Thursday

Hello All

Still 212lbs.

Went for a walk yesterday at lunch just before the thunder storms hit. Today there is a 70% chance of rain, so I probably won't get my walk in today!

I bought containers to take to the cottage this weekend to pack my breakfast/lunches in.

Portion control is the most difficult part of the cottage (or going out in general)

As long as the scale keeps going down, I'm happy!

Namaste
B.

Chart

Wednesday Weigh in 212lbs

Hello All

Well I must have had some water retention from the weekend - as I managed to see 212lbs on the scale this morning which was a very nice surprise!

I'm now down 22lbs! Only 34 more to go!

Namaste
B.

Tuesday

I stayed home from work yesterday with that migraine in my eyes. The one thing about a migraine is that I stay in bed and I can't stomach food.

All I ate yesterday was 1/2 cup of chili - and I'm down to 213.5 lbs.

Still not feeling myself today.

Still peeved about how much I ate on the weekend.

I think I'll go out and buy some paper bags for this coming weekend and literally pack my breakfast and lunch separately - all I can eat is in the paper bag (Saturday Breakfast, Saturday lunch, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Lunch, Monday Breakfast, Monday lunch)- anything out of the paper bag I won't eat. Then for dinner I'll stick to a small serving of protein.

That should control my portions.

Namaste
B.

Monday bad news

Today sucks

I gained 2 pounds this weekend up to 216 - all that hard work gone, down the toliet in one weekend. I resisted all the chips, all the bread and junk food.

I had too much "Good" food (fruits, veggies and meat) and gained 2lbs in one weekend.

On top of it all I got a migraine headache behind the eyes. Ended up wearing Sun Glasses last night in the dark on the way home as my eyes hurt so much.

Not happy.

I don't want to go to the cottage next weekend for the family dinner as there will be too much food around

Saturday I ate
1 Yogurt
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
Fruit tray (Strawberries, pineapple, mellon, lechi nuts, grapes)
1 hot dog no bun (chicken hot dog)
Steak
8 pieces of tortolini
4 Hand fulls of trail mix
Raw Veggie Tray as a snack with dip

Sunday I ate
Eggs, bacon
1 hamburger no bun
More fruit tray
Raw Veggies and dip
1 piece of chicken
Broccoli

It was all "good food" just too much good food. I should have skipped dinner both days as I was not hungry. God, I just don't know how I'm going to face another weekend of food at the cottage - it just seems so overwhelming.


B.

Its F R I D A Y

The scale said 214.5lbs.

Tonight we head up to the cottage for the weekend.

My biggest challenge will be exersice. It use to be we could go for a walk down the road, but that option has been closed down by the mining company.
There are some railroad tracks, the train still runs on them, so I've always been a bit nervous about walking up the tracks knowing a train could come at any moment. I"m not the quickest mover in the world, and getting run over by a train would really suck!

Food and exersice at the cottage are a "challenge" - I have to be careful not to over indulge in food, and get off my butt and find something active to do. Maybe the water has warmed up enough for me to swim in the lake!

I'll tell you how I did on Sunday!

Namaste
B.

Thursday

Today the scales said 214 to 214.5 lbs. It's moving back and forth.

Last night we went for a walk in a park with a large hill. I still have a long ways to go towards fitness! I was out of breath half way up the hill, while Chris seemed to be just fine.

One goal for the summer is to be able to go up that hill in September and not be out of breath!

Namaste
B.

Chart June 21st

115 lb weigh in Wednesday June 21st

Hello everybody

The scale says 215lbs today.

I have some mixed feelings - I really wanted to get down to 213 to keep up with a schedule I have in my mind. I also wanted to get down to 214 so I could celebrate my 20lb weight loss.

Still, the scale is going down, and that is the overall goal!

The first picture (pink shirt, outside) is me at 188lbs which is where I will be by loosing 2lbs from now to September 27th. The picture with the red suit is today at 215lbs.

Keeping everything in my head straight is important. So I'm not making my 2.5lb per week goal to get me to 178lbs - that's okay - I'll still fit into the wedding dress at 188lbs.

I'm just starting to fit a size 18 now - and the dress fits at a size 16 so only one more size to go! The top half of me is size 16! (I'm always one size smaller in the shoulders than I am in the waist), so by the time I'm 188lbs the top half of me should be a size 14 while the bottom half is a size 16.

The size 18 skirts are a bit tight around the stomach - but the size 20 is too big in the waist. The Red Suit I have on today is having it's last showing this week. The waist band can fit up and over my breasts - way too big now! LOL

I tried on other clothes in my wardrobe and the next 10lbs are going to be interesting! I have no pants that fit for at least 10lbs. I have skirts that are either too big or too small. Tops are okay.

This is a good problem to have! "What to wear" As I keep placing items that are too big into the spare closet (and eventually Good Will so I can't go backwards!)

Namaste
B.

Tuesday

Sigh.... the scale said 216lbs - I gained a pound from yesterday

Could be water retention

Could be dinner last night had more calories then I expected too!

Chris had a pizza craving, so I ordered 10 chicken breast "wings" (wings with no bones). The calorie and salt content would be hard to measure. I was not able to completely resist the pizza either. I picked off two pepperoni's and some cheese for a taste. Maybe not a wise choice. I just checked Wendy's web site and their nutritional information for a 10 piece chicken nugget with dipping sauce is 620 calories. God knows how many calories Domino's was! AHHH 620 calories, that's more than half the day's food calories!

