I've wanted to address this issue for some time. My mom, my sister and I were all sitting at a restaurant getting ready to order food. My mom and I (fat girls) were discussing how high in calories salads are. My sister (skinny girl) angrily protested saying, "Salad is the healthiest thing you can eat! It's got roughage, you throw on some strawberries, chicken, pecans and some vinaigrette dressing, and you have a healthy low calorie meal! It did no good to argue with her because she was absolutely right. But, that is not the type of salad my mom and I were talking about. That is NOT what goes on a fat girl salad. When fat girls think salad, they think Cobb salad with ranch. In case you do not know what goes into a Cobb salad, it's bacon, eggs, blue cheese, avocado, and bacon. Or, we're thinking chef salad with cheddar cheese, ham and turkey and ranch. All high calorie items. If you are counting calories, you might as well have a cheeseburger and probably spare yourself about 500 calories.
I'm not saying fat girl salads can't be healthy. The salads I make at home consist of the following:
1 oz walnuts
1/2 cup slices cucumber
1 oz crimini mushrooms
1/2 oz pumkin seeds raw
1 serving raw sunflower seeds
1 serving organic spring mix
2 servings shredded cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
That is a healthy salad folks. It's also over 1600 calories. That's a whole days worth. The only way to get away with eating that many calories and not gaining weight is to be on a low carb diet. Walnuts, olive oil and cheese are all high calorie items. 1 tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories. 1oz of cheese is 120 calories and, yes, walnuts are healthy, but 1 oz of walnuts is 190 calories. God forbid I throw on some healthy avacodo. At the end of the day it is about calories in and calories out.
A later discussion with my sister about this topic helped me to understand better the attitude skinny girls have toward fat girls and it is basically this: Fat girls know nothing about nutrition and what is good for them. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. Most fat girls, maybe because we are so obsessed with food, could tell you the glycemic index of a tomato, and the benefits of lycopene, without having to think about it. - I also want to add the side note that, while I do have extra body weight, I pass every physical with flying colors, I can run a mile in under 10 minutes, and I have preferred status on my life insurance. I am healthy!
You see, its not a matter of knowing, nor is it necessarily a matter of self-control. Its a matter of taste. Just as some people enjoy cake and ice cream, I could go without it. If someone told me I could never have it again, I seriously wouldn't care. That being said, some people enjoy these foods on a level I could never appreciate That, folks, is the difference between fat and skinny.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Did I Binge?
Okay, so yesterday I think I may have binged, but it's hard to tell. I did put on a couple of lbs. Let's review what I had:
1/2 grapefruit for breakfast
1 Apple and 1 nectarine for lunch
6 oz Chicken w cucumber & tomatoes
Okay I also had 3 bloody marys with pickles, but come on!!
I was down to 194 yesterday and up to 197 today. I am really worried that I have slowed my metabolism.
The rest of the weekend I need to work hard to stick to the diet exactly, but it's so hard. I'm hungry. I have a headache (probably from the bloody mary's) I'm feeling a little nauseous. A large salad with some avocado, blue cheese, walnuts and olive oil would be so awesome right now, or some eggs and fried potatoes, or some . . . STOP!
For now I'm chalking this up to junk food withdrawals and the fact that I had vodka last night. I need to re-adjust and think about WHY I'm doing this in the first place.
1/2 grapefruit for breakfast
1 Apple and 1 nectarine for lunch
6 oz Chicken w cucumber & tomatoes
Okay I also had 3 bloody marys with pickles, but come on!!
I was down to 194 yesterday and up to 197 today. I am really worried that I have slowed my metabolism.
The rest of the weekend I need to work hard to stick to the diet exactly, but it's so hard. I'm hungry. I have a headache (probably from the bloody mary's) I'm feeling a little nauseous. A large salad with some avocado, blue cheese, walnuts and olive oil would be so awesome right now, or some eggs and fried potatoes, or some . . . STOP!
For now I'm chalking this up to junk food withdrawals and the fact that I had vodka last night. I need to re-adjust and think about WHY I'm doing this in the first place.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Day Whatever
I have to stop trying to count the days like I'm going to be so diligent as to not miss a single day. That's just not what my life is like. So, now I have the task of coming of with clever titles for these things.
Last night I totally pigged out. I ate a whole grapefruit for breakfast. I was cooking for two for dinner and I didn't even weigh the cauliflower or shrimp. I ate a whole bowl full. And, I had two nectarines while my husband and I watched the Dilemma.
The awesome thing about last night is that my husband loved his fat free food! I wouldn't let him eat popcorn or anything "good" last night. He had to eat nectarines with me. I was pretty firm. If I was a crack addict, would he smoke crack in front of me? Of course not!! I know I've said this before, but it's much clearer to me now: I am one piece of cheese away from a total relapse. He did tell my his stomach was burning with hunger before he went to bed. I have little sympathy.
Yesterday was very difficult with regard to how I felt physically. There was no question that my body was going through withdrawals. I've been through it before with smoking. I can't tolerate anyone eating junk food around me. The other day I walked into my bosses office to find him munching on a bag of chips. "On a diet?" I say. Wow. How unbelievably rude. But, that's how us recovering junkies are. It's like when people quit smoking and someone lights up in front of them. The first thing they'll tell you is that they were able to quit (insinuating what a weak piece of crap the other person is for not have the willpower to do so), then they will probably fan their face and say something like, "I forgot how much smoking stinks." What they are really thinking is, "I really want a cigarette bad, and I'm about to tackle this guy and steel his cigarettes." That's how I felt. I wanted to grab that bag of chips and run out of my bosses office cramming chips into my mouth.
Last night I totally pigged out. I ate a whole grapefruit for breakfast. I was cooking for two for dinner and I didn't even weigh the cauliflower or shrimp. I ate a whole bowl full. And, I had two nectarines while my husband and I watched the Dilemma.
The awesome thing about last night is that my husband loved his fat free food! I wouldn't let him eat popcorn or anything "good" last night. He had to eat nectarines with me. I was pretty firm. If I was a crack addict, would he smoke crack in front of me? Of course not!! I know I've said this before, but it's much clearer to me now: I am one piece of cheese away from a total relapse. He did tell my his stomach was burning with hunger before he went to bed. I have little sympathy.
Yesterday was very difficult with regard to how I felt physically. There was no question that my body was going through withdrawals. I've been through it before with smoking. I can't tolerate anyone eating junk food around me. The other day I walked into my bosses office to find him munching on a bag of chips. "On a diet?" I say. Wow. How unbelievably rude. But, that's how us recovering junkies are. It's like when people quit smoking and someone lights up in front of them. The first thing they'll tell you is that they were able to quit (insinuating what a weak piece of crap the other person is for not have the willpower to do so), then they will probably fan their face and say something like, "I forgot how much smoking stinks." What they are really thinking is, "I really want a cigarette bad, and I'm about to tackle this guy and steel his cigarettes." That's how I felt. I wanted to grab that bag of chips and run out of my bosses office cramming chips into my mouth.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
HCG Day 2
195 lbs. I feel very good this morning, although I should note that I slept for a full 8 hours. I am definitely losing weight. Even 5 lbs of water feels good to get off. My biggest concern is my metabolism slowing down, but that's what the HCG drops are supposed to prevent from happening.
At 9:30 a.m. I was starving again and my stomach was making very loud noises. I didn't get as nauseous from the supplements, but still a little. Lunch time actually came and went without me noticing. I guess I wasn't dreaming about my shrimp, cucumbers and tomatoes with lemon juice. It did taste good, but everything does when you're starving.
Dinner was the same as last night, tilapia and cauliflower. I was still "hungry" when I was done, or at least I still wanted to be shoving food in my mouth, so I threw some raw spinach in the pan with the juices. Then I remembered that I am not allowed to mix veggies (tomato is a fruit), so I mixed it with my left over chicken with some cut up apple and put it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. I then ate a nectarine and the rest of my grapefruit left over from breakfast.
It's 9:05 pm now. My stomach is growling. I have work to do, so hopefully that keeps my mind off of snacking. I am craving junk food right now like some kind of addict. I do recall reading a testimonial about a woman who claims to be addicted to food and how it is so much harder than other addictions because she cannot just stop eating. I believe that statement is incorrect. We need food to live, yes, but it is not an addiction like as to cigarettes. What she means to say is that she is addicted to non-food. Saying you are addicted to food means that an apple, or cucumber would satisfy you. If it would, then you are just hungry. If it won't and they only thing that will settle your craving is a large order of chili cheese fries, it is not the food that you crave, but the non-food. The non-food is as addictive as crack. I think I could get high from a piece of cheese right now. No kidding. I think I need methadone.
My name is Shayne Atwood and I am a non-food addict. It's been 2 days since I have last eaten non-food.
At 9:30 a.m. I was starving again and my stomach was making very loud noises. I didn't get as nauseous from the supplements, but still a little. Lunch time actually came and went without me noticing. I guess I wasn't dreaming about my shrimp, cucumbers and tomatoes with lemon juice. It did taste good, but everything does when you're starving.
Dinner was the same as last night, tilapia and cauliflower. I was still "hungry" when I was done, or at least I still wanted to be shoving food in my mouth, so I threw some raw spinach in the pan with the juices. Then I remembered that I am not allowed to mix veggies (tomato is a fruit), so I mixed it with my left over chicken with some cut up apple and put it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. I then ate a nectarine and the rest of my grapefruit left over from breakfast.
It's 9:05 pm now. My stomach is growling. I have work to do, so hopefully that keeps my mind off of snacking. I am craving junk food right now like some kind of addict. I do recall reading a testimonial about a woman who claims to be addicted to food and how it is so much harder than other addictions because she cannot just stop eating. I believe that statement is incorrect. We need food to live, yes, but it is not an addiction like as to cigarettes. What she means to say is that she is addicted to non-food. Saying you are addicted to food means that an apple, or cucumber would satisfy you. If it would, then you are just hungry. If it won't and they only thing that will settle your craving is a large order of chili cheese fries, it is not the food that you crave, but the non-food. The non-food is as addictive as crack. I think I could get high from a piece of cheese right now. No kidding. I think I need methadone.
My name is Shayne Atwood and I am a non-food addict. It's been 2 days since I have last eaten non-food.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
HCG Day 1 (3)
I call this Day 1(3) because I have been taking the supplements, but this is the first day I do my hardcore extreme diet. I weighed in at 198. Hmmm. I'm 3 lbs lighter than I was on Sunday and I haven't started the diet yet. Could be meaningless. Could be the supplements. Regardless, I don't mean to suggest that supplements alone could possibly get me to my weight loss goal. There is probably a diuretic in one of the supplements.
