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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