I signed up for a free 7-day trial of the WW Online tool and so far I really like it. I took a look at WW Online a few years ago and didn't like it, but they have certainly improved their interface. Anyway, I feel a sense of calm that I am more in control. I tracked points today and I'm supposed to eat 22 but only ate 20. I also exercised 60 minutes on my mini-trampoline.
I ate 1 cup of oatmeal and 1 T. of maple syrup and an orange for breakfast and that lasted me throughout the morning. I used to make a smoothie and that lasted me until about 10 am and then I just kept eating fruit until my big salad at lunch. So I really do think that I was consuming too much fruit and too many calories.
I ate some leftover vegies and a green salad with black beans for lunch. I was also more conscious of drinking water.
For dinner, I found a WW recipe for enchiladas and I substituted the fake soy hamburger for the tofu and they were very tasty.
For a special Family Night treat, I made No Pudge brownies, topped with nonfat yogurt and sliced organic strawberries--a very yummy sundae!
The nice thing is that I feel more relaxed about dinner--the Fuhrman plan is so restricted that it was just too big a leap for me. I am hoping that I'll see results from going this route, even though I am still eating a lot of vegies and fruit.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Those Devil Scales!
Yesterday I woke up feeling pretty confidant that the scales would make me happy since I'd been so good all week with only one minor stray (half a Garden Burger at a restaurant without even touching the french fries!). However, my devil scales showed that I was up a full pound!
So I went for a long walk and weighed again (after eating only a half of a small orange for breakfast) and I was up another half pound! I let out a little scream and then proceeded to get really, really mad. (So very logical, right?) I had my husband bring in our newer set of scales from the kitchen and I got on those. They said I was down 1 1/2 lbs, as I had hoped. Then I jumped back and forth between scales wondering why they were 2 lbs. different (my husband who is 80 lbs heavier weighs the exact same on both!) until the newer one edged up a half pound. SIGH!
OK, so these scales are not the most accurate...THAT is for sure! And they are conspiring against me!
I was so ticked off for the rest of the day about this and I let myself fall off the wagon at a church potluck that we attended. I didn't weigh myself this morning, knowing it would be bad and not wanting to ruin my morning in which I had to teach a class at church.
So here are my thoughts: I think I need to reduce the amount of fruit and start counting calories. I am considering doing Weight Watchers online, except sticking mostly with the Eat to Live plan--lots of salad, vegies, low fat, low or no dairy, no meat except some fish and sugar only like once a week. I also want to add a portion of oatmeal to my breakfast because it just stays with me a lot longer than the fruit. I think I am eat twice as many fruit calories as I would if I just had a bowl of oatmeal.
I think I also need to up my excercise to 90 minutes daily which is quite a lot of time! But if I want to meet my goal, I'm going to have to make some changes!
So I went for a long walk and weighed again (after eating only a half of a small orange for breakfast) and I was up another half pound! I let out a little scream and then proceeded to get really, really mad. (So very logical, right?) I had my husband bring in our newer set of scales from the kitchen and I got on those. They said I was down 1 1/2 lbs, as I had hoped. Then I jumped back and forth between scales wondering why they were 2 lbs. different (my husband who is 80 lbs heavier weighs the exact same on both!) until the newer one edged up a half pound. SIGH!
OK, so these scales are not the most accurate...THAT is for sure! And they are conspiring against me!
I was so ticked off for the rest of the day about this and I let myself fall off the wagon at a church potluck that we attended. I didn't weigh myself this morning, knowing it would be bad and not wanting to ruin my morning in which I had to teach a class at church.
So here are my thoughts: I think I need to reduce the amount of fruit and start counting calories. I am considering doing Weight Watchers online, except sticking mostly with the Eat to Live plan--lots of salad, vegies, low fat, low or no dairy, no meat except some fish and sugar only like once a week. I also want to add a portion of oatmeal to my breakfast because it just stays with me a lot longer than the fruit. I think I am eat twice as many fruit calories as I would if I just had a bowl of oatmeal.
I think I also need to up my excercise to 90 minutes daily which is quite a lot of time! But if I want to meet my goal, I'm going to have to make some changes!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Day Four: One Pound Lost
I am feeling a bit more energetic...the first two days I felt really tired on this diet. So did my husband. For whatever reason, it seems like there is a period of adjustment.