Lesson learned!

Namaste
B.

It's back to work Monday.

Today the scales said 215lbs. I've lost 19 pounds since May 3rd.

This morning I got into a top I had not been able to wear in a long time. I'm still about 10lbs away from wearing my next sized skirts/pants.

There were a couple of challenges this weekend. On Saturday night we had Chris's Dad over for a BBQ for fathers day weekend. He got chocolate from Gus as his fathers day gift and was trying to share it with me. It smelt amazing - I could taste it - but I resisted.

I bought a huge amount of strawberries this weekend - they are very ripe and taste great. It's better to substitute strawberries for chocolate. I've also been buying lots of gum lately to keep something in my mouth when I have cravings.

I hope everybody has a great Monday!

Namaste

B.

Sunday

Hello Everybody

Today the scales still said 216lbs.

I do hope everybody is enjoying the fine weather out there. I love the summer! I got my 5km walk in yesterday.

Namaste
B.

Vitamins & Supplements

Hello Everybody

Today the Scale read 216lbs

Part of what I’ve been doing is also making sure I supplement my diet with vitamins. This is important as the soil on the earth has been depleted by pollution and chemicals to the point where food no longer has the same nutritional value that it has 50 years ago.

Here are the eleven supplements I take:

1. ORTHO-ADAPT (for my energy levels)
Serving Size: 3 Capsules
Vitamin C ................................................. 500 mg
Pantethine ............................................... 200 mg
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) ........................ 800 mg (25 % glyzyrrhizin)
Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) . 200 mg (0.8% eleutherosides)
Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) ............................ 150 mg (3% rosavins, 1.6% salidroside, ~0.1 % p-tyrosol)
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) ............... 200 mg (2.5% withanolides, 0.1% sitoindosides)

2. DEPA MARINE LIPID CONCENTRATE (as I don’t eat fish)
Depa 100 softgels Each Softgel Capsule Contains: Natural Triglyceride Marine Lipid Concentrate 1,000 mg. Providing: Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) (18%) 180 mg. Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (12%) 120 mg. Plus gelatin, natural glycerin and water Total 300 mg. Omega-3 Fatty

3. COMPLETE B 1000mg (B vitamin important especially during weight loss, assists with breaking down carbohydrates and fats)
B1 100mg
B2 10 mg
Niacin 100 mg
B6 100 mg
B12 100 mcg
Biotine 300 mcg
Folic Acid 400 mcg
Dipantotic Acid 100 mg
Choline Bitrarate 210 mg
Inositol 100 mg

4. RHODIOLA EXTRACT 100 mg (Energy boost, reduces fatigue)

5. VITAMIN E 400 IU (reduces risk of heart disease, and antioxidant)

6. FOLIC ACID 1mg (maintenance of new cells – it is a B vitamin)

7. VITAMINC C 100 mg

8. GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE 500 mg (treatment of osteoarthritis)

9. GINKO BILOBA 60 mg improves blood flow including microcirculation in small capillaries) to most tissues and organs; it protects against oxidative cell damage from free radicals antioxidant);

10. CHROMIUM 500 mcg (sugar metabolism)

11. MULTIVITAMIN
Beta carotene 7500 IU
Vitamin A 2500 IU
B1 1.9 mg
B2 3.2 mg
B6 2.5 mg
D12 7.5 mcg
C 60 mg
D 400 IU
E 30 IU
Niacinomid 25 mg
Folic Acid 0.4 mg
D Pansthenic Acid 12.5 mg
Calcium 300 mg
Chromium 150 mcg
Copper 2mg
Iron 14 mg
Magnesium 50 mg
Maganese 2 mg
Selenum 70 mcg
Zinc 15 mg.

It's Friday 216lbs

Hello all

It is Friday June 16th and the scale said 216lbs this morning. I've lost 18lbs since May 3rd.

I know in 6lbs I can start trying on 2004 clothing, that I bought when I first started gaining the weight when I was 200-208lbs in May 2004. At that point I thought there was no way I'd get bigger and I'd soon be back down to 178lbs as I was 188lbs in February 2004 and feeling frustrated with the extra 10lbs in February, by May I was upset I was over 200 lbs. Little did I know it was only the beginning and within 2 months of buying these clothes in May I would be 227lbs. Then by the fall over 230lbs in 2004. For some reason at that time I could not stop eating. I ate and ate and ate while telling myself off inside my head with every bite. For 2 years I've been doing this. Right now, I'm doing well and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I'm on the way down - it is going to be good to revisit my wardrobe!

I am going to look for a work out bench to accompany my weights. I was going to buy a bike, but Chris won't wear a helmet when bicycling and that concerns me. I keep reading articles about adults who fall off the bike who then injure their brain and become a vegetable. Chris is stubbornly determined not to wear a bike helmet when cycling, and I just can't encourage that by asking him to bike with me. It gives me a knot in my stomach, and takes out all the "fun" from the idea of cycling. It's like watching someone not wear a seatbelt - no matter how good a driver you are - someone could hit you and that seatbelt (or bike helmet) can save your life!

Anyhow, today is a good day. It's going to be sunny with a high of 28. Warm walking weather over lunch. On Friday's I work 7:30 a.m. to 3:30pm. So I am up with the birds!

Have yourself a great Friday!

Namaste
B.