I made my lunch for today last night. I sit this morning eating my 1/2 grapefruit. I hope it lasts until lunch!! For lunch? 3.5 oz raw spinach (that's quite a large bowl actually) 3 oz cooked chicken seasoned with only ginger, soy sauce, lemon and salt and pepper (its very delicious actually), and 3.5 oz strawberries. I'm just using apple cider vinegar for dressing. I did a test salad last night and it was very delicious. Spinach seems to be a good leafy green for rather dry salads because it isn't bitter. I actually could have skipped the vinegar if I wanted to. I still can't believe how unbelievably good the chicken was.
____
So, here is is at 7:24 pm. I am just getting ready for the second half of my work day, but I wanted to report on how it was going so far.
Basically, I had my 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast with coffee. I took my supplements. One of them makes me a little nauseous. Also, yesterday and today, I was super grumpy in the morning. However, once I realized the vitamins were making me a little grumpy, I was able to shake it off.
At about 9:30 a.m. I was STARVING!!! I didn't dare eat my salad yet because I wouldn't have made it through the day. By about 10:30 a.m. my hunger subsided. I actually didn't eat my salad until 1:30 or so.
Tonight when I came home I was hungary, but not starving. Every once in a while I would get a hunger pinch in my belly (like a hot poker), but it goes away. I had fish and cauliflower for dinner. 3.5 oz of cauliflower is an unbelievably small portion!! I was satiated after I ate, but the food tasted so good I wanted more. So, I had about 1 oz of chicken. Then I stopped.
I made myself a big glass of ice water with lemons and will drink water all night. I hope it keeps my cravings at bay. This is the hardest time of night for me. I've had a long day and what I really "want" to do is sit in front of the TV and snack until its time to go to bed. Unfortunately, that behavior has undesireable consequences.
____
At about 9:30 p.m. I got the serious fungries! So, I ate a pickle, a nectarine and the other half of my grapefruit. Not a bad binge.
I made my lunch for today last night. I sit this morning eating my 1/2 grapefruit. I hope it lasts until lunch!! For lunch? 3.5 oz raw spinach (that's quite a large bowl actually) 3 oz cooked chicken seasoned with only ginger, soy sauce, lemon and salt and pepper (its very delicious actually), and 3.5 oz strawberries. I'm just using apple cider vinegar for dressing. I did a test salad last night and it was very delicious. Spinach seems to be a good leafy green for rather dry salads because it isn't bitter. I actually could have skipped the vinegar if I wanted to. I still can't believe how unbelievably good the chicken was.
____
So, here is is at 7:24 pm. I am just getting ready for the second half of my work day, but I wanted to report on how it was going so far.
Basically, I had my 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast with coffee. I took my supplements. One of them makes me a little nauseous. Also, yesterday and today, I was super grumpy in the morning. However, once I realized the vitamins were making me a little grumpy, I was able to shake it off.
At about 9:30 a.m. I was STARVING!!! I didn't dare eat my salad yet because I wouldn't have made it through the day. By about 10:30 a.m. my hunger subsided. I actually didn't eat my salad until 1:30 or so.
Tonight when I came home I was hungary, but not starving. Every once in a while I would get a hunger pinch in my belly (like a hot poker), but it goes away. I had fish and cauliflower for dinner. 3.5 oz of cauliflower is an unbelievably small portion!! I was satiated after I ate, but the food tasted so good I wanted more. So, I had about 1 oz of chicken. Then I stopped.
I made myself a big glass of ice water with lemons and will drink water all night. I hope it keeps my cravings at bay. This is the hardest time of night for me. I've had a long day and what I really "want" to do is sit in front of the TV and snack until its time to go to bed. Unfortunately, that behavior has undesireable consequences.
____
At about 9:30 p.m. I got the serious fungries! So, I ate a pickle, a nectarine and the other half of my grapefruit. Not a bad binge.
Monday, August 29, 2011
HCG- Really doing it.
Okay, for my birthday, my Mom bought me a 30-day supply of HCG. (See previous post). So, I started yesterday. The cool thing is, that for the first couple of days, you just eat what you want while taking the supplements. Why? Because it takes a couple of days for the supplements to affect your metabolism and if you drop your calories drastically without the supplements, your metabolism will plummet. The HCG came with additional supplements as well, B12, thyroid supplements, and Acai. I did notice a drop in my appetite today.
This 500 calorie a day diet is going to take extreme willpower, but I'm determined. All I need is a plan. So, I have actually planned out my meals ahead of time (basically for 3 days and then repeat). I am also going to limit my shopping list to exactly what I need. So, my menu is as follows:
This 500 calorie a day diet is going to take extreme willpower, but I'm determined. All I need is a plan. So, I have actually planned out my meals ahead of time (basically for 3 days and then repeat). I am also going to limit my shopping list to exactly what I need. So, my menu is as follows:
Day 1
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Chicken, Spinach, Strawberry Salad
D: Tilapia, Broccoli
Day 2
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Shrimp, cucumber, tomato salad
D: Tilapia, Green Beans
Day 3
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Chicken, Apple, Spinach salad
D: Shrimp, broccoli
Day 4
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Chicken, Spinach, Strawberry Salad
D: Tilapia, Broccoli
Day 5
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Shrimp, cucumber, tomato salad
D: Tilapia, Green Beans
Day 6
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Chicken, Apple, Spinach salad
D: Shrimp, broccoli
Day 7
B: ½ Grapefruit
L: Chicken, Spinach, Strawberry Salad
D: Tilapia, Broccoli
My shopping list is pretty simple:
Grapefruit: 4
Strawberry: 10.5 oz
Apple: 2
Chicken: 17.5 oz
Shrimp: 14 oz
Tilapia: 17.5 oz
Spinach: 17.5 oz
Broccoli: 17.5 oz
Green Beans: 7 oz
Cucumber: 7 oz
tomato: 7 oz
My dressing is basically going to be apple cider vinegar. I will have to mince garlic, onions, ginger etc to flavor my food. I have to be very careful of spices because so many of them contain sugar. I'm heading to the store now so I can get everything portioned out for the rest of the week. Wish me luck!!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
HCG Diet
Howdy! I know its been a while. I've been pigging out and weighed in at a "healthy" 200 lbs on Monday. I got a phone call from my mom on Monday who said she just lost 10 lbs in one week by doing this HCG diet. Basically, she can have two servings of fruit, two servings of veggies, and two servings of meat. 500 calories. Thats it! According to the makers of HCG, taking the supplement keeps your metabolism from thinking you're starving. Human chorionic gonadotropin or human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced during pregnancy.
Okay, so I don't have $180 for a 60 day supply of these pills so I've decided to eat the same foods allowed; fruit, veggies and meat (no butter, dressing, gravy, etc.) but not limit myself to the 500 calories. I don't know how many calories I'm eating, but without oils, fats or processed carbs it can't be much!
I weighed in this morning at 192. That's 8 lbs in two days. Of course it's "water" but don't knock losing water, that's also bloat!
Sticking to this eating plan is going to come down to good ol' fashion discipline. I have to say, as I was eating my steamed veggies and broiled salmon last night, I felt empowered.
Okay, so I don't have $180 for a 60 day supply of these pills so I've decided to eat the same foods allowed; fruit, veggies and meat (no butter, dressing, gravy, etc.) but not limit myself to the 500 calories. I don't know how many calories I'm eating, but without oils, fats or processed carbs it can't be much!
I weighed in this morning at 192. That's 8 lbs in two days. Of course it's "water" but don't knock losing water, that's also bloat!
Sticking to this eating plan is going to come down to good ol' fashion discipline. I have to say, as I was eating my steamed veggies and broiled salmon last night, I felt empowered.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Day 4
187.6 (up .2 lbs)
Calories 3848, Carbs 46.83.
I didn't work out yesterday. Frankly, I was so tired from jogging 4.5 miles on Monday and Tuesday, I didn't even have the stamina to study yesterday.
Tonight is Bob and Shayne night, so we're going to have to be very careful. It's not going to be a night of snacks. We discussed how our diet gets absolutely blown Thursday - Saturday. We need to be able to watch a good movie without stuffing things into our mouths. That's our first obstacle.
Second, We are going to work out every Thurs - Sat. My husband has only those 3 days to exercise and it is my job to make sure he exercises on those three days.
About calories:
I'm beginning to wonder if there is a calorie threshold where, even though my carbs are low, my calories are too high. I mean, there has to be something to calories in/calories out. I know I lose weight that way. The other day I cut my calories by 1000 and lost almost 2 lbs. One day doesn't give me that much information, but I think I will go back to that. Because I am eating soooo much fat, 1000 calories is not that hard to cut. I think all I did on Monday was use only 1 serving of nuts/seeds in my salad (vs. 3), 1 oz cheese instead of 2, replaced some of the olive oil with vinegar in my salad, didn't add a tablespoon of butter to my eggs (not really needed) and voila, there goes about 1000 calories. Yes, my salad for lunch is about 1700 calories. 955 of those calories come from olive oil alone.
Calories 3848, Carbs 46.83.
I didn't work out yesterday. Frankly, I was so tired from jogging 4.5 miles on Monday and Tuesday, I didn't even have the stamina to study yesterday.
Tonight is Bob and Shayne night, so we're going to have to be very careful. It's not going to be a night of snacks. We discussed how our diet gets absolutely blown Thursday - Saturday. We need to be able to watch a good movie without stuffing things into our mouths. That's our first obstacle.
Second, We are going to work out every Thurs - Sat. My husband has only those 3 days to exercise and it is my job to make sure he exercises on those three days.
About calories:
I'm beginning to wonder if there is a calorie threshold where, even though my carbs are low, my calories are too high. I mean, there has to be something to calories in/calories out. I know I lose weight that way. The other day I cut my calories by 1000 and lost almost 2 lbs. One day doesn't give me that much information, but I think I will go back to that. Because I am eating soooo much fat, 1000 calories is not that hard to cut. I think all I did on Monday was use only 1 serving of nuts/seeds in my salad (vs. 3), 1 oz cheese instead of 2, replaced some of the olive oil with vinegar in my salad, didn't add a tablespoon of butter to my eggs (not really needed) and voila, there goes about 1000 calories. Yes, my salad for lunch is about 1700 calories. 955 of those calories come from olive oil alone.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Day 3
Net Carbs 41.38, Calories 3696, Weight 187.4 - down .8 lbs.
I've got my husband on board now. I had two good workouts in a row. I got my miles in two days in a row. Tonight, probably some pilates. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I drag my husband to the gym.
If anyone is reading this and is pissed because they are not motivated to work out, I say, read my first week before I had to start over. I didn't work out much then if at all. I think I read somewhere that nutrition is 80% of your success/failure. Believe it.