I was very happy on Day 3 to see that I was down a pound and I maintained that loss today, so something is working! Of course, I've lost this same pound several times over during the past 6 weeks, but I feel confident that I'll continue downward as I stick to this plan.
It is definitely getting easier. And my salads are starting to taste even better. It's amazing how one's tastes change. I've been buying these brown mushrooms from Costco and they are so delicious! I actually look forward to eating them with my salad every day!
For dinner last night, we had tacos with refried beans and sauteed (with PAM and a bit of water) peppers, onions, zucchini and mushrooms seasoned with a few shakes of Taco Seasoning--kinda like fajitas. I can see that limiting my grains or starchy vegetables to one serving a day is going to be very helpful. I also try to make sure that I go to bed with a fairly empty stomach.
This afternoon I was watching a pre-recorded episode of What Not to Wear while I was munching away on my salad. This particular woman had lost 20 lbs and was still wearing baggy clothes. What a transformation! It was fun seeing her so happy in her new smaller sizes, and frankly it gave me additional motivation to stick with my Six Week eating plan.
I was very happy on Day 3 to see that I was down a pound and I maintained that loss today, so something is working! Of course, I've lost this same pound several times over during the past 6 weeks, but I feel confident that I'll continue downward as I stick to this plan.
It is definitely getting easier. And my salads are starting to taste even better. It's amazing how one's tastes change. I've been buying these brown mushrooms from Costco and they are so delicious! I actually look forward to eating them with my salad every day!
For dinner last night, we had tacos with refried beans and sauteed (with PAM and a bit of water) peppers, onions, zucchini and mushrooms seasoned with a few shakes of Taco Seasoning--kinda like fajitas. I can see that limiting my grains or starchy vegetables to one serving a day is going to be very helpful. I also try to make sure that I go to bed with a fairly empty stomach.
This afternoon I was watching a pre-recorded episode of What Not to Wear while I was munching away on my salad. This particular woman had lost 20 lbs and was still wearing baggy clothes. What a transformation! It was fun seeing her so happy in her new smaller sizes, and frankly it gave me additional motivation to stick with my Six Week eating plan.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Day Two: Still Going Strong
This morning my scale hadn't budged, but what can I expect after only one day?
After a green smoothie for breakfast and a few oranges, I ate a salad made with walnuts, butter beans, Romaine lettuce, spring greens, mushrooms, carrots and tomatoes.
I'm not sure about one aspect of the Six Week Plan: snacks. He says you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods, but then he says in one place no between meal snacks. I haven't done very well on that score because today I ate some of last night's tomato-bean mixture for a mid-afternoon snack.
For dinner we had whole wheat pasta with sauce, peas, and watermelon for dessert. I think this was "legal" but frankly, some days I'm so tired by the time dinner comes that I just do my best! I did limit myself to one serving of the pasta and peas, though I had 2 servings of watermelon.
After a green smoothie for breakfast and a few oranges, I ate a salad made with walnuts, butter beans, Romaine lettuce, spring greens, mushrooms, carrots and tomatoes.
I'm not sure about one aspect of the Six Week Plan: snacks. He says you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods, but then he says in one place no between meal snacks. I haven't done very well on that score because today I ate some of last night's tomato-bean mixture for a mid-afternoon snack.
For dinner we had whole wheat pasta with sauce, peas, and watermelon for dessert. I think this was "legal" but frankly, some days I'm so tired by the time dinner comes that I just do my best! I did limit myself to one serving of the pasta and peas, though I had 2 servings of watermelon.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Beginning of Six Long Weeks
It's hard to remember a time when I didn't worry about eating too much. I've been a Weight Watcher's member more times than I can count, but never got my "Life Time" award. Several months ago I was referred to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Eat to Live and it made a lot of sense to me. Using his principle of Health = Nutrition/Calories to guide my eating so that I get the most nutrition from the fewest calories, I have lost about 13 lbs and finally made it back to my pre-first-pregnancy weight! However, there is much more to go.
In essence, I have about 4 months to lose 20 lbs. That doesn't sound difficult to most people, but for the last six weeks I've been plateaued and I'm getting nervous.
