Friday, April 25, 2014

The Journey -- Breaking the Cycle, Part 2


April 25, 2014

Day 3 of South Beach Phase 1

Starting weight (4/23/2013): 195

Today’s Weight:  193

Loss/Gain (since start):  -2

Breakfast: Low fat cottage cheese omelet with a special spaghetti sauce.

Lunch: Romaine lettuce with a homemade poppy seed sauce, and a Chicken sausage.

Supper:  Turkey Burgers, Romaine Lettuce with a homemade poppy seed sauce.

Snacks:  Baby carrots, Healthy Choice Fudge Ice Cream Bar (100 calories)

Well, you’ll notice this morning’s “stats.” Some experts say don’t weigh yourself every day.  Some say it’s OK.   I think it is a matter of attitude.  I expect fluctuations.  I expect days when I’ve appeared to gain, and some days when it appears I’ve lost a bunch.  Our bodies have different things to deal with from day to day.  Some days you hold water for some obscure reason.  Some days you are dehydrated.  Some days you just need a good bowel movement.  Some days you don’t.  I generally weigh at the same time every day, usually stripped, usually after a bowel movement.  That way, I can see trends, and if the trend is down (when I’m trying to lose weight), I’m happy.

On April 23, I weighed myself with clothes on (no shoes).  My clothes weigh just shy of two pounds, so I adjusted the original 197 pounds down to 195.    I’m not going to concern myself with fractions of pounds.  Just the nearest rounded number will work fine for me.

Speaking of dehydration:  I work hard to avoid it.  I drink plenty of water (now that we have filtered water).  It helps with digestion, AND more importantly, it keeps my hunger in check.  That is, at least where I’m concerned, often when I think I’m hungry, I am actually thirsty.  I have learned to drink water when I think I’m hungry.  If the hunger persists after a few minutes, then it could be hunger.

Even so, I’ll have to also tell you that there are times I want to eat even though I know my stomach is full, and I have had plenty of water.  I’ve identified some of those times.  It helps to do that, because it makes me more aware of what is happening. 

I “get hungry” when I’m emotionally stressed.

I “get hungry” when I’ve been intensely involved in something and suddenly come to stopping point.

I “get hungry” when I’m watching TV and the program breaks for advertising.

I “get hungry” when I’ve read too long.

I “get hungry” when I have something to do that I don’t want to do.

You may see a pattern there.  That’s what I look for.  Patterns.  Habits.  I did not teach myself to watch for this.  I learned to do this from one of my mentors, Thich Nhat Hanh in his book Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savor-thich-nhat-hanh/1100560154?ean=9780061697708)

 

Most of my eating is habitual with some triggers.  Emotional stress is a trigger to eat.  I want relief from the stress, and somehow I’m convinced that food can give me relief.  It rarely does, but that’s beside the point.  Coming to a sudden stop with nothing to do is a trigger.  I try to fill the “dead” time with food.  Facing some task I don’t want to do is a trigger.  I take my food and run away.  Advertising on TV: is it habit or is it a trigger?  Doesn’t matter.  I just know I have to be aware that it is a time I run to the fridge.

About today’s meals: My wife, Ruth made the spaghetti sauce from scratch—all fresh veggies, herbs, and tomatoes and some chicken sausage chopped in. It is delicious!!!    Ruth also made the poppy seed salad dressing.  Ruth spends on the average around 30 minutes for each meal preparation (not counting planning).  I wash the dishes.  It’s a fair trade in labor.  She enjoys cooking.  I enjoy cleaning (I’m OCD).

The Healthy Choice Fudge Ice Cream bar is only 100 calories.  Yesterday we both tried a frozen yogurt product with a caramel filling.  It tasted great, but rather than satisfy a sweet tooth, it made us crave more.  I quickly placed the remaining yogurt treats into a freezer bag and stored them away in our freezer in the basement.  Out of sight, out of mind.  We don’t need anything that drives us to eat more.

Ruth makes most things from scratch.  We use some processed foods, but when it comes to veggies, they are fresh from the store.  One tends to think that living healthy is more expensive, but we have found that steering away from processed foods is cheaper because we get more nutrition for the buck with natural foods.  We aren’t driven to eat as much, because the food is better for us and leaves us with fewer cravings.  Our food bill is about the same if not less than what it was before we started eating healthy.  We aren’t health food nuts by any stretch of the imagination.  But we are enjoying healthier lives because of our food choices.
Be Peace
Be Love

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