I know its a pain in the ass to write everything down and weigh everything out, but I kind of made it fun for myself. I invested in a cool electronic scale that weighs out in tiers. So, when making a salad, I put my own plate on the scale, add what I want, press a button to zero out the scale again and add more. Its very handy and much easier. Also, I have fatsecret on my smart phone. Fun to use, especially when you are scanning things in by barcode. Love it.
My favorite thing about this way of eating is that everything tastes great! I can eat this way forever. I get all my nutrition from my food. And, I feel awesome!
I've got my husband on board now. I had two good workouts in a row. I got my miles in two days in a row. Tonight, probably some pilates. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I drag my husband to the gym.
If anyone is reading this and is pissed because they are not motivated to work out, I say, read my first week before I had to start over. I didn't work out much then if at all. I think I read somewhere that nutrition is 80% of your success/failure. Believe it.
I know its a pain in the ass to write everything down and weigh everything out, but I kind of made it fun for myself. I invested in a cool electronic scale that weighs out in tiers. So, when making a salad, I put my own plate on the scale, add what I want, press a button to zero out the scale again and add more. Its very handy and much easier. Also, I have fatsecret on my smart phone. Fun to use, especially when you are scanning things in by barcode. Love it.
My favorite thing about this way of eating is that everything tastes great! I can eat this way forever. I get all my nutrition from my food. And, I feel awesome!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Day 2
2400 calories. 58 net carbs
Weight - 188.
Down 2 whole lbs from yesterday. Writing things down is magic.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day 1 (starting over)
Total Calories 4321 - Net Carbs - 46.86
Lost .4 lbs.
Wrote everything down. Its like magic. Today, I am actually shaving off calories here and there. I would love to lose 20 lbs by Easter. So, instead of 3 servings of nuts, I use one. Instead of 1/2 cup of olive oil, I use 1/4 cup (replacing the rest with cider vinegar) etc. If all goes well, I will be at 1955 calories and 51.43 carbs. I also plan on jogging at least 3 miles today.
Lost .4 lbs.
Wrote everything down. Its like magic. Today, I am actually shaving off calories here and there. I would love to lose 20 lbs by Easter. So, instead of 3 servings of nuts, I use one. Instead of 1/2 cup of olive oil, I use 1/4 cup (replacing the rest with cider vinegar) etc. If all goes well, I will be at 1955 calories and 51.43 carbs. I also plan on jogging at least 3 miles today.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Day 19 - Starting over
190.4
I'm calling this one busted. No point in going another week. I'm going back to writing everything down.
I botched my own calorie test because I didn't stick to writing everything down. One week is not enough time for anything. I'm basically going to have to start over. So, from now until Easter, it's on. Everything gets not only recorded, but pre-planned.
What I do want to point out is that I do feel really good. I feel very healthy. That should be the most important thing, right? Well, it is important, but let's be real.
I'm calling this one busted. No point in going another week. I'm going back to writing everything down.
I botched my own calorie test because I didn't stick to writing everything down. One week is not enough time for anything. I'm basically going to have to start over. So, from now until Easter, it's on. Everything gets not only recorded, but pre-planned.
What I do want to point out is that I do feel really good. I feel very healthy. That should be the most important thing, right? Well, it is important, but let's be real.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
DAY 18
189.2
This all seemed to go down hill once I stopped counting everything. I can't use the PMS excuse. I think I know where this went wrong (spaghetti sauce) and I'm going to give myself one more week before I start counting everything again.
I have a feeling that there is some kind of magic in keeping track. I hear it all the time. People will say, "I don't know why I'm not losing weight!" and I ask, "Are you keeping track are you writing everything down?" and they'll say, "No, I do it all in my head." Well, maybe that's not good enough. Maybe if we're not measuring it out and writing it down, we really don't have a clue how much of what we're putting in our mouths. Maybe, just maybe, we're not as smart as we think we are.
Its discouraging/motivating to look back at this time last year and to see that I was 20 lbs lighter. I was counting calories - writing everything down and lost the weight easily. But, here I am a year later 20 lbs heavier. Something somewhere went wrong. I think it was that 1500 calories a day was not a very realistic goal for me. Before I get too discouraged, I should look back and realize that I was losing weight and that I made a couple of bad choices in the past couple of days that caused me to add a couple of lbs on. I just need to learn and move on.
New Rules: No more than 3 glasses of wine (or shots of tequila) in a given night. No more spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce until I have reached my goal. Limit non-green vegetables. When I was counting everything, I naturally limited them because they were higher in carbs and I was on a budget. Like I said, I will give this one more week, then I'm going back to counting. Finally, No breaking the rules for dinner guests. It's not necessary. Everything I cook is delicious. And, its just to easy to fall off the wagon.
This all seemed to go down hill once I stopped counting everything. I can't use the PMS excuse. I think I know where this went wrong (spaghetti sauce) and I'm going to give myself one more week before I start counting everything again.
I have a feeling that there is some kind of magic in keeping track. I hear it all the time. People will say, "I don't know why I'm not losing weight!" and I ask, "Are you keeping track are you writing everything down?" and they'll say, "No, I do it all in my head." Well, maybe that's not good enough. Maybe if we're not measuring it out and writing it down, we really don't have a clue how much of what we're putting in our mouths. Maybe, just maybe, we're not as smart as we think we are.
Its discouraging/motivating to look back at this time last year and to see that I was 20 lbs lighter. I was counting calories - writing everything down and lost the weight easily. But, here I am a year later 20 lbs heavier. Something somewhere went wrong. I think it was that 1500 calories a day was not a very realistic goal for me. Before I get too discouraged, I should look back and realize that I was losing weight and that I made a couple of bad choices in the past couple of days that caused me to add a couple of lbs on. I just need to learn and move on.
New Rules: No more than 3 glasses of wine (or shots of tequila) in a given night. No more spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce until I have reached my goal. Limit non-green vegetables. When I was counting everything, I naturally limited them because they were higher in carbs and I was on a budget. Like I said, I will give this one more week, then I'm going back to counting. Finally, No breaking the rules for dinner guests. It's not necessary. Everything I cook is delicious. And, its just to easy to fall off the wagon.
Friday, March 25, 2011
DAY 17
187.4
This will be a short post. Basically, I ate was I was supposed to, but, coming from a very stressful work day, had a few glasses of wine. It was a very fun night with my husband though and well worth it. We really needed to wind down, relax and laugh. I wouldn't be surprised if my stress level from the day played a part in my non-weight loss.
This will be a short post. Basically, I ate was I was supposed to, but, coming from a very stressful work day, had a few glasses of wine. It was a very fun night with my husband though and well worth it. We really needed to wind down, relax and laugh. I wouldn't be surprised if my stress level from the day played a part in my non-weight loss.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
DAY 16
187.4
Yesterday my back went out of place. I got an adjustment, but I am still sore. So, I didn't work out yesterday, but I otherwise stuck to my schedule.
I had eggs for breakfast, a cup of almonds and 2 pieces of string cheese for lunch, a big plate of asparagus for dinner, and a piece of string cheese before bed. That doesn't sound like very much food, but I really wasn't hungry yesterday. As I am looking at my plate of asparagus, I realize this is not how "normal" people eat. Could you imagine telling your kids to come to dinner and all they get is a plate of asparagus? But, maybe it should be. I really enjoyed my dinners the past three nights, and there is satisfaction in knowing that you are picking foods not only for taste, but for nutritional content.
I did buy some 5 hour energy. Not because I have been lacking energy. On the contrary. But, because it is loaded with B vitamins, especially B12. Most people who eat meat don't need a B12 supplement. If you have a B12 deficiency, you are probably either vegan or your stomach is not producing a substance called intrinsic factor, which helps your body break down and absorb the B12. I've read different opinions on whether it is better to get B12 from supplements or food sources. I'll probably take this around noon right before lunch since I'm drinking coffee this morning.
I'm starting to feel like Jeff Goldblum in The Fly!
Yesterday my back went out of place. I got an adjustment, but I am still sore. So, I didn't work out yesterday, but I otherwise stuck to my schedule.
I had eggs for breakfast, a cup of almonds and 2 pieces of string cheese for lunch, a big plate of asparagus for dinner, and a piece of string cheese before bed. That doesn't sound like very much food, but I really wasn't hungry yesterday. As I am looking at my plate of asparagus, I realize this is not how "normal" people eat. Could you imagine telling your kids to come to dinner and all they get is a plate of asparagus? But, maybe it should be. I really enjoyed my dinners the past three nights, and there is satisfaction in knowing that you are picking foods not only for taste, but for nutritional content.
I did buy some 5 hour energy. Not because I have been lacking energy. On the contrary. But, because it is loaded with B vitamins, especially B12. Most people who eat meat don't need a B12 supplement. If you have a B12 deficiency, you are probably either vegan or your stomach is not producing a substance called intrinsic factor, which helps your body break down and absorb the B12. I've read different opinions on whether it is better to get B12 from supplements or food sources. I'll probably take this around noon right before lunch since I'm drinking coffee this morning.
I'm starting to feel like Jeff Goldblum in The Fly!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Day 15
188.2 - still going down, but only back to where I was when I started. Yesterday pretty much mimicked the day before. I did a pilates video instead of going to the gym because I didn't want to go back out in the cold weather. Again, I ate my fill and was not hungry all day. And, I stuck to my schedule!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
DAY 14
190 lbs.
Okay, well, at least I am going in the right direction again. I did workout yesterday. I had eggs for breakfast, a salad for lunch and, for dinner, I had a plate of cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms and 1 carrot, sauteed in butter, and topped with with Italian seasoning, parmesan and olive oil. It was very good and filling. Before bed I had two glasses of wine, some olives stuffed with feta cheese (not as good as blue cheese, but I thought I'd try it) 1 piece of string cheese and 1/2 cup raw almonds.
I was not hungry all day and I had plenty of energy at the gym. I am proud to say that I stuck to my schedule!! The trick was to go right into studying when I got home and not watch TV and relax. Once I get into relax mode, it's too hard to come out of it. So, I studied while I ate dinner, then took a break and hit the gym, then studied some more, then gave myself about an hour to wind down before bed. I only have that tedious scheduled Mon-Wed. It helps if I keep reminding myself of that.
I should report on how I've been feeling. Am I tired or depressed? Am I craving anything? No. None of that. I feel really good, actually. My head is clear. My mood has been good. I don't feel the slightest bit deprived, especially since I am able to add butter, olive oil, and dressing to my veggies. Even my PMS days were mild and my cramps were minimal.
This is definitely a way of eating that I can stick to on a permanent basis. I just hope it results in steady weight loss!
