| Name | CHOLESTEROL (mg/dL) |
| Standard Range | <239-> |
| 7/22/08 | 245 |
| 7/11/09 | 194 |
| 10/1/09 | 176 |
Jackie: Cholesterol
WOW! My cholesterol has changed a LOT over the last 40-45 lbs!!!
Trust me, I haven't increased my exercise, but my guilt over not exercising has gone up quite a bit. This radical change has also had nothing to do with meds...I'm not taking anything that would affect it. It's all about weight loss, pure and simple. The fat content in my foods is WAAAAY down, as is my body fat. That's all it is. Wow, I'm so relieved.
Second month down!
Yesterday was the end of our second "30 days" of calorie restriction. I didn't even realize it! As of today, I'm increasing my daily caloric target to 650--I get a whopping 50 more calories a day!
Going down a size
Well, I've now officially gone down a size. I'm making a pile of clothes in the spare bedroom that are destined to be rehomed, and I'm shopping at thrift stores during these intermediate stages to find clothes that fit. Still, I've gotten used to wearing baggy jeans and constantly pulling up my pants.
I won't lie. It feels good to have a room full of clothes that are too big!
However, I do have my slip ups. Slip up number 1 this week was my niece's birthday party. I had potato salad, chips, two hot dogs (no buns), tri tip, cake, and ice cream. My stomach definitely didn't see that coming. I felt awful the next day. My stomach didn't feel right, and I ended up not eating until about 2:00, when Jackie made our scheduled dinner.
Today, it was Pizza I had promised someone, and this weekend it'll be a barbecue. However, I plan to be particularly strict between now and the Sunday gathering. At a daily intake of about 600 calories, I don't think these splurges will do permanent harm, but this week HAS been worse than the others. My sodium intake alone has gone through the roof.
We are also coming close to the end of Month Two. I plan to raise my calories 50 calories every month until stabilizing at my maintenance intake.
Jackie: Fresh foods
Once again, we ate ice cream yesterday, but I'm still showing a good loss. Like Dawn says, if we TRY to keep it at 600 calories, and if we do make it that low on days nothing is going on, it won't kill us to eat 400 calories of ice cream once in awhile. In fact, some studies have shown that changing up the number of calories you eat each day actually keeps the metabolism from getting in a rut, and when the metabolism gets a rut, the dieter hits a plateau. Well, I am doing pretty well...some days 600 calories, some days 1200 calories (such as on a crabby day when I had to have 2 margaritas or else!). I've lost about 7 lbs since quitting the POW diet, so naysayers were WRONG about it ruining my metabolism or that I've just lost water. Since I am about 26 lbs lighter than before the Free Euna and Laura Diet, I seriously doubt that is mostly water weight.
Both Dawn and I are saving lots of money, too. We don't overeat, therefore we waste less and our carbon footprint is a lot smaller. There's no reason a farmer should have to produce twice as much food for me. I am eating fantastic stuff, mostly organic, mostly local, lovely fresh produce from the farmer's market; whole grains; beans and tofu and eggs for protein; either dried or fresh fruit--and right now the end of the fresh local fruits is looming, so mostly fresh. I am not suffering. I feel like I am indulging in wonderful stuff, without packaging or pesticides or any other unnecessary garbage cluttering up the planet. We can eat wonderful things when we eat less of them! It's also useful to note that organic produce has been shown to contain more nutrients than the conventional stuff, probably because of sustainable use of land that doesn't cause soil depletion. It's good for everyone if I eat less!
Splurge
by DMC
Today, Jackie and I went on a binge. Our binge consisted of approximately 1,000-1,100 calories! A whopping amount of food, indeed! (Yes, that's sarcasm!)
On a mission to get our fall garden planted, we responded to an ad for free dirt. Of course, we had to stop for lunch, and our destination of choice was Mountain Mike's pizza (since it was on the way--do not consider this an endorsement). We opted for the lunch buffet since I am incapable of stepping into a pizza parlor without actually eating pizza (Pepperoni pizza is my diet Kryptonite). The buffet pizza slices were tiny--mere slivers. From our perspective, that was a very good thing. So, we helped ourselves to salad and pizza, and I mentally tallied up my meal to be about 500-600 calories.
We then went to retrieve our dirt. That was a workout! Afterward (and with an SUV filled with buckets of dirt), we stopped by Big Lots, where we must have walked 200 miles around the store. (My apologies to the store manager for the accidental explosion of the Diet Hansen's iced tea in the aluminum cans).
After our mini shopping marathon, we stopped by Kaiser pharmacy to pick up something, and...well, let's just say the encounter wasn't pleasant for Jackie. We decided to take advantage of Happy Hour at the Elephant Bar restaurant. So, we added margaritas and sweet potato fries to our food log (we split the order of french fries).
All in all, it was a nice day. I came home and did my best to add up the food for the day, and it's somewhere in the arena of 1030-1100. I have to say, one of the things I really like about this 600-calorie target diet is that the "splurge" days are still within a normal "calorie restricted" weight loss diet.
