In 115 days or so, I will have been following a life style plan, diet, change of life, whatever you call it, for a full year. At 46 years old, the 365 days spent getting healthy will be a fart on the novel that is my life. With a lot of effort, I will be 45 - 50 pounds lighter than I am now, on May 6th. One year in my life, 210 pounds off. The blogging inspiration, Sean, that I read about when I started accomplished this is 10 months. He started a little bigger than I was, and he inspires me daily. The time doing this is not the goal or the prize. Getting the weight off is. It is not easy, the past is the past, and itonly strengthens the resolve. It has nothing to do with what is to come. I write this for me, so this is my little summary. I eat no meat, chicken, turkey, pork or meat products since I started. I find that the meats are not digested well by my body, and the effort that my body spends on digesting steak is better spent burning fat. The actual science to back this up, I don't have that. It is just the way it works in my obese, now fat body.
I replaced the meat with fish, vegetables and air. There are no pastas, rice, potatoes (although I have had 1/4 cup of roasted potatoes on occassion) or sugars. I have added flour to the diet, as I have been known to have a hollowed out bagel, or a slice or two of bread with my tuna. I did not have any carbs to speak of for the first 6 months. No carbs (under 20 grams per day), with a very low calorie diet is better for me as I was definitelty per-diabetic. As I have not seen sugar since the first day, my carbs are very low by default. I count every calorie I ingest, and I now portion the food by sight, rather than actually weighing everything I eat. After 8 months I know how to do this by eye and the results back that up. I am focused on the weight loss more than anything else in my life. When I reach my goal of 199 pounds I will continue the life style I created and see what it does for me.
I have re-tasted pasta recently, and it does nothing for me. It has no taste, and I do not miss it. I have learned to enjoy salads, fish, alot of shrimp, and the concept of living without things. I firmly believe in food abstinence rather than finding ways to eat the same foods in a smaller fashion. That is controversial to obese and fat people. Around here it is taboo to talk about not eating certain foods until you are at a goal weight. Around here folks love to talk about eating 3 cookies and some skim milk as a snack that has the same calories as a grapefruit. Around here, the snack is the same thing to alot of obese and fat people. Rather than educate, explain what I have learned and back it up with science, I now choose to laugh and point it out. That's me, not for you to be concerned with me, but that is me. Fat people pointing out what is ok to eat when you are on a diet is a sign of what not to do.
The refrigerator is due to come today at some as yet unknown time. It will be nice to have the food readily at hand. Not the end of the world, 48 hours without a refrigerator is not a big deal. It is something to be appreciated after living without one for 2 days. I do have to fill it tonight, as the next snow storm is due to start late this evening. Another 2 feet of snow is predicted. Yay for us. I did manage to drink 4 cans of Diet Pepsi Max yesterday, as it was nice and cold on the porch. Maybe a little less today, with the waters. I slept well, but that much caffeine can't be great. Phase 4 continues, and as we lose folks, the total loss for the week was 126 pounds. More to follow..
9 comments:
You're right, pasta doesn't really have a lot of flavor. One of the first changes I made was spaghetti. First I used a small portion of noodles and a whole bunch of steamed veggies and put the sauce over that. After awhile, I just nixed the pasta altogether as it did nothing for the dish. The yummy, healthier tomato sauce was the star, not the pasta. While I do make some pasta dishes now, it isn't a regular meal by a long shot.
Portioning DOES get easier when you are used to it! It's quite the eye opener when you start but it certainly gets easier!
Funny, some of the "science" things would disprove some of what your saying about weight loss but it sure is working for you so clearly "their" recommendations aren't for everyone! You're doing so awesome! I think that's where all the hate comes in, people read things about weight loss and take it as fact. The only proof is in what WORKS. You've clearly shown that.
Dr. Barbara Berkely, who has run a medical practice specializing in obersity for many years, discusses why all calories are not created equal. She has a web site http://refusetoregain.com/refusetoregain/ you might find interesting.
From what I've read, it seems to me that we (as a society) suffer from too many macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) and not enough micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.) When you aren't feeding your body enough healthy food, how can it work as well?
Fortunately, I'm not pre-diabetic, so I can allow myself some whole wheat bread or pasta (not both) each day, but not the enormous amounts I'm used to. When you look at a recipe, or on the back of the box, a serving of pasta surely isn't two cups, let alone four or five. It's half a cup for a woman--2 ozs.! Whole wheat starch has a much lower glycemic index, but you still have to understand what a serving is.
While the physics of calories should mean that the calories in a hot fudge sundae are the same as those in 6 ozs. of shrimp and some 5% carb vegetables (broccoli, leafy greens, etc.), they are NOT the same--in my opinion. They're full of cholesterol-raising fat, sugar, and have no nutritional value at all. Your body has to try to digest that sludge--how could you hate your body so much that you'd feed it to yourself? Besides, a serving of ice cream is a quarter to half a cup. LOOK at a measure that size and ask yourself when was the last time you ate that little ice cream? Never, in my case.
You're absolutely right, Allan. And you're doing an important thing here, helping so many people. I want to see that book from you, and I want it to be on the bestseller list in the New York Times. It would be the sanest diet book out there.
I hope your new fridge arrives sooner rather than later, Allan so you can get your shopping done before the storm hits. Dail is going to try to go into town now to pick up a few things we need. I would DIE without my fridge. Okay. Probably not but I would miss is greatly. I don't do cold drinks much as the water goes down better at room temperature but there are my eggs and soymilk to consider. We do have a small back-up fridge, just in case though. Dail keep his diet pepsis in there. It used to be beside my bed during the days when I used a wheelchair so that I could have my food handy without having to get in the chair and haul my fat ass to the kitchen. So GLAD to see those days gone. Anyway, I'm wishing you the best and hope the storm is not as bad as predicted. Hugs. :)
Love the comment, "fart on the novel that is my life". Thanks for continuously keeping it in perspective for me. Hungry? Eat carrots and get over yourself. You're a daily breath of fresh air. Fresh HONEST air.
Every day you make me THINK, Allan. Actually, pasta has no taste, like cardboard. Until you smother it with Alfredo sauce or spaghetti sauce. It's used by mothers who have to feed a large family to stretch whatever food there is. (My neighbor told me she used to do this when there were 6 kids in the house, plus their friends in and out. She made food stretch with macaroni pasta.) Plus, it makes my sugar spike. Not good.
I hope you get your fridge and get it stocked before the big storm hits. We got it yesterday and still have 8 or 10 inches of show lying around. Enjoy!
Hi Allan --
In 2005 you unknowingly participated in changing my life -- I found your blog. (I emailed you about where to find burnt sugar essence because I wanted to make Black Cake.)
You were working in a job that did not make you happy. You have come a long way since then.
Five years from now, each of the challengers who stick with your suggestions will be able to say the same. And who knows -- you might be on an author tour, or working on vol. II!
Thank you for being persistent.
I like the way pasta makes me *feel*. But I've discovered that making noodles out of zucchini using a spiral slicer is just as satisfying so now I can have my spaghetti sauce on it. It's really terrific.
Fight the good fight. Obesity 0 Allan 1
PS I had my own little rant today on my little blog. Not something that I do often but this warranted one.
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