Okay, well, at least I am going in the right direction again. I did workout yesterday. I had eggs for breakfast, a salad for lunch and, for dinner, I had a plate of cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms and 1 carrot, sauteed in butter, and topped with with Italian seasoning, parmesan and olive oil. It was very good and filling. Before bed I had two glasses of wine, some olives stuffed with feta cheese (not as good as blue cheese, but I thought I'd try it) 1 piece of string cheese and 1/2 cup raw almonds.
I was not hungry all day and I had plenty of energy at the gym. I am proud to say that I stuck to my schedule!! The trick was to go right into studying when I got home and not watch TV and relax. Once I get into relax mode, it's too hard to come out of it. So, I studied while I ate dinner, then took a break and hit the gym, then studied some more, then gave myself about an hour to wind down before bed. I only have that tedious scheduled Mon-Wed. It helps if I keep reminding myself of that.
I should report on how I've been feeling. Am I tired or depressed? Am I craving anything? No. None of that. I feel really good, actually. My head is clear. My mood has been good. I don't feel the slightest bit deprived, especially since I am able to add butter, olive oil, and dressing to my veggies. Even my PMS days were mild and my cramps were minimal.
This is definitely a way of eating that I can stick to on a permanent basis. I just hope it results in steady weight loss!
Monday, March 21, 2011
DAY 13
191 lbs. Weight is going back down. I'm glad, because I really ate my fill yesterday, and I was dreading having to keep track of everything. If I had gained a pound, you can bet I would be back to weighing and measuring everything. I felt slim this morning. I had hoped I would step on the scale and be back down to where I was, but that was probably too much to hope for. This week, however, I do expect to drop more weight than last. First, because 5lbs of this weight, I believe, is just temporary water. Second, because I'm really hoping to add my workouts back in.
There is also, the theory that maybe all the calories from the past 12 days have just caught up with me and this is not a diet one can stick to long term and lose weight. It will be interesting to see where my numbers are at the end of 30 days. The theory that I thought I had proved, could still totally be disproved.
There is also, the theory that maybe all the calories from the past 12 days have just caught up with me and this is not a diet one can stick to long term and lose weight. It will be interesting to see where my numbers are at the end of 30 days. The theory that I thought I had proved, could still totally be disproved.
DAY TWELVE
Well, this morning I weighed 192. I know, I know. I didn't write everything down, but let's review what I ate. I had a salad w vinegar and oil dressing, spaghetti squash and sauce for lunch and for dinner, some cashews, a whole bag of popcorn, some cheese and about 5 glasses of wine throughout the day (a couple glasses at lunch time and a couple before bed. If I were to estimate, I bet I had well over 200 carbs yesterday - and that was being careful about what I ate.
I almost had regular pasta yesterday, but I was talking about my experiment to Bob's daughter and decided not to. I was really craving sweets last night, but I resisted.
I'm contemplating going back to keeping track of everything. I think if I would have had the numbers staring me in the face, I would have made better choices, like skipping the popcorn. If my weight continues to go up, I will revert back to counting everything, but for now, I'm blaming this on too many carbs from tomato sauce and PMS.
My goal this weeks is to stop skipping my workouts and to stick to the schedule I have outlined for myself. It requires me to get up at 6 am and go to bed by 11 pm. If I don't get out of bed by 6, it feels like whole day is wrecked. I saw a quote once that says, "Either you run the day or the day runs you." That couldn't be more true!
I almost had regular pasta yesterday, but I was talking about my experiment to Bob's daughter and decided not to. I was really craving sweets last night, but I resisted.
I'm contemplating going back to keeping track of everything. I think if I would have had the numbers staring me in the face, I would have made better choices, like skipping the popcorn. If my weight continues to go up, I will revert back to counting everything, but for now, I'm blaming this on too many carbs from tomato sauce and PMS.
My goal this weeks is to stop skipping my workouts and to stick to the schedule I have outlined for myself. It requires me to get up at 6 am and go to bed by 11 pm. If I don't get out of bed by 6, it feels like whole day is wrecked. I saw a quote once that says, "Either you run the day or the day runs you." That couldn't be more true!
Friday, March 18, 2011
DAY ELEVEN
Like I said yesterday, I didn't write everything down, but I have a good idea about what I can and cannot have, I think. I had strawberries and black berries for breakfast, lobster bisque for lunch, fish and cauliflower and cheese sauce for dinner, and raw almonds and a couple of handfuls of popcorn for a snack.
My weight today: 189. I gained 3.4 lbs in one day. How? Well, I've been warning everyone that this day was coming. It happens every month, and it's usually at least 5 lbs. I just have to ride the storm. But of course, it figures that this would happen on the day I wasn't recording everything - like I need that doubt rolling around in my head.
My weight today: 189. I gained 3.4 lbs in one day. How? Well, I've been warning everyone that this day was coming. It happens every month, and it's usually at least 5 lbs. I just have to ride the storm. But of course, it figures that this would happen on the day I wasn't recording everything - like I need that doubt rolling around in my head.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
DAY TEN
Calories 3216, Fat 289.41, Net Carb 70.34, Protien 70.48
Weight 185.6 (Down .6 lbs from yesterday)
I have a bit of a virus (My strep test was negative) so I'm under the weather. But, DOWN .6 LBS! I think 9 days in row is pretty telling. I even had an apple yesterday. I am basically eating healthy food only - no junk, no legumes and no grains.
My diet is high in calories because oil, nuts and cheese are high in calories even for a reasonable portion. Nonetheless, I am eating super healthy. I'm finding that, in order to incorporate all of the nutrient rich foods, such as seeds, nuts, olive oil and coconut oil, you have to eat more than 1500 calories.
I think my theory is confirmed. However, I'm going to take my training wheels off now and not record everything I eat. Let's see how well I do flying blind.
Weight 185.6 (Down .6 lbs from yesterday)
I have a bit of a virus (My strep test was negative) so I'm under the weather. But, DOWN .6 LBS! I think 9 days in row is pretty telling. I even had an apple yesterday. I am basically eating healthy food only - no junk, no legumes and no grains.
My diet is high in calories because oil, nuts and cheese are high in calories even for a reasonable portion. Nonetheless, I am eating super healthy. I'm finding that, in order to incorporate all of the nutrient rich foods, such as seeds, nuts, olive oil and coconut oil, you have to eat more than 1500 calories.
I think my theory is confirmed. However, I'm going to take my training wheels off now and not record everything I eat. Let's see how well I do flying blind.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
DAY NINE
Calories 5693, fat 561, Net Carb 80.25, protein 76.75.
Weight - 186.2
Okay, so I didn't lose weight and I didn't gain weight. I did something very naughty last night. I ate a Twix. 27 carbs. I wanted to see if I could get away with it. Obviously, I didn't. I can't help but think that I would have lost weight if I didn't eat that Twix. It wasn't as gratifying as I thought it was going to be. I hope I don't crave junk all day today.
Unfortunately, I am feeling a little under the weather. I had a scratchy throat yesterday which has turned into a sore throat today. My energy level this week has been low because I appear to be coming down with something. Hopefully, this is as bad as it gets. Also, as I mentioned yesterday, I have PMS. At some point this week or the begining of next week, the scale is going to jump about 5 pounds.
I think I want to make today as low carb as possible. Tomorrow, I have some fruit to eat, but today, I want to make up for yesterday.
Weight - 186.2
Okay, so I didn't lose weight and I didn't gain weight. I did something very naughty last night. I ate a Twix. 27 carbs. I wanted to see if I could get away with it. Obviously, I didn't. I can't help but think that I would have lost weight if I didn't eat that Twix. It wasn't as gratifying as I thought it was going to be. I hope I don't crave junk all day today.
Unfortunately, I am feeling a little under the weather. I had a scratchy throat yesterday which has turned into a sore throat today. My energy level this week has been low because I appear to be coming down with something. Hopefully, this is as bad as it gets. Also, as I mentioned yesterday, I have PMS. At some point this week or the begining of next week, the scale is going to jump about 5 pounds.
I think I want to make today as low carb as possible. Tomorrow, I have some fruit to eat, but today, I want to make up for yesterday.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
DAY EIGHT
My numbers for Monday look great! Fat 285.48, Protein 104.91, Net Carbs 61.68, Calories 3474. Even my sodium intake was lower at 2234. I lost .4 lbs from yesterday, but that's still higher than the 185.8 I got down to.
So, my total weight loss last week was 1.8 lbs. That's really not bad. I haven't been deprived at all, although, I admit, I could have been more disciplined.
This Saturday will be huge. I have a houseful of people coming over. Its likely that I won't be able to count anything on that day. I will just have to wing it - take my training wheels off so to speak. That is the ultimate goal anyway isn't it? To know what you should and shouldn't eat and eat way more shoulds than shouldn'ts so you don't have to weigh, measure and count every little thing you put into your mouth.
That works well IF, you are already at your desired weight and, you are still monitoring your weight so it doesn't get away from you. Its way to easy to slide back into our old ways. In the book Skinny Bitch they write, "You are only one piece of cheese away from a total relapse." They, being vegans, followed a slightly different diet, however, you can replace "cheese" with whatever "bad" food in that sentence and, I think it's very true. When people see me and see how much weight I've put on I always say that all it took was a beer and a bag of Cheetos. The first meal my husband ever made me was Fettuccine Alfredo (from a box). I reluctantly ate it, knowing it was bad. I was too polite to say, "I don't eat that stuff." From there, my diet went down hill. So did my husband's. We're both a good 50 pounds heavier than we were when we met.
So, this Saturday, I won't count, but here's my plan:
I will have a relish tray of veggies and dip. I will make spaghetti (easy dish for lots of people) and, I will have mine with spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Instead of garlic bread, I will deep fry some low carb tortillas, spray them with olive oil and dust them with garlic, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan. I suppose I should also have some garlic bread on hand for whoever wants some.
Homemade spaghetti and homemade chili are my two exceptions for eating meat. I buy Laura's ground beef, which comes from free range cows (according to her website).
Hopefully the rest of this week can mirror yesterday. I only worked out one day last week. That's got to change. I have a schedule planed out and I really should stick to it. If I could only stick to my diet and schedule . . .
So, my total weight loss last week was 1.8 lbs. That's really not bad. I haven't been deprived at all, although, I admit, I could have been more disciplined.
This Saturday will be huge. I have a houseful of people coming over. Its likely that I won't be able to count anything on that day. I will just have to wing it - take my training wheels off so to speak. That is the ultimate goal anyway isn't it? To know what you should and shouldn't eat and eat way more shoulds than shouldn'ts so you don't have to weigh, measure and count every little thing you put into your mouth.