Thursday June 15th

It is Thursday June 15th - the scale said 217lbs this morning. Only 3 lbs to go to my 20lb loss. Still 40lbs to go to my goal!

Right now my wardrobe is becoming too big - That feels great. I'm in the "in-between" stage where I'm 10lbs too heavy for my next sized wardrobe and 10lbs to light for my "bigger" wardrobe. I wandered around Winners yesterday looking at clothes. I won't buy anything because I'm in transition and that would be a waste of money. Still I'd like to have some pants that fit for work. I'm stuck in skirts for the next little while. Though it's a bit frustrating, its a GOOD frustration! Means I'm going down in the scales and "down" is good!

I found an article on the web that talks about how to speed up one's metabolism:

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/lostart.htm

8 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism

By WLR Dietitian
Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Get active - it's a sure-fire way to increase the amount of muscle you have, which in turn will speed up your metabolism. Do a mixture of aerobic and resistance training for best results. And don't forget to be more active in your daily life too.

Eat little and often - there's evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.

Eat plenty of protein-rich foods - research shows that around 25 percent of calories in a protein-rich meal may be burnt off. But make sure you choose low-fat protein foods such as lean meat, skinless chicken and low-fat dairy products.

Spice up meals - it's not an old wives tale after all! Spices like chilli are thought to raise metabolism by up to 50 percent for up to three hours after eating, due to increasing your heart rate. But before putting the local Indian takeaway on speed dial, work out which curries have the lowest calorie and fat content.

Swap you daily cuppa for green tea - there's evidence that it contains antioxidants that speed up metabolism.

Try a CLA supplement - more extensive studies need to be carried out before any definite conclusions can be drawn, but research has shown that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) might increase muscle and therefore boost metabolism.

Chill out - research shows that being very cold can increase metabolism by up to 20 percent.

Have a sauna - being very hot is also thought to boost metabolism by about 20 percent (but check you don't have any underlying medical problems that mean you shouldn't go in saunas or steam rooms).

Chart

Weigh In Wednesday 217lbs

Hello Everybody

Thank goodness the scale shifted today to 217lbs. That gave me a 2lb weight loss from last Wednesday and a boost that I'm doing "okay" with my efforts.

As you can see from the background of the picture, our walls in the living room are changing to Burgundy. We are still in the middle of painting!

I hope everybody has a great Wednesday!

Namaste
B.

Tuesday June 13th

I saw 218lbs on the scale. Down half a pound. Still feeling "stuck" though

Yesterday I walked 5km at lunch plus we did the second coat of primer on the livingroom/dinning room/front hall last night.

I'm going to dig out my "Body for Life" book. See if I can add some free weights to my routine in the morning. I can use the coffee table downstairs as a bench.

Namaste
B.

Here is an article I found on Yahoo Health:


Diets Don't Work! (Back to Article)Provided by:
Last Updated: 01/01/90

Many Americans view a healthy lifestyle as something difficult to attain--and something that's not much fun. Traditional diets have taught us that to lose weight, we must count calories, keep track of everything we eat, and deprive ourselves by limiting the amount--and kinds--of foods we eat. Diets tell us exactly what and how much food to eat, regardless of our preferences and individual relationships with hunger and satiety. Dieting can help us lose weight (fat, muscle, and water) in the short term but is so unnatural and so unrealistic that it can never become a lifestyle that we can live with, let alone enjoy!


While very few diets teach healthy low-fat shopping, cooking, and dining-out strategies, many offer unrealistic recommendations and encourage health-threatening restrictions. Even more important, diets don't teach us the safest, most effective ways to exercise; they don't teach us how to deal with our cravings and our desires, or how to attend to our feelings of hunger and fullness. Eventually, we become tired of the complexity, the hunger, the lack of flavor, the lack of flexibility, the lack of energy, and the feeling of deprivation. We quit our diets and gain back the weight we've lost; sometimes we gain even more!


Each time we go on another diet of deprivation, the weight becomes more difficult to lose, and we become even more frustrated and discouraged. Then we eat more and exercise less, causing ourselves more frustration, discouragement, depression. Soon we are in a vicious cycle. We begin to ask ourselves, "Why bother?" We begin to blame ourselves for having no will power when what we really need is clear, scientifically-based information that will help us develop a healthier lifestyle we can live with for the rest of our lives.

Deliberate restriction of food intake in order to lose weight or to prevent weight gain, known as dieting, is the path that millions of people all over the world are taking in order to reach a desired body weight or appearance. Preoccupation with body shape, size, and weight creates an unhealthy lifestyle of emotional and physical deprivation. Diets take control away from us.
Many of us who diet get caught in a "yo-yo" cycle that begins with low self-acceptance and results in structured eating and living because we lack trust in our body and are unwilling to listen and adhere to our body's signals of hunger and fullness. On diets, we distrust and ignore internal signs of appetite, hunger, and our need to be physically and psychologically satisfied. Instead, we depend on diet plans, measured portions, and a prescribed frequency for eating.
As a result, many of us have lost the ability to eat in response to our physical needs; we experience feelings of deprivation, then binge, and finally terminate our "health" program. This in turn leads to guilt, defeat, weight gain, low self-esteem, and then we're back to the beginning of the yo-yo diet cycle. Rather than making us feel better about ourselves, diets set us up for failure and erode our self-esteem.

