ways, your post where you talked about being alone with a candy dish at your husband's office. What pleasure would you truly have derived from eating that candy? Nobody around, nothing to celebrate, just a little party in your mouth that you used to be able to do. Would that really have been any kind of wonderful? Isn't it interesting and telling that we want and have to resist such meager "pleasure"?
I just stumbled onto this guy, Butter Bob, who I think I love. He's a big proponent of intermittent fasting, I mentioned that in my last post and that it doesn't work for me, at least not right now. I'll never say never though, lol. Anyway, this video in particular really resonated with me about simplicity. Mingled, in his case with the intermittent fasting, but I still loved and really related to what he says about simplicity and how it changed him. Leading with a simple diet WILL change you and I'm not just talking about your weight. Living with the changes over time is what does that. If you can't/won't live with the changes, then you haven't changed. See?
Keep going and keep posting, Trisha.
Adele
133 this morning
(Adele included a link to a Butter Bob video)
08/02/2016
173 this morning
...and the pounds continue to drop, slowly but surely. No calorie counting, no exercise, just healthy high fat/low carb foods.
On Sunday I cooked fried chicken (drumsticks) using Ol' Butter Bob's method with lard. Lard is wonderful stuff.
I've gone back to scrambling my daily eggs in butter, although I'm still using the olive oil for my salads.
Now, my husband has finally admitted he needs to lose weight. I don't know if my weight loss has had an effect on him
or not; I never nag or cajole. I figure an adult person needs to be responsible for their own health and well-being. If you're
going to change a bad habit, such as smoking or weight loss, then you MUST do it for yourself and not for the sake of anyone
else; otherwise the change won't "stick". (Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.) But anyway...he made the decision to
return to a low carbohydrate eating plan, starting yesterday. I...how do I say this? --I will help him, but I cannot/WILL NOT
be his conscience. For instance, this morning I packed a lunch for him (3 of the chicken drumsticks and a salad). Whether
he sticks to the eating plan, though, is entirely up to him. As I said, I do not nag; you're an adult--do the right thing. To me
it's that simple. Assuming he's truly committed to losing weight, I figure I'll help him get his food choices under control first,
and then we can tackle his soda addiction. That's going to be a toughie.
06/29-07/18/2016
06/29/2016
176.5 this morning
Just a note on why it is important to weigh every morning. Yesterday I was at 177. This morning I would have bet any takers that I had gained because I felt as if I had, but no; down half a pound. That's reality versus emotion/feelings/mind games we play with ourselves. That's why it's important to stay out of our head and just do the work.
Adele's Response:
Yes yes yes yes YES!
You (we) have to act, not think. Lead with the facts.
Adele
133 this morning
06/30/2016
176.5 this morning
I was able to take a walk this morning. Very low humidity coupled with a light breeze made for a tremendously satisfying foray back into the world of walking. Yay! Absolutely no pain or tenderness from the once-broken pinky toe, yet I will continue to be watchful of it. I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow to clean my house (since I cannot seem to get it done during my weekends), and I have Monday off for the 4th of July holiday. Yay-rah for 4 day weekends! I think I'll see if The Mister will grill up a bunch of (naked) pork steaks and whatnot. Y'all have a fun and safe weekend!
07/06/2016
176 this morning
(177 yesterday)
Found a Normandy blend of vegetables (frozen) so I've been eating that--cauliflower, broccoli, yellow squash, carrots, zucchini.
Grilled up a bunch of stuff on the 4th and that'll last us a long time (Hebrew Nation all-beef hot dogs, pork steaks, hamburgers, and some sort of cheddar-brat patties (not for me, thanks.)) In addition to all those things, I also cooked up a flat of chicken thighs on Saturday; still loving those for my lunches.