That works well IF, you are already at your desired weight and, you are still monitoring your weight so it doesn't get away from you. Its way to easy to slide back into our old ways. In the book Skinny Bitch they write, "You are only one piece of cheese away from a total relapse." They, being vegans, followed a slightly different diet, however, you can replace "cheese" with whatever "bad" food in that sentence and, I think it's very true. When people see me and see how much weight I've put on I always say that all it took was a beer and a bag of Cheetos. The first meal my husband ever made me was Fettuccine Alfredo (from a box). I reluctantly ate it, knowing it was bad. I was too polite to say, "I don't eat that stuff." From there, my diet went down hill. So did my husband's. We're both a good 50 pounds heavier than we were when we met.
So, this Saturday, I won't count, but here's my plan:
I will have a relish tray of veggies and dip. I will make spaghetti (easy dish for lots of people) and, I will have mine with spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Instead of garlic bread, I will deep fry some low carb tortillas, spray them with olive oil and dust them with garlic, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan. I suppose I should also have some garlic bread on hand for whoever wants some.
Homemade spaghetti and homemade chili are my two exceptions for eating meat. I buy Laura's ground beef, which comes from free range cows (according to her website).
Hopefully the rest of this week can mirror yesterday. I only worked out one day last week. That's got to change. I have a schedule planed out and I really should stick to it. If I could only stick to my diet and schedule . . .
Monday, March 14, 2011
DAY SEVEN conclusion
Well so much for my "easy" day. Looking at my calander I see that PMS must have played a part in the binge that caused me to gain a pound. I weighed 186.6 this morning. I expect this week for my weight to go up about 5lbs which is very typical during this time.
Yesterday I had, fat 291.20, Net Carbs 143.23, Protien 102.89, calories 3665.
I'm going to have to conciously plan out my day to make up for yesterday. Actually, I should really do my best to stay under 75 carbs.
I'm going to start posting only once per day at the end of the day.
Yesterday I had, fat 291.20, Net Carbs 143.23, Protien 102.89, calories 3665.
I'm going to have to conciously plan out my day to make up for yesterday. Actually, I should really do my best to stay under 75 carbs.
I'm going to start posting only once per day at the end of the day.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Is Too Much Sodium Bad for You?
I did some research online about sodium due to the fact that my sodium intake was so high yesterday. I found a thread on journalofhealthyliving.com under the title Why is Sodium Bad for you? The person (later identified as Jim) writes as follows: Sodium isn’t bad for, it’s just that we have begun eating far too much of it. The daily recommended amount is between 500 mg and 1000 mg, which equates to only about a half to one and a half teaspoons of table salt. It’s estimated that the average American consumes three to ten times that amount! So you can see, it’s not that sodium is bad for you, it’s that we have a bad sense of how much sodium is in our foods, a bad sense of how much we really need, and we are regularly exceeding daily amounts by a significant amount.
Now, onto why sodium is bad when you consume too much of it. Too much sodium increases your chances of developing high blood pressure, which leads to a whole host of problems including increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. Those three things are pretty much game changers, if not career ending, type events.
So, limit your intake of processed foods and try to cook from scratch so you know what’s in your food. Check labels to ensure you aren’t eating something that totally loaded with sodium and you will be fine. A lot of soups and processed foods contain a ridiculous amount of sodium and even things that aren’t salty, like diet sodas, contain sodium. (Diet Dr. Pepper has 55 mg of sodium, which they claim is 2% of the daily recommended value; but is more like 5-10% based on scientific studies of sodium requirements).
A lot of people were asking for Jim's advice about their sodium intake. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, but I couldn't see a posting of Jim's credentials anywhere. One person, Laura, comments as follows: The adequate intake (AI) of sodium is 1,500mg/day NOT 500-1,000. This is the minimum amount you should consume each day. Even someone in the hospital on a sodium restricted diet is required to consume at least 1,500mg daily. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) is 2,300mg/day. This is the highest amount of sodium that should be consumed daily. The average American consumes 3,000-6,000mg daily.
In the body, water follows sodium. So, if you consume a lot of sodium, you will retain water. This will increase your blood volume and consequently your blood pressure.
I don't know Laura's credentials either, and maybe she is just quoting from another source, but, for some reason, she seems to be a better authority on this subject than Jim. Just a gut feel I have.
Another person, Tom, questions Jim's advice as well:
i am in the military, and i drink about a gallon of water a day. i am told to add a decent amount of salt to all of the food i eat. what is the direct relation between salt and water?
The following is a question and answer between someone and an actual doctor. I found this on en.allexperts.com. The expert answering the question is Thomas M. Manger, MD, PhD. The question was: My brother recently was in Korea and became ill. He had severe chest pains and shortness of breath. He collasped, was taken to the hospital and many test were run on him. Conclusion was his sodium and potasium levels were extremly low. Sodium was 110. Not sure what his potasium was. What caused this and where can we research it. He is physically fit. However stress has caused him to have high blood pressure. He consumes 2-3 liters of water daily, and drinks large quantities of lite beer. These are the only liquids he consumes. The only medication he takes is blood pressure medicine, and occasional tylenol .
The doctor responds as follows: Your brother is drinking too much water. Depending on the type of BP medication he is on, his kidneys may not be able to remove all the water he drinks, and so his sodium level goes down. Without knowing anything further, I would suggest he limit his water intake to less than 1.5 L a day and to stop his beer.
My husband is a Marine. He told me that they were all given sodium pills to make sure their sodium wasn't too low. It seems that too low sodium can be just as dangerous (if not more) as too high sodium.
Therefore, I stand by my previous non-medical conclusion, and that is, in a healthy person, our bodies automatically dilute excess sodium intake by making us thirsty. As we can see above, the brother had too low sodium from drinking too much water.
I guess I'll end with a quote from the Sprite people, "Obey your thirst!"
Now, onto why sodium is bad when you consume too much of it. Too much sodium increases your chances of developing high blood pressure, which leads to a whole host of problems including increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. Those three things are pretty much game changers, if not career ending, type events.
So, limit your intake of processed foods and try to cook from scratch so you know what’s in your food. Check labels to ensure you aren’t eating something that totally loaded with sodium and you will be fine. A lot of soups and processed foods contain a ridiculous amount of sodium and even things that aren’t salty, like diet sodas, contain sodium. (Diet Dr. Pepper has 55 mg of sodium, which they claim is 2% of the daily recommended value; but is more like 5-10% based on scientific studies of sodium requirements).
A lot of people were asking for Jim's advice about their sodium intake. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, but I couldn't see a posting of Jim's credentials anywhere. One person, Laura, comments as follows: The adequate intake (AI) of sodium is 1,500mg/day NOT 500-1,000. This is the minimum amount you should consume each day. Even someone in the hospital on a sodium restricted diet is required to consume at least 1,500mg daily. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) is 2,300mg/day. This is the highest amount of sodium that should be consumed daily. The average American consumes 3,000-6,000mg daily.
In the body, water follows sodium. So, if you consume a lot of sodium, you will retain water. This will increase your blood volume and consequently your blood pressure.
I don't know Laura's credentials either, and maybe she is just quoting from another source, but, for some reason, she seems to be a better authority on this subject than Jim. Just a gut feel I have.
Another person, Tom, questions Jim's advice as well:
i am in the military, and i drink about a gallon of water a day. i am told to add a decent amount of salt to all of the food i eat. what is the direct relation between salt and water?
The following is a question and answer between someone and an actual doctor. I found this on en.allexperts.com. The expert answering the question is Thomas M. Manger, MD, PhD. The question was: My brother recently was in Korea and became ill. He had severe chest pains and shortness of breath. He collasped, was taken to the hospital and many test were run on him. Conclusion was his sodium and potasium levels were extremly low. Sodium was 110. Not sure what his potasium was. What caused this and where can we research it. He is physically fit. However stress has caused him to have high blood pressure. He consumes 2-3 liters of water daily, and drinks large quantities of lite beer. These are the only liquids he consumes. The only medication he takes is blood pressure medicine, and occasional tylenol .
The doctor responds as follows: Your brother is drinking too much water. Depending on the type of BP medication he is on, his kidneys may not be able to remove all the water he drinks, and so his sodium level goes down. Without knowing anything further, I would suggest he limit his water intake to less than 1.5 L a day and to stop his beer.
My husband is a Marine. He told me that they were all given sodium pills to make sure their sodium wasn't too low. It seems that too low sodium can be just as dangerous (if not more) as too high sodium.
Therefore, I stand by my previous non-medical conclusion, and that is, in a healthy person, our bodies automatically dilute excess sodium intake by making us thirsty. As we can see above, the brother had too low sodium from drinking too much water.
I guess I'll end with a quote from the Sprite people, "Obey your thirst!"
DAY SEVEN
My weight this morning - 185.6. Down .4 lbs from yesterday.
This should be a pretty easy day. There's nothing going on and I will be home all day and away from temptation. I should even be able to get a workout in.
This should be a pretty easy day. There's nothing going on and I will be home all day and away from temptation. I should even be able to get a workout in.
DAY SIX conclusion
Ryann's party was so cute. I had some temptations like cupcakes and tortilla chips with 3 layer dip - easier to resist since I didn't show up hungry.
When we got home, my husband and I decided we were going to skip dinner and relax with some wine (beer for husband) and snacks. I made a tray of extra sharp cheddar, pepper jack and parmasean cheeses, green olives with blue cheese, and cashews. All these flavores in my mouth were heavenly! Not counting the cashews and merlot, the cheese and olive snack tray only cost me 2.49 carbs.
My numbers were as follows:
Fat 309.81, Net Carb 103.66, Proten 104.16, Calories 3767
My sodium, which I know I don't normally mention, was 5096. Over 1300 came from the olives alone. That seems like a high number to me. I don't know why I should care, and, at this point, I don't know which sources I should trust. I don't feel like I'm retaining any extra water today, but I am thirsty. I will say one interesting thing I learned from my dog, Gidget's, vet. After Gidget had bladder stones surgically removed, the vet put her on special dog food. I asked the vet, how does this food help her? The vet said, "Basically, its really high in sodium so she will be thirstier and want to drink more, which will keep her bladder diluted and less likely to build up stones." So, in my non-medical opinion, for a healthy person, it seems like our bodies force us to automatically "fix" excess sodium intake by making us thirsty.
When we got home, my husband and I decided we were going to skip dinner and relax with some wine (beer for husband) and snacks. I made a tray of extra sharp cheddar, pepper jack and parmasean cheeses, green olives with blue cheese, and cashews. All these flavores in my mouth were heavenly! Not counting the cashews and merlot, the cheese and olive snack tray only cost me 2.49 carbs.