The attitudes and practices acquired through years of dieting are likely to result in a body weight and size obsession, low self-esteem, poor nutrition and excessive or inadequate exercise. Weight loss from following a rigid diet is usually temporary. Most diets are too drastic to maintain; they are unrealistic and unpleasant; they are physically and emotionally stressful. And most of us just resume our old eating and activity patterns. Diets control us; we are not in control. People who try to live by diet lists and rules learn little or nothing about proper nutrition and how to enjoy their meals, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle. No one can realistically live in the diet mode for the rest of their life, depriving themselves of the true pleasures of healthy eating and activity.

We Don't Fail Diets; They Fail Us!

Decades of research have shown that diets, both self-initiated and professionally-led, are ineffective at producing long-term health and weight loss (or weight control). When your diet fails to keep the weight off, you may say to yourself, "If only I didn't love food so much . . . If I could just exercise more often . . . If I just had more will power." The problem is not personal weakness or lack of will power. Only 5 percent of people who go on diets are successful. Please understand that we are not failing diets; diets are failing us.

The reason 95 percent of all traditional diets fail is simple. When you go on a low-calorie diet, your body thinks you are starving; it actually becomes more efficient at storing fat by slowing down your metabolism. When you stop this unrealistic eating plan, your metabolism is still slow and inefficient that you gain the weight back even faster, even though you may still be eating less than you were before you went on the diet.

In addition, low-calorie diets cause you to lose both muscle and fat in equal amounts. However, when you eventually gain back the weight, it is all fat and not muscle, causing your metabolism to slow down even more. Now you have extra weight, a less healthy body composition, and a less attractive physique.

Diets require you to sacrifice by being hungry; they don't allow you to enjoy the foods you love. This does not teach you habits which you can maintain after the diet is over. Most diet programs force you to lower your caloric intake to dangerously low levels. The common theory is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. But when you eat fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its life-sustaining activities, you're actually losing muscle in addition to fat. Your body breaks down its own muscles to provide the needed energy for survival.

Traditional diets which use calorie restriction to produce weight loss are no longer appropriate. Most weight-loss programs measure success solely in terms of the number of pounds lost per weight loss attempt. Diets don't take into account the quality of the process used to achieve that weight loss or the very small likelihood of sustained weight loss. For long-term good health, you need to move away from low-calorie diets and focus on enjoyable physical activity and good nutrition. Exercising regularly and eating lean-supporting calories, protein and carbohydrates, and reducing fat-supporting calories will not only help you look and feel better, it will also significantly reduce your risk of disease.

America spends billions of dollars on different ways to fix people. If we focused more on prevention and on improving our day-to-day behaviors, we could cut health care costs in half. Contrary to popular belief, leading a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be difficult; it doesn't have to painful or time-consuming. Making gradual, simple changes in your diet and physical activity will make great improvements in your health and well-being, and they can drastically reduce your risk of disease.

If your weight management program is to be a success, everything you eat and every exercise you do must be a pleasurable experience. If you're not enjoying yourself, it is unlikely that you'll continue your program. It's that simple. These small, gradual changes are not painful or overwhelming but rather the core of an exciting lifestyle that you will look forward to.
Take the frustration, guilt, and deprivation out of weight management, and allow yourself to adopt gradual, realistic changes into your life that will make healthy eating and physical activity a permanent pleasure. You will soon discover what your body is capable of and begin to look, act, and feel your very best. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Still stuck at 218.5lbs.

I'm a bit grumpy about that!

I walked about 6km on Friday, cleaned house on Saturday, painted the livingroom/dinning room and front hall on Sunday - and watched every calorie that went into my body.

Still stuck.

God I feel like just giving up.

But I won't

Not today anyhow

Being grumpy makes me lament even more that I don't have a tredmill or eclyptic machine down in the basement. There were several times this weekend I thought that if I just had a machine I could go on it for 30-40 minutes in-between activities. But alas - not a reality, nor will it be unless I move! - That has me more grumpy! The lack of resources when I want to succeed. Resources that fit into my life.

Today's Calories

220 calories for my omlete

40 calories yogurt

20 calories salad dressing

85 calories Blue Berries

60 calories salad

425 calories with Lunch and Breakfast

Namaste

B.

Saturday June 10th

Today the scales still say 218.5lbs. Same as last Saturday.

Yesterday was a difficult day emotionally with food. A coworker turned 30, and the office filled up with cookies, squares and double fudge chocolate cake all before 10:30am. The smell of the chocolate cake was amazing! I kept going by the desk and breathing in deeply, taking in the aroma!

I could feel my skin crawling from the inside out with cravings for that chocolate cake. My head was saying "don't ruin the success you have had so far" - Being "stuck" for the last week didn't help either. Not moving down from 218 for 7 days and even moving up slightly had me feeling defeated inside. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm moving away from 234 not towards it again.

I won the battle of the mind and body. I did not eat the chocolate cake, or the cookies or the squares. I ate my salad at my desk and plunged myself into my work.

Then dinner came. We went out with Chris's family to a tex-mex restaurant then to see the Divinci code movie. By now my cravings were through the roof after resisting chocolate cake all day. I could not face another salad, and didn't see a salad on the menu I liked, so I had the ribs with baked beans. I know, the calories must have been incredible. The ribs were very fatty, so I didn't eat much of them at all. I tried to stay away from the fat. But I know I ate too much as I was full at the end of the meal (Sleepy full).