Of course, these little hiccups help to keep my body's digestive and metabolic processes on its toes. At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Weight Log and Food Log
by DMC
I thought it would be beneficial to post my weight log and food log for the past few days. I started at about 195. That was before going on the initial "rice and beans" food strike for Lee and Ling. At the end of the 30 days, I was about 175. I took a week hiatus, and the scale jumped to about 183 but quickly went down to 179 after the first or second day of the new "calorie restriction" diet.
And the following shows my food log for a few sample days (the numbers show the calories) :
Now, I'm at approximately 172.75 (the scale keeps jumping between 172.5 and 173, so I'm guessing I'm in the middle).
So, here is my weight log in reverse chronological order (I keep track view an online calorie/food count database).
2009-09-07 | 172.75 | |||
| 2009-09-03 | 175.50 | |||
| 2009-09-02 | 176.00 | |||
| 2009-09-01 | 178.00 | |||
| 2009-08-31 | 179.00 | |||
| 2009-08-29 | 176.00 | |||
| 2009-08-26 | 176.00 | |||
| 2009-08-25 | 177.00 | |||
Mon, Aug 31 2009
Breakfast
English Muffins, Whole-wheat, Toasted 31
Egg, Whole - Cooked, Hard-boiled 78
Nonfat Cottage Cheese - Cottage Cheese 25
Lunch
ak-mak 29
Light Garlic & Herb 8
Bananas 45
Dinner
Bean & Cheese Burrito 303
Snacks
Bananas 45
ak-mak 29
Light Garlic & Herb 8
Total Calories Consumed 602
Tue, Sep 01 2009
Breakfast
Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds 85
Fat Free Milk - Conventional Products 23
Lunch
Salmon, Atlantic, Wild - Cooked, Dry Heat 155
Dinner
Bread, Reduced-calorie, Wheat 46
Turkey, All Classes, Meat Only - Roasted 24
Sliced Turkey Pepperoni - Pillow Pak 10
Salad Spritzers Honey Mustard Dressing 4
Snacks
Bananas 90
Walnuts, English 46
Kale - Raw 34
Olive Oil 44
Crackers, Saltines 26
Total Calories Consumed 585
Thu, Sep 03 2009
Breakfast
Home Pumpkin Pie, NO crust 100
Peaches 31
Egg, Whole - Cooked, Fried 72
English Muffins, Whole-wheat, Toasted 62
Lunch
Bread, Reduced-calorie, Wheat 46
Turkey, All Classes, MeaT Roasted 48
Sliced Turkey Pepperoni - Pillow Pak 9
Tomatoes, Red, Ripe - Raw, 12
Salad Spritzers Honey Must. Dressing 4
Snacks
Pumpkin Seeds, Roasted - no Salt 5
Grapes 5
Pumpkin - Boiled, Drained, no Salt 17
Nonfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese 70
Total Calories Consumed 480
Sat, Sep 05 2009
Breakfast
Home Pumpkin Pie, NO crust 100
Lunch
home pizza - pita as crust 190
Dinner
Smoked Turkey Breast 27
Bread, Reduced-calorie, Wheat 46
Light Garlic & Herb 10
Sliced Turkey Pepperoni - Pillow Pak 10
Tomatoes, Red, Ripe - Raw 3
Spinach - Raw 5
Snacks
Peaches 31
1/3 100 Calories Cupcake 32
Home Pumpkin Pie, NO crust 100
Total Calories Consumed 553
As you see, my diet is quite varied and emphasizes whole, nutritious foods. I incorporate tiny treats here and there (like 1 mini cupcake at 32 calories) so that I don't feel deprived all the time. I also have learned to bake my own pumpkin pie, reducing sugar, substituting splenda (in part) and leaving out the crust. It's important to realize that the calories shown may not represent all I ate. I try to keep the log up, but sometimes I'll have a few more pumpkin seeds that I don't count... and there are some days, like yesterday, where I'm out and about and just not keeping up the log. Instead, I keep a mental tally of what I'm eating. Yesterday, I probably ate about 700-800 calories because Jackie and I split a salad at a restaurant, had a half a slice of the premeal bread, then went out for frozen yogurt at a do-it-yourself place (so we could control the portion size). Jackie I returned later that day and helped ourselves to a slice of the home made pumpkin pie (actually pretty healthy stuff).
So, not every day ends up the same amount of calories, but every day we have a target of 600 calories (for this 30-day period). That gives us wiggle room. Some days my calories are lower than that, and some days my calories are higher than that.
Jackie's still around
...and still losing weight. I have discovered the art of sharing meals. I have gone out on a few dates with a guy who is more than willing to do the same thing, and he is careful about what he eats, so that is helpful. When I go out with Dawn, we usually split something nowadays, and it's usually a low calorie thing to begin with. This results in loss of weight and loss of waste!
I think I eat in restaurants a little too often, but this seems to be helping me immensely. For me it's way better than taking home half my meal, because then I just eat it when I get home! This way, there's only half to begin with. And it's half a salad or a stir-fry or some other healthful thing.
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