My numbers were as follows:
Fat 309.81, Net Carb 103.66, Proten 104.16, Calories 3767
My sodium, which I know I don't normally mention, was 5096. Over 1300 came from the olives alone. That seems like a high number to me. I don't know why I should care, and, at this point, I don't know which sources I should trust. I don't feel like I'm retaining any extra water today, but I am thirsty. I will say one interesting thing I learned from my dog, Gidget's, vet. After Gidget had bladder stones surgically removed, the vet put her on special dog food. I asked the vet, how does this food help her? The vet said, "Basically, its really high in sodium so she will be thirstier and want to drink more, which will keep her bladder diluted and less likely to build up stones." So, in my non-medical opinion, for a healthy person, it seems like our bodies force us to automatically "fix" excess sodium intake by making us thirsty.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
DAY SIX
Here I am, Saturday, Day 6. I would like this day to be about making up for yesterday, which would be easy to do if I had no plans, however, it is my niece's 6th birthday. I have no idea what my sister will be serving. Hopefully there are veggies and dip. I suppose I could call her and ask, or even show up with some veggies and dip of my own, but, part of me wants to just wing this.
Part of my strategy will be to eat a filling lunch before heading over there. Probably a good strategy for anyone wanting to lose weight. Don't go to a backyard barbecue hungry!! Don't not eat when you get their either. People will notice and it will piss them off.
Oh, I forgot to mention this in my day 5 conclusion, so I'll mention it here. I know I raved about how delicious olive oil was yesterday. I forgot to bring my McCormick salad seasoning with me last night and I missed it. Turns out that olive oil tastes much better with some kind of spice, otherwise, it can be somewhat bland. I made up for it with the vinegar and, luckily, there were enough other flavors in the cobb salad that it wasn't totally boring. As I'm typing, I'm coming up with the idea to maybe just put a couple of tablespoons of ranch on my salad along with the olive oil (skip the vinegar). That way I would have the flavor of the ranch, but my salad wouldn't be dry. I don't know if it will taste good or not, but it's worth trying.
Part of my strategy will be to eat a filling lunch before heading over there. Probably a good strategy for anyone wanting to lose weight. Don't go to a backyard barbecue hungry!! Don't not eat when you get their either. People will notice and it will piss them off.
Oh, I forgot to mention this in my day 5 conclusion, so I'll mention it here. I know I raved about how delicious olive oil was yesterday. I forgot to bring my McCormick salad seasoning with me last night and I missed it. Turns out that olive oil tastes much better with some kind of spice, otherwise, it can be somewhat bland. I made up for it with the vinegar and, luckily, there were enough other flavors in the cobb salad that it wasn't totally boring. As I'm typing, I'm coming up with the idea to maybe just put a couple of tablespoons of ranch on my salad along with the olive oil (skip the vinegar). That way I would have the flavor of the ranch, but my salad wouldn't be dry. I don't know if it will taste good or not, but it's worth trying.
DAY FIVE conclusion
Here were my totals: Fat 353.53, Net Carbs 108.20, Protien 79.05, Calories 4278.
All I ate to get to these numbers was a cup of raw almonds, a cup of my vegetarian stew, a cobb salad from Fridays with vinegar and oil, two bottles of budweiser, a glass of merlot, and about 10 cups of movie theater popcorn drenched in butter flavored peanut oil.
I'm disappointed that my carbs were so high, but, anytime I have a high carb item (such as popcorn) I'm going to go over my arbitrarily set limit.
My first thought after seeing these numbers last night was, "I'm going to pay for this." I was almost afraid to step on the scale. But, of course, I had to. My punishment for eating 108 carbs and 4278 calories? .2 lbs. That's point 2, not two.
You don't have to say it. I already know what you're thinking. These calories/carbs won't show up on the scale for one or two more days. I agree. I fully expect that Sunday will be a "heavy" day. We'll have to see.
All I ate to get to these numbers was a cup of raw almonds, a cup of my vegetarian stew, a cobb salad from Fridays with vinegar and oil, two bottles of budweiser, a glass of merlot, and about 10 cups of movie theater popcorn drenched in butter flavored peanut oil.
I'm disappointed that my carbs were so high, but, anytime I have a high carb item (such as popcorn) I'm going to go over my arbitrarily set limit.
My first thought after seeing these numbers last night was, "I'm going to pay for this." I was almost afraid to step on the scale. But, of course, I had to. My punishment for eating 108 carbs and 4278 calories? .2 lbs. That's point 2, not two.
You don't have to say it. I already know what you're thinking. These calories/carbs won't show up on the scale for one or two more days. I agree. I fully expect that Sunday will be a "heavy" day. We'll have to see.
Friday, March 11, 2011
DAY FIVE
Okay, its Friday. I have a big challenge ahead of me today. I am going to the movies tonight. Just so we're clear, I refuse to go to the movies and not get popcorn. I'm sitting here trying to figure out ahead of time how much popcorn I can have. Normally, my husband and I can polish off the largest bucket they have. All of my research online shows that's about 21 cups. So, I am planning on eating 10 cups. That will be around 52 carbs. I'm going to have to take the container home so I can really measure. Also, my numbers could be slightly off because my calculations are based on my husband and I eating exactly half of the bucket. The good news is that I plan on applying that peanut oil stuff very liberally. My husband will be happy about that! 6 tablespoons of peanut oil is 716 calories and 0 carbs. Sweet!
Because I'll be eating so many carbs just in popcorn, it goes without saying that I will have to pay extra attention to the carbs I eat throughout the day.
Because I'll be eating so many carbs just in popcorn, it goes without saying that I will have to pay extra attention to the carbs I eat throughout the day.
DAY FOUR - conclusion
I had a great day yesterday. We took my niece to see the Disney on Ice Princes Wishes show. It was exactly what I would expect from Disney. We loved it!
We ate dinner at Fridays because its right across the street from the Van Andel Arena. Everyone must have had the same idea because the place was packed with families with little girls all dressed up like their favorite Disney princess.
Knowing ahead of time where you are going to eat is extremely helpful. I looked up the menu online and logged in what I would be eating before I left. I recommend that, no matter what eating plan you are on. After we all ordered our food, I was talking about my experiment and my mom, just being curious, looked up her meal online. Turns out she would be eating 1500+ calories that night. I suggested the Dragonfire Chicken, but . . . Actually, that was someones estimation of the calories in my mom's meal because Friday's doesn't post nutrition information. Luckily, it was easy for me to figure out, since there are no secret ingredients in a Cobb salad.
So, as you can see, I opted for the Cobb Salad (with no meat). Instead of the cup of ranch dressing I was originally going to order, which would have weighed in at 16 carbs, I opted for vinegar and oil, 0 carbs. When the server brought it to the table, there was only an inch of oil left in the container. I dumped on my salad and asked for more. My sister was mildly humiliated when I pulled my own salad seasoning out of my purse. She said, "I'm just glad you didn't pull a chicken breast out of there!" We all laughed.
My salad was delicious. I'm telling you, olive oil on a salad is better than ranch dressing. I wish I would have known about this years ago, even when I was on Atkins. Ranch is low in carbs, but only to a point. It has about 1 carb per table spoon. I don't like my salads that dry. I like to pour on the dressing. Another benefit; you don't get the funky breath with olive oil like you do ranch. If you've tried oil and vinegar and it wasn't for you, might I suggest a more generous application of the olive oil, so you can really taste it. Most people who would opt for the vinegar and oil choice, however, are probably too calorie/health conscious to consider being that liberal with it. I'm sure there will be plenty of times I use other dressings for some variety, but, when I plan on eating a large salad (such as the portion they serve at Fridays) I will most likely opt for the vinegar and oil. I also had a glass of merlot which weighed in at just under 4 carbs.
My total for the day was 3261 calories, 66.76 grams carbs, 179.64 grams protein, 246.11 grams fat. I was really pleased with these numbers at the end of the night. High calories and carbs right in my allotted range. I even ate a kiwi yesterday, only 9 carbs. The results? This morning I weighed in at 185.8.
We ate dinner at Fridays because its right across the street from the Van Andel Arena. Everyone must have had the same idea because the place was packed with families with little girls all dressed up like their favorite Disney princess.
Knowing ahead of time where you are going to eat is extremely helpful. I looked up the menu online and logged in what I would be eating before I left. I recommend that, no matter what eating plan you are on. After we all ordered our food, I was talking about my experiment and my mom, just being curious, looked up her meal online. Turns out she would be eating 1500+ calories that night. I suggested the Dragonfire Chicken, but . . . Actually, that was someones estimation of the calories in my mom's meal because Friday's doesn't post nutrition information. Luckily, it was easy for me to figure out, since there are no secret ingredients in a Cobb salad.
So, as you can see, I opted for the Cobb Salad (with no meat). Instead of the cup of ranch dressing I was originally going to order, which would have weighed in at 16 carbs, I opted for vinegar and oil, 0 carbs. When the server brought it to the table, there was only an inch of oil left in the container. I dumped on my salad and asked for more. My sister was mildly humiliated when I pulled my own salad seasoning out of my purse. She said, "I'm just glad you didn't pull a chicken breast out of there!" We all laughed.
My salad was delicious. I'm telling you, olive oil on a salad is better than ranch dressing. I wish I would have known about this years ago, even when I was on Atkins. Ranch is low in carbs, but only to a point. It has about 1 carb per table spoon. I don't like my salads that dry. I like to pour on the dressing. Another benefit; you don't get the funky breath with olive oil like you do ranch. If you've tried oil and vinegar and it wasn't for you, might I suggest a more generous application of the olive oil, so you can really taste it. Most people who would opt for the vinegar and oil choice, however, are probably too calorie/health conscious to consider being that liberal with it. I'm sure there will be plenty of times I use other dressings for some variety, but, when I plan on eating a large salad (such as the portion they serve at Fridays) I will most likely opt for the vinegar and oil. I also had a glass of merlot which weighed in at just under 4 carbs.
My total for the day was 3261 calories, 66.76 grams carbs, 179.64 grams protein, 246.11 grams fat. I was really pleased with these numbers at the end of the night. High calories and carbs right in my allotted range. I even ate a kiwi yesterday, only 9 carbs. The results? This morning I weighed in at 185.8.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
DAY FOUR
Weight 186.4. I'm glad that my carb intake fluctuates, because at the end of the month I'm creating a line graph for my carbs and my weight fluctuation so I can compare the two. I should also mark the days I worked out.
Today I face the challenge of having to go out. I'm thinking cobb salad with no chicken or bacon and ranch dressing. I'll have to do some guessing at the amounts which, for me, shouldn't be too hard since I've been weighing and measuring my food for as long as I can remember.
Today I face the challenge of having to go out. I'm thinking cobb salad with no chicken or bacon and ranch dressing. I'll have to do some guessing at the amounts which, for me, shouldn't be too hard since I've been weighing and measuring my food for as long as I can remember.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Eating Fat to Burn Fat research
I thought I'd do some research on what the consensus is out there on the web about eating fat.
The statements most consistent with my results are from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jessec3.htm, He doesn't mention cutting calories and he doesn't advocate eating eating whole grains, although he doesn't say not to do these things.