It's interesting what people say to me when I say "no" to food. I said "no" last week to ice cream that was offered telling them I was not eating that type of food as I want to loose weight to get back to "me", and they scoffed at me. Told me I only live once, and life is not worth dieting through and I should go for the ice cream its good for the soul. (I still resisted).

With the cake yesterday I got a comment that "birthday's don't happen often, it's a good time to let my guard down and eat the cake to enjoy life".

The only problem is, that every day I could find a reason to celebrate. In the past I have! In January/February I would have said yes to the ice cream, yes to the cake, yes to the chips and dip, yes to everything that I was eating as part of the celebration of life. Look where it got me? I gained 60lbs by saying "yes". I lost myself into a body I don't recognize that is unhealthy and pear shaped. I'm a walking advertisement for potential stroke, heart attack, diabetes and they are telling me life is short I should eat cake? The cake will definitely make sure that my life is short - that is true enough!

Life is short - 80 years goes by in a flash.
I look at the people I've known in my life time. My grandparents who were born around 1896 would be 110 years old if they were alive. My parents are in their mid 70's. I am older then my mother and father when they first had a child. I can reflect on their lives and see the passage of time going quickly. One moment it is 1975 the next moment 1985 which flows to 95 to today.. Time goes quickly. One day passes into the next. It never stops. Time is a speeding bullet train going fast - faster then one can imagine. Do you think that someone who reaches the age of 100 is "old" inside? They are the same as you and me regardless if you and I are 13 years old, 38 years old or 57 years old. The core of who they are, their life experience is the same. Do they want to end life? Do I want to end life? My answer is "no". So why would I eat the cake? Break down my body sooner so that I am guaranteed to die younger.

Humans don't live a long time in the grand scheme of life. History is short. And I only have a moment here then I'm gone. How do I want to feel about me during this moment? How can I maximize this moment and enjoy it? Is the cake, the cookies enjoying the moment or shortening the moment? Or is it slow suicide?

Namaste
B.

Friday Friday Friday

Welcome to Friday everybody!!

Today the scales said 218.5lbs (movement downwards again - good to see)

On Friday's I am starting to work from 7:30 to 3:30pm and I'm carpooling to work on Fridays to save the environment from more car pollution!

As such it is 5:50am in the morning. My brain is not fully functioning yet!

Yesterday I walked about 5km over lunch - gave myself a big blister - so I was not able to do my evening walk with Chris.

Today it's raining. I won't have a car to go mall walking, so lunch will be inside today at my desk with nowhere to go.

I'm still lamenting the exercise equipment. I know if there was a treadmill in the corner somewhere in this basement, I would jump on it right now just for a few minutes to get my day going, and tonight before I go out to dinner with family, I would jump on it as well for 30 - 60 minutes. I could have still got exercise in after work, and made it to dinner with family by 5:30 -6:00pm. I still hope to be able to brainstorm a solution (haven't found one yet)

I hope everybody has a great weekend
Namaste
B.

The sun is shining through!

I’m being obsessive about calories now (I get in these moods when I feel stuck)
The calories I know for today are:

Breakfast
2 Eggs = 180 calories
Eggs mixed with flax seed, cinnamon, hot pepper, Italian spices = 50cal (1 tbsp of ground flax seed has 50 calories)
Yogurt = 40 calories

TOTAL: 270 calories

Lunch
1 measured cup of blue berries = 82 calories
2 tablespoons (measured) of salad dressing = 20 calories
½ chicken burger cut up into salad = 80 calories
Lettuce, tomato, pepper, onion, mushrooms = 100 calories (approx)

TOTAL: 282 calories

1200 calories is the minimum I should have or I’m starving my body. To loose weight I’m aiming for 1200 per day. 1700 - 2000 calories being the normal calorie intake to maintain a healthy weight each day with a desk job.

After reviewing today’s calories so far I have 650 calories left over for dinner and snacks today. Maybe that’s what’s gone wrong! I’ve had too little calories and put my body into starvation mode with what I’ve been eating each day.

Yesterday I had the same breakfast & dinner plus a salad at Wendy’s. Wendy’s publishes a nutrition guide on line and I was able to figure out that my calories for the meal where. The Mandarin Chicken Salad was 170 calories without crispy noodles, plus 190 calories for the dressing package. I only ate ½ a dressing package so I had about 270 calories for dinner last night. I didn’t put the crispy noodles on the salad because I’m not a fan of these noodles. This means, for yesterday I had a total of approximately 830 calories and that’s too low!

I think I found my solution as to why I’m not loosing weight. I’ve messed up my metabolism with too few calories. Interesting… now how to fix it without gaining weight? There’s the question of the day now!

Namaste
B.

Here is some information I on the web (seems to match a lot of information I read in several places). I combined sources into a more condense version:

Rough Estimate of Calorie Needs to Lose Weight

Here is a very rough guide of how many calories you need per day, if you want to lose weight. It's a ballpark estimate only.

TeensTeenagers need about 1500-1800 calories per day

Women (Non-Active)Sedentary women typically need about 1100-1300 calories per day

Women (Active)Active women typically need about 1400-1600 calories per day

Men (Non-Active)Sedentary men typically need about 1600-1800 calories per day

Men (Active)Active men typically need about 1800-2000 calories per day

One pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories, so to lose one pound a week, a person should consume approximately 3,500 fewer calories per week. This can be done by reducing the daily intake by 500 calories per day (500 x 7 days will provide a deficit of 3,500 calories per week). To lose 2 pounds per week, a deficit of 1,000 calories per day is required.