So, I've decided to open my Eat to Live book up and strictly abide by the Six Week Plan. Fuhrman promises that this will be the most exciting 6 weeks of my life, so I figured I'd blog about it (to keep me honest) and share the excitement!
Fuhrman's Six Week Plan is basically this:
Eat fruit for breakfast, as much as you want but at least 4 servings.
Eat salad with beans for lunch with flavored vinegars for dressing.
Eat 1 serving of a high carb food, like whole grain, or a starchy vegetable, plus salad and vegetables for dinner.
Tofu is allowed, as well as 1 oz of nuts/seeds per day.
One tablespoon of ground flax seeds should also be eaten each day for the omega 3 fatty acids.
2 oz. of avocado can be eaten daily.
The goal is to eat one pound of raw green vegies (can include mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots) and one pounds of cooked green vegetables daily.
No dried fruit or fruit juice is allowed.
No dairy, no refined oils, no added salt, no animal protein (except low fat fish occasionally).
If I follow this plan, I may lose up to 20 lbs, which would let me meet my goal ahead of schedule.
I plan to blog about what I am eating everyday and how my weight loss is coming. I've been weighing myself everyday (almost) and that has helped as well.
This morning I made myself a "green smoothie" using my Vita-Mix and the following ingredients:
water
kale & chard
unsweetened canned pineapple and juice
frozen blueberries
frozen peaches
It was pretty tasty!
For lunch I ate a huge salad made with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, celery, hearts of palm, walnuts, carrots and mushrooms. The one cheat that I am allowing myself is a spritz of olive oil spray on my salad. I also added a dash of Bragg's Liquied Aminos, several shakes of a no-salt seasoning mix and some rice vinegar.
After that I ate a small apple.
For dinner, I plan to make a recipe called Company Rice and Beans made with canned tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, beans and oregano and basil. I'll serve this over rice with a side of steamed fresh green beans.
Dessert will have to be some fruit...maybe melon.
I think this first week will be the most difficult because my sugar and carb cravings will be haunting me, but then they should simmer down. Wish me luck and let me know what you think!
In essence, I have about 4 months to lose 20 lbs. That doesn't sound difficult to most people, but for the last six weeks I've been plateaued and I'm getting nervous.
So, I've decided to open my Eat to Live book up and strictly abide by the Six Week Plan. Fuhrman promises that this will be the most exciting 6 weeks of my life, so I figured I'd blog about it (to keep me honest) and share the excitement!
Fuhrman's Six Week Plan is basically this:
Eat fruit for breakfast, as much as you want but at least 4 servings.
Eat salad with beans for lunch with flavored vinegars for dressing.
Eat 1 serving of a high carb food, like whole grain, or a starchy vegetable, plus salad and vegetables for dinner.
Tofu is allowed, as well as 1 oz of nuts/seeds per day.
One tablespoon of ground flax seeds should also be eaten each day for the omega 3 fatty acids.
2 oz. of avocado can be eaten daily.
The goal is to eat one pound of raw green vegies (can include mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots) and one pounds of cooked green vegetables daily.
No dried fruit or fruit juice is allowed.
No dairy, no refined oils, no added salt, no animal protein (except low fat fish occasionally).
If I follow this plan, I may lose up to 20 lbs, which would let me meet my goal ahead of schedule.
I plan to blog about what I am eating everyday and how my weight loss is coming. I've been weighing myself everyday (almost) and that has helped as well.
This morning I made myself a "green smoothie" using my Vita-Mix and the following ingredients:
water
kale & chard
unsweetened canned pineapple and juice
frozen blueberries
frozen peaches
It was pretty tasty!
For lunch I ate a huge salad made with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, celery, hearts of palm, walnuts, carrots and mushrooms. The one cheat that I am allowing myself is a spritz of olive oil spray on my salad. I also added a dash of Bragg's Liquied Aminos, several shakes of a no-salt seasoning mix and some rice vinegar.
After that I ate a small apple.
For dinner, I plan to make a recipe called Company Rice and Beans made with canned tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, beans and oregano and basil. I'll serve this over rice with a side of steamed fresh green beans.
Dessert will have to be some fruit...maybe melon.
I think this first week will be the most difficult because my sugar and carb cravings will be haunting me, but then they should simmer down. Wish me luck and let me know what you think!
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