The dumbest thing I read was: It has been studied and scientists say that eating more fatty foods can be better for you that eating less fat. This means you have to eat more carbohydrates. However, you need to try and eat healthier carbs, such as wheat breads, whole grain rice and potatoes.
I got this from http://hubpages.com/hub/Eat-Fat-To-Burn-Fat In my opinion, this couldn't be more wrong. Those are super starchy foods. That sounds like a recipe for gaining a ton of weight. I think who ever wrote this, needs to test it out.
Another website said: As long as you eat healthy fats in moderation (since they are high in caloric value) they will help you in your weight loss journey.
I got this from http://www.aryafarzin.com/2009/04/eat-fat-to-burn-fat.html I still maintain that its too soon to tell, but that is not what I'm experiencing.
I also came across this website: http://www.squidoo.com/eat-fat-to-burn-fat. The main gist is that it takes fat to burn fat and also to absorb certain vitamins. The writer mentions Joseph Mercola, Author of the "No Grain Diet. I'll have to read this.
The statements most consistent with my results are from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jessec3.htm, He doesn't mention cutting calories and he doesn't advocate eating eating whole grains, although he doesn't say not to do these things.
The dumbest thing I read was: It has been studied and scientists say that eating more fatty foods can be better for you that eating less fat. This means you have to eat more carbohydrates. However, you need to try and eat healthier carbs, such as wheat breads, whole grain rice and potatoes.
I got this from http://hubpages.com/hub/Eat-Fat-To-Burn-Fat In my opinion, this couldn't be more wrong. Those are super starchy foods. That sounds like a recipe for gaining a ton of weight. I think who ever wrote this, needs to test it out.
Another website said: As long as you eat healthy fats in moderation (since they are high in caloric value) they will help you in your weight loss journey.
I got this from http://www.aryafarzin.com/2009/04/eat-fat-to-burn-fat.html I still maintain that its too soon to tell, but that is not what I'm experiencing.
I also came across this website: http://www.squidoo.com/eat-fat-to-burn-fat. The main gist is that it takes fat to burn fat and also to absorb certain vitamins. The writer mentions Joseph Mercola, Author of the "No Grain Diet. I'll have to read this.
DAY THREE conclusion
Total carbs 90.07, Calories 2660, protien 64.58, fat 226.84
I had some of my stew for breakfast and again for dinner. It was delicious. I brought my cup of cashews into the office and ate them all before noon. Not because I was hungry, but because they were deliscious and I couldn't stop myself.
At 12:53 p.m., I felt cold. In my head I actaully thought, "Am I getting chills from this diet?" Then, I realized my ridiculousness when someone else commented that it was cold in here. The point I want to make here is that I need to be careful when I assess how I am feeling. It's very easy for us to blame everything on our diet. I want to try to avoid making those types of assessments just yet. There are other times I have felt a little dizzy or light headed during the day and I am sure it had nothing to do with food and more to do with the fact that I stare at a computer all day and my eyes get tired.
The very most important thing for me to note - There was not a single moment today that I felt hungry or deprived. As a matter of fact, I went straight to the gym when I got home from work. I did 10 minutes on the stair master and jogged 3 miles. Usually I'm so hungry by the time I get home, I eat dinner and have wait for it to settle before I can think about hitting the treadmill.
I was thinking about what causes me to not succeed when I try to lose weight. My moments of weakness come when I am either hungry or bored. A good movie and never ending snacks to me is almost better than sex. You should see how my husband and I light up when its movie night at home and we're in Meijer deciding on what we're going to pig out on. We love it. The cool thing is, I can totally munch on veggies and dip. I don't usually because of all the calories in the dip. I'm looking forward to some merlot and cheese this weekend.
I had some of my stew for breakfast and again for dinner. It was delicious. I brought my cup of cashews into the office and ate them all before noon. Not because I was hungry, but because they were deliscious and I couldn't stop myself.
At 12:53 p.m., I felt cold. In my head I actaully thought, "Am I getting chills from this diet?" Then, I realized my ridiculousness when someone else commented that it was cold in here. The point I want to make here is that I need to be careful when I assess how I am feeling. It's very easy for us to blame everything on our diet. I want to try to avoid making those types of assessments just yet. There are other times I have felt a little dizzy or light headed during the day and I am sure it had nothing to do with food and more to do with the fact that I stare at a computer all day and my eyes get tired.
The very most important thing for me to note - There was not a single moment today that I felt hungry or deprived. As a matter of fact, I went straight to the gym when I got home from work. I did 10 minutes on the stair master and jogged 3 miles. Usually I'm so hungry by the time I get home, I eat dinner and have wait for it to settle before I can think about hitting the treadmill.
I was thinking about what causes me to not succeed when I try to lose weight. My moments of weakness come when I am either hungry or bored. A good movie and never ending snacks to me is almost better than sex. You should see how my husband and I light up when its movie night at home and we're in Meijer deciding on what we're going to pig out on. We love it. The cool thing is, I can totally munch on veggies and dip. I don't usually because of all the calories in the dip. I'm looking forward to some merlot and cheese this weekend.
DAY THREE
Weight 186.2.
Despite my declaration yesterday that I would not be eating salad today, I will have a salad for lunch. The reason is because salads are a perfect way to add lots of fat without adding too many carbs. Without adding extra calories from nuts, cheese and fat, I am having a difficult time getting my calories over 1500. Good thing you can always add more butter, cheese, dressing, etc. I didn't want to eat another salad because I was frankly get sick of it. My solution to that is I will use chipotle ranch instead of olive oil. It is still low in carbs and high in calories.
I will go over my carb limit today. My vegetarian stew has 17 carbs per serving. I will have about 3 servings today. It is extremely low in calories so I'm going to add extra butter to jack up the calories. Remember that, unless I eat a lot of calories, I am doing nothing to test the hypothosis.
Despite my declaration yesterday that I would not be eating salad today, I will have a salad for lunch. The reason is because salads are a perfect way to add lots of fat without adding too many carbs. Without adding extra calories from nuts, cheese and fat, I am having a difficult time getting my calories over 1500. Good thing you can always add more butter, cheese, dressing, etc. I didn't want to eat another salad because I was frankly get sick of it. My solution to that is I will use chipotle ranch instead of olive oil. It is still low in carbs and high in calories.
I will go over my carb limit today. My vegetarian stew has 17 carbs per serving. I will have about 3 servings today. It is extremely low in calories so I'm going to add extra butter to jack up the calories. Remember that, unless I eat a lot of calories, I am doing nothing to test the hypothosis.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
DAY TWO - Conclusion
Okay, I got my grocery shopping done! I found everything on my list at Horrocks except sea vegetables. I have a brilliant idea for a carrot, kale, collard greens, onion and crimini mushroom stew for dinner tomorrow. I broke down and bought bay scallops. They looked too good to pass up. NO SALAD FOR ME TOMORROW!!!
I made a couple of changes to my food today. I swapped out walnuts for seeds and I added bay scallops to my salad. My total calories today were 3061, 263.3 grams of fat, 60.93 net carbs and 134.38 grams of protein.
1 apple and 4 oz of nuts is not a very hearty lunch. Although, I have to say, I really wasn't that hungry all day. I was a little hungry, but I didn't get that burning feeling that I sometimes get when I'm really hungry. Right now I feel like I've definitely eaten my fill.
I'm a little miffed that I didn't work out tonight. I had plent of energy. I really have no excuse, other than I got home and got settled in and was too lazy to go back out in the cold. Period. At about 8:00 p.m. I convinced myself that I could still do a workout at home. Didn't happen, however, I did do some crunches. I'm going to try to get my workout in in the morning tomorrow. That might work out better for me. Then I can just study at night. I'm not really a morning person, so we'll see.
 |
| My Dinner |
Nutrient Test
I plugged the foods I will be eating into the food analyzer at www. whfoods.com. If you've never been to that website, I highly reccomend it. I was found to be deficient in the following nutrients.
vitamin b12
vitamin d
zinc
selenium
niacin b3
pantothenic acid
B12 - I get some from eggs, but the rest is from other animal sources, like shrimp, scallops and salmon. I'm actually going to take a B12 supplement. I thought about adding shrimp and scallops, which I may still do. They are pretty low in mercury according to a chart I found online, but I'm still on the fence.
Vitamin D - Once again, I get some from eggs, but it suggests I eat shrimp and salmon.
Zinc - I have this covered with pumpkin seeds. I am picking some up from Horrocks today (couldn't find any at Meijer).
Selenium - They suggest fish here again, but it looks like I can also do Crimini mushrooms.
Niacin b3 - Chicken would be the best source, but is not an option for me. Salmon is also high. Crimini mushrooms are also on this list.
Pantothenic acid B5 - Crimini mushrooms to the rescue again. Also raw sunflower seeds.
It turns out that my deficiencies come from my vegetarianism. Not one deficient nutrient suggests that I eat any whole grains. That's good news! It looks like just about all these nutrients could be found in very high amounts in calf's liver (with the exception of vitamin d). That's out of the question for me, but I thought I'd throw that information out there.
I also want to point out that fish, shrimp and scallops turns out to be the only meat I "need." B12 and D seem to be the only nutrients that were hard to find in non-animal sources.
Accordingly, I have added the following foods to my grocery list:
Sea vegetables (Hopefully at Horrocks)
Shitake Mushroom
crimini mushrooms
Collard Greens
Kale
raw pumpkin seeds
raw sunflower seeds
Kiwi
tofu
To be clear, I already eat lots of broccoli and cauliflower and a mix of other vegetables. Kale was in the same category as carrots, so nutritionally, I think these two could be swapped out. A cup of carrots has 3 more carbs than a cup of Kale, but that's kind of splitting hairs. Its more important that I have some variety. I won't be eating beans because they are way to high in carbs. Therefore, I analyzed the nutrients in different types of beans. I can get the nutrients from the other foods I eat, however, there is one weird one that wasn't in tofu or peanuts called molybdenum. Its kind of an obscure nutrient and not considered "essential". I looked it up and it turns out that it is in other foods I will be eating like celery and onions. So, I can rest easy about cutting beans out of my diet.
vitamin b12
vitamin d
zinc
selenium
niacin b3
pantothenic acid
B12 - I get some from eggs, but the rest is from other animal sources, like shrimp, scallops and salmon. I'm actually going to take a B12 supplement. I thought about adding shrimp and scallops, which I may still do. They are pretty low in mercury according to a chart I found online, but I'm still on the fence.
Vitamin D - Once again, I get some from eggs, but it suggests I eat shrimp and salmon.
Zinc - I have this covered with pumpkin seeds. I am picking some up from Horrocks today (couldn't find any at Meijer).