If this seems impossible, remember that physical activity also contributes significantly to weight loss. The deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories can come from a combination of increased physical activity and reduced intake on a daily basis.

Therefore, you don't need to experience significant food deprivation. The lowest intake per day recommended for females is 1,200 calories, unless they are in a medically-supervised, very low-calorie regimen which may have a daily level of 500 to 800 calories per day.

The lowest level recommended for males is 1,500 calories per day. A very low-calorie diet can also be used by males if they are in a medically-supervised program.

Here are some steps for weight maintenance and weight loss:

Increase your daily activity -- take the stairs rather than the elevator, or walk rather than drive when possible.
Reduce your food intake gradually. This will help make these new eating habits lifetime changes. Reduce fat intake on a daily basis, and reduce intake of other high-calorie foods.
Change any habits that make you eat more, or eat poorly.
Learn about the calorie content of foods and the calorie expenditure of various physical activities.

Thursday -stuck

Well, It's Thursday and the scale STILL say's 219lbs and today it even fluctuated between 219 and 219.5lbs.

This is when I'm annoyed. Yesterday I counted my calories to make sure I didn't over eat. I did a 5km walk at lunch and then did 9 holes of golf in the evening. Still nothing budged on the scale.

I know "intellectually" I shouldn't use the scale as my only measurement. Emotionally though, this is where I feel my success, where I find my goals being achieved in a tangable, measurable fashion.

I feel "anxious" about getting closer to below 200. Feeling "stuck" at 219 is depressing.

I'm hanging in there - as going "up" would be worse then being stuck here.

Usually Wednesday/Thursday are the days the weight on the scale changes.

I can't cut back on more calories - I'll end up fainting of low blood sugar and starving myself.
Walking is the exersice that fits into my schedule and gives me a life
There is no room for exersice equipment in our home.

I have to say, the reality, of no room for exersice equipment in our home is the biggest "sadness" that I'm feeling. I know I would be more successful, especially at times when I feel stuck, if I could go into the basement and work out for even 30 minutes on a high impact machine. I then would feel I could do something "right now" to boost my health and still get to work on time, make my appointments, see friends and family and spend time with Chris.

The idea of going to the gym still overwhelms my day. I dread the gym. I keep thinking, I SHOULD go to the gym, even if it eats up 2-3 hours of my evening. The walking 5-10km a day is not working this week. God I wish I had a tredmill or Eclyptic machine at home. I KNOW 100% that I could fit that in within 60 minutes. No driving time, I could shower upstairs in my own shower. I'd still have time to do everything else I wish to do. I look around the basement as I type this, and think "This sucks" - I'm not feeling very positive about my living space today!

Namaste
B.

Chart June 7th

Wednesday Weigh in 219lbs

Hello

Here is today's picture at 219lbs. I'm slowly getting there, but I'm not thrilled that I gained some weight this week.

I can't see how that happened. The last two days I've gone walking, had salad for lunch, protein for dinner. I've been careful about salad dressings and extras (for the most part) - maybe not careful enough??

Tonight I'm going golfing (more exercise).

We shall see.

I have to keep this blogg short this morning as I just heard on the news the hwy is backed up after a truck accident for over 20km. I'll be taking the backroads along with a few thousand other people!

I hope everybody enjoys there day today!

Namaste

B.

06/06/06

Welcome to June 6, 2006 - I keep hearing that today is 06/06/06

Today the scale said 219lbs. I went up 1/2 a pound? What gives? I went for an hour walk yesterday. Had my normal breakfast of one egg and yogurt for breakfast; a salad for lunch with low calorie dressing and blueberries; and chicken for dinner. There is no way I should have gained?

Anyhow, my body is obviously not cooperating with my efforts these past few days.

This is when I feel discouraged - I have gone through this most weeks.

I just can't wait to get below 200lbs. Get back to me again.

Namaste
B.

Good morning everybody. It's Monday morning and today the scales said 218.5lbs

I'm noticing a pattern. I seem to drop in weight from Wednesday to Friday then stable off from Friday to Tuesday. I wonder why?

Something for me to ponder.

Namaste

B.

Sunday

It's Sunday. Today the scales say 218.5lbs

Yesterday I discovered how difficult it can be to get a salad. We went to a restaurant Philthy McNasty's (a chain restaurant) for lunch yesterday. I asked the waitress if I could have a salad with a chicken breast on top with low calorie dressing on the side that was "lunch size" not a side salad. They had a lunch size chicken Caesar - but the Caesar dressing was high calorie. They had a small house salad, but it was a side salad. The girl didn't know what to do. It seemed like a simple request, but because I was asking for a moderated menu option, she was unable to comprehend how to do this.

In the end she brought me a large house salad and charged me for two side salads plus chicken. An iceberg lettuce house salad at that - nothing to write home about.

In the end I concluded that I won't go back there for lunch. So far, the food court and fast food restaurants like Wendy's have had the best salad choices for going out to lunch. I hate to support the fast food industry, but I can see they are responding to the message about how unhealthy their food is with better choices. Regular restaurants such as Philthy McNasty's, Pubs, Kelsey's etc... Are having a more difficult time creating that healthy choice with GOOD ingredients (not just iceberg lettuce with unripened tomatoes and a slice of cucumber that is ready to be thrown out shortly).

Namaste
B.