The change in my mind set these days is quite interesting. We talk about the temptation to cheat in terms of the sleeping dragon, or the emotion-laden teenage girl who kicks and screams to get her way. Most of the time my dragon is very much asleep; in fact, I tend to forget about it. But once in a while it does rear its head, testing me, and Sunday was such a day. I had gone with The Mister to his locksmith shop and, long story short, I was left alone in the shop for at least an hour. Now, The Mister keeps candy at his shop for customers and employees; it is there, free for the taking. I was reading, keeping myself occupied whilst waiting for The Mister to return, when from out of nowhere an inner thought suggested that I could eat some of that candy...as much as I wanted...and no one would know. Six months ago I would have probably done it...but instead I thought of how quickly one small misstep would land me at the bottom of a canyon, so to speak. It was like a short internal conversation, sort of like, "Yeah, nobody would know...except me, and I'm the one who matters. Ain't gonna happen, buddy." And do you know that dragon went right on back to sleep?
07/18/2016
175 this morning
Still doing fine; it's comforting having a food routine. Will be going out for lunch today with a young friend. Now, this friend and I
do not get to meet up very often, but when we do I let her choose the place and she usually chooses Culver's. I am taking along my
own food: baked chicken, salad, and raw carrots. (I also brought frozen vegetables that I can eat later if I get hungry.) It's just so
easy to bring one's own food; no need to be embarrassed or anything. What would we do if we had food allergies? --Take our own food,
right? Well, I consider this way of eating to be in that same category--no biggie, it's just the way things are.
176.5 this morning
Just a note on why it is important to weigh every morning. Yesterday I was at 177. This morning I would have bet any takers that I had gained because I felt as if I had, but no; down half a pound. That's reality versus emotion/feelings/mind games we play with ourselves. That's why it's important to stay out of our head and just do the work.
Adele's Response:
Yes yes yes yes YES!
You (we) have to act, not think. Lead with the facts.
Adele
133 this morning
06/30/2016
176.5 this morning
I was able to take a walk this morning. Very low humidity coupled with a light breeze made for a tremendously satisfying foray back into the world of walking. Yay! Absolutely no pain or tenderness from the once-broken pinky toe, yet I will continue to be watchful of it. I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow to clean my house (since I cannot seem to get it done during my weekends), and I have Monday off for the 4th of July holiday. Yay-rah for 4 day weekends! I think I'll see if The Mister will grill up a bunch of (naked) pork steaks and whatnot. Y'all have a fun and safe weekend!
07/06/2016
176 this morning
(177 yesterday)
Found a Normandy blend of vegetables (frozen) so I've been eating that--cauliflower, broccoli, yellow squash, carrots, zucchini.
Grilled up a bunch of stuff on the 4th and that'll last us a long time (Hebrew Nation all-beef hot dogs, pork steaks, hamburgers, and some sort of cheddar-brat patties (not for me, thanks.)) In addition to all those things, I also cooked up a flat of chicken thighs on Saturday; still loving those for my lunches.
The change in my mind set these days is quite interesting. We talk about the temptation to cheat in terms of the sleeping dragon, or the emotion-laden teenage girl who kicks and screams to get her way. Most of the time my dragon is very much asleep; in fact, I tend to forget about it. But once in a while it does rear its head, testing me, and Sunday was such a day. I had gone with The Mister to his locksmith shop and, long story short, I was left alone in the shop for at least an hour. Now, The Mister keeps candy at his shop for customers and employees; it is there, free for the taking. I was reading, keeping myself occupied whilst waiting for The Mister to return, when from out of nowhere an inner thought suggested that I could eat some of that candy...as much as I wanted...and no one would know. Six months ago I would have probably done it...but instead I thought of how quickly one small misstep would land me at the bottom of a canyon, so to speak. It was like a short internal conversation, sort of like, "Yeah, nobody would know...except me, and I'm the one who matters. Ain't gonna happen, buddy." And do you know that dragon went right on back to sleep?
07/18/2016
175 this morning
Still doing fine; it's comforting having a food routine. Will be going out for lunch today with a young friend. Now, this friend and I
do not get to meet up very often, but when we do I let her choose the place and she usually chooses Culver's. I am taking along my
own food: baked chicken, salad, and raw carrots. (I also brought frozen vegetables that I can eat later if I get hungry.) It's just so
easy to bring one's own food; no need to be embarrassed or anything. What would we do if we had food allergies? --Take our own food,
right? Well, I consider this way of eating to be in that same category--no biggie, it's just the way things are.
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