Selenium - They suggest fish here again, but it looks like I can also do Crimini mushrooms.
Niacin b3 - Chicken would be the best source, but is not an option for me. Salmon is also high. Crimini mushrooms are also on this list.
Pantothenic acid B5 - Crimini mushrooms to the rescue again. Also raw sunflower seeds.
It turns out that my deficiencies come from my vegetarianism. Not one deficient nutrient suggests that I eat any whole grains. That's good news! It looks like just about all these nutrients could be found in very high amounts in calf's liver (with the exception of vitamin d). That's out of the question for me, but I thought I'd throw that information out there.
I also want to point out that fish, shrimp and scallops turns out to be the only meat I "need." B12 and D seem to be the only nutrients that were hard to find in non-animal sources.
Accordingly, I have added the following foods to my grocery list:
Sea vegetables (Hopefully at Horrocks)
Shitake Mushroom
crimini mushrooms
Collard Greens
Kale
raw pumpkin seeds
raw sunflower seeds
Kiwi
tofu
To be clear, I already eat lots of broccoli and cauliflower and a mix of other vegetables. Kale was in the same category as carrots, so nutritionally, I think these two could be swapped out. A cup of carrots has 3 more carbs than a cup of Kale, but that's kind of splitting hairs. Its more important that I have some variety. I won't be eating beans because they are way to high in carbs. Therefore, I analyzed the nutrients in different types of beans. I can get the nutrients from the other foods I eat, however, there is one weird one that wasn't in tofu or peanuts called molybdenum. Its kind of an obscure nutrient and not considered "essential". I looked it up and it turns out that it is in other foods I will be eating like celery and onions. So, I can rest easy about cutting beans out of my diet.
DAY TWO
Starting weight - 187.4. Despite my day one "failure" I managed to lose .8 lbs. We all know that it is way too soon to get excited. .8 lbs could mean anything, especially if you are a woman. (We have a tendency to retain water).
I'm doing a couple of things differently today. First of all, I have planned my day in advance and will be a little better prepared. My biggest fear is that I get stuck at work hungry and unable to focus. Those are the times I go for the BK Veggie Burger because my priorities have changed. At that particular moment, my focus and energy becomes more important than my diet.
If today goes as planned, I will be at 2763 calories and 51.96 net carbs.
I'm doing a couple of things differently today. First of all, I have planned my day in advance and will be a little better prepared. My biggest fear is that I get stuck at work hungry and unable to focus. Those are the times I go for the BK Veggie Burger because my priorities have changed. At that particular moment, my focus and energy becomes more important than my diet.
If today goes as planned, I will be at 2763 calories and 51.96 net carbs.
Monday, March 7, 2011
DAY ONE - conclusion
I learned a lot today. First I learned that you cannot eat a BK Veggie Burger with 39 carbs for lunch and stay remotely close to 50 carbs for the whole day. The reason is because almost everything has carbs (except the eggs) and I reached my max carbs before I reached my RDI of 1500 calories. I ended up eating 79.25 net carbs total. I actually had to eat an extra 965 calories (even though I wasn't hungry) to make my fat intake higher than my carb intake and to increase my over all calorie consumption because eating less than my RDI of 1500 calories proves nothing. So, I had some cashews, some cheese, and a salad with lots of olive oil - all in the name of science.
I also learned that bananas have the same number of carbs as a snickers bar. So, bananas are out. I'm eating an apple for lunch tomorrow - 19 carbs. That's gonna hurt me, but I've researched some low carb options for fruit. Looks like I'll be doing berries, kiwi, peaches and plumbs, and only one per day. Bananas are high in potassium, so I looked up other sources of potassium and peaches and Kiwi were on the list. Both relatively low carb fruits. Kiwi is also very high in Vitamin C. Berries are low in carbs as well and they have other micro nutrients. Most of these fruits aren't in season yet. For now, I guess I'll have to try to get most of my nutrients from a variety of vegetables.
I can already see that I'm going to have to get creative about preparing food or this way of eating is going to get old FAST.
I also learned that bananas have the same number of carbs as a snickers bar. So, bananas are out. I'm eating an apple for lunch tomorrow - 19 carbs. That's gonna hurt me, but I've researched some low carb options for fruit. Looks like I'll be doing berries, kiwi, peaches and plumbs, and only one per day. Bananas are high in potassium, so I looked up other sources of potassium and peaches and Kiwi were on the list. Both relatively low carb fruits. Kiwi is also very high in Vitamin C. Berries are low in carbs as well and they have other micro nutrients. Most of these fruits aren't in season yet. For now, I guess I'll have to try to get most of my nutrients from a variety of vegetables.
I can already see that I'm going to have to get creative about preparing food or this way of eating is going to get old FAST.
DAY ONE
Okay, this is the "official" day one. I actually started yesterday. Sunday morning I weighed 188.4. Yesterday I at 2704 calories, 248.94 grams of fat, 64.38 grams of protien, and 51 net carbs. This morning I weighed 188.2. Its looking good so far, but one day is really too hard to judge. The actual food I ate is on fatsecret.com under the username "satwood".
Basically I had eggs for breakfast, a salad for lunch, Green Giant veggies and a portabella mushroom for dinner, and 2 bags of popcorn and a salad as a snack.
Okay, I have to edit the numbers on this post. Missy pointed out something to me, which I didn't realize what she was trying to say until just now. 248.94 grams of fat adds up to 2240.46 calories alone. I must have looked at the chart wrong. I also noticed that the popcorn calories weren't right so I had to fix that. So, the total fat was 272.94, net carbs were 120, protien was 79.38 and calories were 3274. Good thing that wasn't my official day one. I would have had to start all over today anyway.
Okay, I have to edit the numbers on this post. Missy pointed out something to me, which I didn't realize what she was trying to say until just now. 248.94 grams of fat adds up to 2240.46 calories alone. I must have looked at the chart wrong. I also noticed that the popcorn calories weren't right so I had to fix that. So, the total fat was 272.94, net carbs were 120, protien was 79.38 and calories were 3274. Good thing that wasn't my official day one. I would have had to start all over today anyway.
The Study
The Hypothesis: Are all calories created equal.
I've been hearing that all calories are not created equal and I want to test that theory. Basically, is it carbs and not calories that we should be counting? We know that simple carbs and junk food are bad for us, but are whole grains actually bad for us too, or do they at least make us gain weight?
The "control":
Most recently, I have been trying to lose weight by counting calories. I have found that if I stay under 1600 calories, I easily lose weight. For me, that is not very many. Not only that, I hate reaching the point that I have consumed all the calories I am allowed by 5pm. On those days, my hunger wins over my self control.
I do work out, but not religiously. I've been jogging between 2 and 3.5 miles about 3 days a week. I weigh myself everyday, and I have found, that while working out makes me feel great (as long as I don't over do it), it does not necessarily do anything to help me lose weight. However, maybe that is because working out makes it even harder for me to limit my calories to under 1600. A good run will kill my appetite for that night, but I wake up the next day very hungry.
Background:
So to get to the point here, I watched a documentary called "Fat Head". He was disproving the "McDonald's is evil and is making us fat" theory from the documentary "Supersize Me." I loved it because he was basically saying what we all really know: You can eat anything you want, but you have to count your calories. He counted his calories and tried to stay around 2000, but also kept his carbs at around 100. He interviewed several researchers who debunked the myth that fat makes you fat and instead offered that it was all about insulin production and hormones. Also, as far as your heart is concerned, HDL and LDL numbers are really meaningless. Your arteries get clogged from oxidation which causes inflammation. After his total 30 days of nothing but fast food (not just McDonald's) he lost weight. His after-diet doctor visit showed that he was healthier than when he started.
After all of that, he went on a low carb diet and continued to lose weight and get healthier. So, why don't I just do Atkins? Because, I am a vegetarian. I don't want to just live on meat, cheese and eggs. I don't think its healthy and its too restrictive.
The Rules:
The rules are very simple.
1. I am going to stay as close to 50 net carbs as possible without going over 75.
2. I will be keeping track of everything I eat on fatsecret.com (username: satwood), and while I will be aware of how many calories I have eaten, I'm not restricting the I amount of calories I can have.
3. I will be paying attention to my nutrient intake, and will try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. I will try my best to get my nutrients from food and not supplements.
4. The only meat I eat is organic, but I only have meat about once a month. I'm not going to increase that for this diet. I will remain a vegetarian. However, I do eat eggs, butter and cheese.
Okay, I think that's it.
I've been hearing that all calories are not created equal and I want to test that theory. Basically, is it carbs and not calories that we should be counting? We know that simple carbs and junk food are bad for us, but are whole grains actually bad for us too, or do they at least make us gain weight?
The "control":
Most recently, I have been trying to lose weight by counting calories. I have found that if I stay under 1600 calories, I easily lose weight. For me, that is not very many. Not only that, I hate reaching the point that I have consumed all the calories I am allowed by 5pm. On those days, my hunger wins over my self control.
I do work out, but not religiously. I've been jogging between 2 and 3.5 miles about 3 days a week. I weigh myself everyday, and I have found, that while working out makes me feel great (as long as I don't over do it), it does not necessarily do anything to help me lose weight. However, maybe that is because working out makes it even harder for me to limit my calories to under 1600. A good run will kill my appetite for that night, but I wake up the next day very hungry.
Background:
So to get to the point here, I watched a documentary called "Fat Head". He was disproving the "McDonald's is evil and is making us fat" theory from the documentary "Supersize Me." I loved it because he was basically saying what we all really know: You can eat anything you want, but you have to count your calories. He counted his calories and tried to stay around 2000, but also kept his carbs at around 100. He interviewed several researchers who debunked the myth that fat makes you fat and instead offered that it was all about insulin production and hormones. Also, as far as your heart is concerned, HDL and LDL numbers are really meaningless. Your arteries get clogged from oxidation which causes inflammation. After his total 30 days of nothing but fast food (not just McDonald's) he lost weight. His after-diet doctor visit showed that he was healthier than when he started.
After all of that, he went on a low carb diet and continued to lose weight and get healthier. So, why don't I just do Atkins? Because, I am a vegetarian. I don't want to just live on meat, cheese and eggs. I don't think its healthy and its too restrictive.
The Rules:
The rules are very simple.
1. I am going to stay as close to 50 net carbs as possible without going over 75.
2. I will be keeping track of everything I eat on fatsecret.com (username: satwood), and while I will be aware of how many calories I have eaten, I'm not restricting the I amount of calories I can have.
3. I will be paying attention to my nutrient intake, and will try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. I will try my best to get my nutrients from food and not supplements.
4. The only meat I eat is organic, but I only have meat about once a month. I'm not going to increase that for this diet. I will remain a vegetarian. However, I do eat eggs, butter and cheese.
Okay, I think that's it.
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