Saturday

Saturday Mornings are always good for sleeping in! Today the scale was a bit "weird" I saw 219lbs, 218.5lbs and 218lbs (it can't make up it's mind) Currently at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning it seems to like 218lbs. I'm not complaining by any means - but such a weight loss in one morning has got to be water retention related! We will see where I even out tomorrow morning at.

Seeing 218lbs on the scale was a relief. That is the weight I was at last September before I "fell off the wagon". I had managed to get from 238lbs to 218lbs, then had that rum and coke in September, triggered my sugar addiction and put the weight back on. At 218lbs I feel like I''m starting from the "beginning" again as I'm no longer working on weight that I had back slide up too.

Last night we went out to dinner at an all you can eat buffet. I had one plate (small plate) of food with protein only. I started watching other people's behaviour at the buffet. There was a child in particular that I was watching. This kid was 12-13 years old (probably grade 7 or 8, not high school age yet). He was fairly tall for his age and I'd guess he is over 250lbs. This kid had plate full after plate full of food too many to count and he was seated before we arrived. I know after the plates of food, he went back to the ice cream bar 4 times while we were there, and he wasn't finished yet when we left. As I looked around the room, I saw my own "old" behaviour mirrored back at me. As a child I would stuff myself until I was sick at a buffet, like this kid I ate everything I desired (though he ate way more then I could ever eat). Even as an adult, I've looked at buffets as "party time" with food. An all you can eat orgasm! Pure, satisfying pleasure!

Another observation was the "size" of the people at this restaurant. There were more then the average number of "bigger" people in the room. As I looked around, I figured that 70% of the people were over weight (me included). This time, I had the resolve to have one small plate of food. However, I've been the addictive eater in the buffet restaurant in the past.

I found I was less hungry watching everybody else stuff their face, looking at their health and thinking I'm just like them - this is a room full of mirrors. I'm unhealthy at my weight, I'm a food addict too, and if I wasn't so focused at the moment I would have had everything at the dessert bar for dinner. (as my food drug of choice). Thousands upon Thousands of calories I would have consumed. If it had been January for example, and we where there, I would have eaten at least 10,000 calories at this buffet. For I saw myself in others, and I do not wish to create that life for myself any more. Still, I literally drooled at the dessert bar, it had EVERYTHING. I wanted to have dessert, my skin was crawling with desire. I drank 1 diet coke and 2 glasses of water to hold off the cravings. I'd already had 4 glasses of water before we went out - I floated out of there!

After we left, we went to the movies and watched the new X-man movie - very good, I had a great time and enjoyed it (recommend it if you like X-man movies - of course this is my favorite type of movie!).

This weekend we have nothing planned. Maybe work on the garden. It's going to rain all day today, but Sunday may have some sun and cloud mix (a nicer day then today).

I hope you all enjoy your weekends too

Namaste
B.

It's F R I D A Y

Hello Everybody

Welcome to FRIDAY. Today I'm up earlier then normal, and the scale read 219.5lbs - I am down into the teens of the 200's. That's a good sign. Every time I drop into the next set of "10's" I feel better. 219.5lbs this morning made my day! That's a 15lb loss since May 3rd.

I have to say, seeing the scale goes down (along with this BLOG) helps me keep to my commitment to me (no flour, no sugar, no white starch). This week I've been having salads for lunch with some protein added in (Chicken, almonds). I went and cleaned out the fridge of all the high calorie dressings (most of them were over 2 years old anyhow and past their due dates) and replaced them with low calorie dressings that range between 4cal per tbsp to 17cal per tbsp. In the grocery store, while reading calorie counts on salad dressings, I found that many of the salad dressings were 150 - 170cal per tbsp (the worst is Ceasar Dressing). Some of the low calorie ones are calling themselves low calorie at 35 cal per tbsp. That's not low calorie!!

Anyhow, reading labels has become important to me. I've discovered a lot about sodium content as well! (Calories and Sodium - are an interesting read in the grocery store).

Here is another article from:

http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/index.html

Portion Size A Big Contributor To Weight Gain

Cornell University researchers have found that when young adults are served larger portions from one week to the next, they overeat by almost 40%. The research, appearing in the Journal of Nutrition, suggests that larger portions over time could account for the growth of the American girth over the past 20 years.

"The more food we served to the college-student volunteers in our eating study, the more they ate," says David Levitsky, professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell. "Since we know that restaurants are serving larger and larger food portions, we think that larger portions could be a major factor responsible for the increase in overweight and obesity that is so evident today."

The study volunteers who consumed the largest portions - portions 150% larger than the week before - ate an average of 39% more food, in weight, during the week than they did the previous week, an average of 273 more calories per person. Studies by other researchers have shown that while Americans, on average, are not using up as many calories through exercise today compared with 20 years ago, they are taking in about 200 more calories a day than they did in the 1970s. Researchers report that almost half of Americans' meals are now consumed outside the home, and that restaurant portion sizes have jumped by between 20% and 60% over the past 20 years. Another study found that 35% of 181 food products reviewed jumped in size between the 1970s and 1999. Meanwhile, the prevalence of adult obesity in the United States jumped to almost 31% of the population in 1999 from 14% in 1971. This new research suggests larger portions play an important role in the obesity epidemic.

Levitsky says his studies have shown that the size of breakfast or between-meal snacks does not affect the amount consumed at subsequent meals. "Likewise, if you don't eat for a day, you rate yourself more hungry, but you don't eat more food the next day. We've also shown that when you are fed and eat 33% (above normal portions) per day for two weeks, the day after you stop overeating, you rate yourself as full, but again, you eat the same amount of food as you did prior to the overfeeding. From a public health perspective, the results of this study are extremely encouraging," Levitsky concludes. "If it's correct that the increase in portion size is a major cause of the epidemic of obesity, then it should be possible to stop, and possibly reverse, this trend toward increased body weight by taking control of size of portions served."

Namaste

B.

Thursday June 1st

Hello Everybody - Welcome to the first day of June 2006. Today the scales read 220.5lbs. Almost out of the 220's - I'm looking forward to the day when I see my weight begin with a "1".

Yesterday was another long day. It was my first day back from being off studying, and like any first day back the e-mail, phone messages and unexpected events where all there. I left work around 7pm at night. Not getting home to close to 8pm again, eating late again. Seems to be a pattern. I rarely get home before 7pm - usually close to 8pm each night. I'm going to have to work on this to get a better balance. Which means cutting back on after work commitments, and leaving work on time!

It was 3pm before I had a chance for Lunch yesterday. A couple of co-workers ordered pizza. I joined them as they ate pizza and I had salad. Smelling the pizza was delicious! If I had not proclaimed to the world by wedding dress goal, I would have given in and ordered pizza with them. Every ounce of my body screamed to me "we want pizza" - I had to keep my mind in check with "no we want health!". Again, another interesting internal dialouge with myself.

Here is an article I found that was interesting. I found it at:

http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/

STAYING YOUNG WITH LESS CALORIES

The hearts of women who followed a low-calorie, nutritionally balanced diet resembled those of younger people, according to the results of ultrasound function tests. Additionally, they appear to have less inflammation and fibrosis, say researchers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"Eating less, if it is a high-quality diet, will improve your health, delay aging, and increase your chance of living a long, healthy and happy life," said Luigi Fontana, from the Washington University School of Medicine. "This is the first paper to show that long-term calorie restriction with optimal nutrition has cardiac-specific effects that ameliorate the age-associated decline. This is the first report ever to show that calorie restriction with optimal nutrition may delay primary aging in human beings."

Hearts tend to stiffen and pump less effectively as people get older, but ultrasound examinations showed that the hearts of the people on caloric restriction appeared more elastic than those of the other study subjects. Also, several heart disease risk factors and inflammatory markers - blood pressure, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta1 - were lower in the caloric restriction group than in the unmodified diet group.

But the researchers sounded a note of caution, emphasizing that caloric restriction does not mean simply eating less. "Calorie restriction is associated with longevity only when is coupled with optimal nutrition. On the other hand, calorie restriction coupled with malnutrition accelerates aging and causes severe diseases. Therefore, eating half a hamburger, half a bag of French fries and half a can of soft drink is not healthy caloric restriction and is harmful," said Fontana. "It is important to note that the caloric-restriction subjects ate a healthful balanced diet with at least 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of each nutrient, providing approximately 1,671 plus or minus 294 kilocalories per day. The average diet was 23 percent protein, 49 percent complex carbohydrates, and 28 percent fat, including 6 percent saturated fat."

According to Fontana, the diets of people on caloric restriction resemble the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is based on a wide variety of vegetables, olive oil, beans, whole grains, fish and fruit. The diet avoids refined and processed foods, soft drinks, desserts, free sugars, white bread and white pasta.

Commenting on the study, Daniel E. Forman, from the Boston Medical Center, said that the researchers have presented exciting data showing benefits of caloric restriction. "These data provide insight into the impact of diet on intrinsic myocardial function. Our normal Western diet likely induces inflammatory peptides that bring about changes in ventricular histology and function, including higher collagen content and associated tissue stiffening. Nutritionally balanced caloric restriction may constitute a key means to modify these detrimental patterns and mitigate age-related morbidity and mortality," said Forman.

Small Calorie Restriction Benefits Longevity

Adding to previous related research, a new study from the University of Florida (UF) has found that eating a little less food and exercising a little more over a lifespan can reduce, or even reverse, aging-related cell and organ damage. The study, in the journal Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, indicates that even small reductions in calories could have big effects on health.
Working with rats, the UF scientists found that feeding them just 8 percent fewer calories a day while moderately increasing the animals' activity extended their average lifespan and significantly curtailed the negative effects of cellular aging. An 8 percent reduction is the equivalent of a few hundred calories in an average human diet. "This finding suggests that even slight moderation in intake of calories and a moderate exercise program is beneficial to a key organ such as the liver, which shows significant signs of dysfunction in the aging process," said Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, the study's senior author.

In the study, one group of animals ate as much food as they wanted and did not exercise, while another group of animals exercised lightly and were fed slightly less than they would have eaten if allowed to have their fill. Liver samples from these groups were then compared with samples taken from young rats. The old sedentary rats that ate until they were full had increased levels of harmful oxidizing and inflammatory molecules in the liver that were associated with cell damage caused by aging.

Meanwhile, aging rats that exercised and consumed a calorie-restricted diet, had the reverse outcome - they showed a decrease in these molecules in the liver. The researchers believe the study results support the theory that cell death and aging-related organ damage are caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals and by cellular oxidation and inflammation. "In a calorie-restricted environment, you reduce the inflammatory response and prevent cell death," Leeuwenburgh explained.