Another Wasted Year

I've said this before I know, but one has to wunder why I keep this blog. Well I guess because I keep hoping that eventually I will get that motivation again to try and get this weight off of me and, besides, I like blogging.

And I will say I did so much better this year blogging than all the other years put together, so I am kind of proud of myself in that aspect...even though in the end it was the blog about nothing. haha

But there is always 2017 and those 50 tips I blogged about. So bring it on.

This Month

Yeah...this hasn't been one of my better months blogging wise. Probably because I haven't even tried, blogging or losing weight. Still, considering all the years I've been blogging this, I have done much better this past year than ever, even if I have nothing to show for it. Ah well...there is always 2017.

And I do need to do something about my weight, for numerous reasons.  This past Friday night found me in the ER for pain in my abdomen.  They did a CT of it and while it didn't show why I was having the pain (like non-stop labor pain!), the CT did show other things that I want my PCM to look at and see what I need to do, besides lose weight of course. Interesting all the things a CT shows...I was kinda surprised the doctor in the ER didn't point them out and suggest I go see my doctor. 

Anyway, it was enough to get me to make an appointment. 

Only 4 more days until another new year.

Last But Not Least, Diet Tips #41 - 50 (With An Extra Thrown In)

41) Enlist your family. (He's actually the worst sabotager of it...)

You're about to embark on a major project, and you will need the help of those closest to you. If your kids and your spouse love junk food, plan with them how they can store it and eat it away from you, says Platkin. Also, plan with your family how to make meals healthier.

 

42) Anticipate setbacks.  (Like every week?)

There will be weeks when you don't lose any weight. There will be weeks when you gain. "You will reach a plateau as your body continues to adjust and adapt to the change," says Platkin. "This is normal. This is OK." If you expect this to happen, you'll be better able to stay on track. Forget what the needle says today: Focus on your long-term goals.

 

43) Eat more. (I do believe this.)

Yes, that sounds crazy, but denying yourself a food will only make you crave it more. Studies show that overweight people who add healthy fiber from leafy greens, beans, and sweet potatoes ended up reducing their calorie intake by 18% and lost over 5 pounds in a few months. So instead of depriving yourself, add in healthy foods first and your desire for junk will decrease.

 

44) Choose the right starch.

Throwing an under-ripe banana into a smoothie, eating cold potatoes, or putting a cup of lentils in your soup will add so-called resistant starch to a meal. This special starch is a type of fiber the body can't convert to calories. Research suggests that resistant starch reduces belly fat, makes you feel full, improves insulin function, and helps lower the risk of diabetes.

 

45) Spice up your life.

Capsaicin, a compound found in hot peppers like cayenne, helps boost metabolism, and that will help burn calories (and also help with asthma). Studies also suggest hot spice in food can tamp down your appetite.

 

46) Sip some green tea. (Which tastes like grass. Yuck. No thanks.)

Like chilies, green tea helps you feel satisfied and sates appetite. Plus, it keeps you hydrated and alert. One study found that obese study participants who did nothing but add green tea to their diets lost an additional 11 pounds, compared with a control group, after just 8 weeks—plus they burned 183 more calories per day. The researchers suspect that green tea helps boost metabolism and burn fat throughout the day.

 

47) Don't clean your plate. (This is really something I do...not cleaning my plate I mean.  And I have two willing accomplices, aka Bob-the-Bulldog and CaliGirl, that are more than happy to take my leftovers.)

Many of us grew up learning not to waste food. "That's a difficult thing to forget," says Bainbridge. "But it doesn't mean you need to be the family garbage disposal when your kids don't finish their dinner." If tossing out food is anathema to you, wrap it up and put it away, she suggests. "Tell yourself you'll have it tomorrow. When tomorrow comes and you take it out, chances are it will be unappetizing and you won't want it," she says.

 

48) Sip between every bite.

Bainbridge suggests slowing everything down so your body has time to feel satisfied. You can put your fork down and count your chews—which some research suggests helps shed pounds. Or take a sip of water (or wine) every few bites.

 

49) Back away from the table.

Finished your serving? Get up and go refill your glass. Throw your napkin over the plate. Push your chair back and engage in conversation. Fullness will set in—just wait and watch.

 

50) Choose fun that isn't food-based. (Sure because knitting sounds so much more fun than eating.)

If you like baking, trivia at the pub with grub in front of you, or dinner out with friends, try to find new activities minus the food, suggests Bainbridge. "If you find something that keeps you busy, like knitting, bird-watching, walking, or talking to friends on the phone, you'll find that you can engage in something and not need to eat," she says.

 

51) Take a break.

Food is a great distraction, especially junk food. (This is what happens to your body on junk food.) Sometimes instead of taking a break, we reach for candy or something sweet and comforting. Heather Bainbridge asks her clients to take a break from work, go for a walk, and ask yourself, do you really need the convenience food or do you just need a break? "More often than not, they just need a break. They don't need the food, and they perform better both at work and on their weight loss plan."

And there you have it.  Most of these really are doable...just have to get in that mindset.

Diet Tips 31 - 40

31) Eat protein for breakfast. (If I could talk myself into even making myself breakfast.)

A study in the Journal of American Clinical Nutrition found that a high-protein breakfast made people feel more satisfied and fuller for a longer time than a high-carbohydrate breakfast did.

32) Don't forget protein at lunch or dinner.

Try spreading your protein intake throughout the day—it's better for your metabolism and will help you feel full for a longer period of time, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition. Put chicken or turkey in your salad at lunch, and have a palm-size piece of meat at dinner.

33) Eat strategically.

"The order you eat your food matters much more than you'd suspect," says Aronne. His advice: Eat produce and protein before you eat carbs. He and his research team recently published a paper in Diabetes Care that found blood glucose levels were 36% lower an hour after eating when people followed this pattern. Plan your meals accordingly.

34) Choose al dente carbs.

When you prepare high-carbohydrate foods like pasta or rice, cook them slightly underdone. "This will slow down absorption into the body," says Aronne. "You won't have the blood-sugar spikes, which means you'll feel full longer."

35) Understand food labels.

"You need to look at serving size versus container size," says Cheskin. For example, a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola contains 2.5 servings. "Stick to the serving size when you snack rather than eating the whole package, and you'll be a lot better off."

36) The kitchen closes after dinner. (One of my biggest problems)

After a long day of making decisions, your brain is whipped by nighttime. That's when you're likely to sabotage your weight loss efforts with poor food choices. "Snacking after dinner is a problem," says Aronne. "In general, we should try not to eat after dinner and just aim for a good night's sleep." A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that late-night eating often leads to weight gain. In fact, the nighttime eaters gained nearly 14 pounds in the study.

37) Brown bag it. (Another problem. In the mornings I am just not thinking food; I am thinking: get dressed, get dogs outside, put on make-up, make coffee, get to work. Once in a great while I might remember to bring leftovers (which, come to think of it, I could have today. Dang it!) )

Bringing lunch (like one of these quick lunch recipes) means you're in control, says Platkin. In a year-long study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietics, overweight women who went out to lunch weekly gained, on average, 5 pounds more than those who ate out less frequently.

38) Stop skipping meals. (Another problem because usually in the mornings I'm not hungry. And I do skip lunch a lot.)

While it seems that not eating would equal fewer calories, the opposite is true. The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study found that dieting women who skipped meals lost, on average, 8 fewer pounds than women who ate consistently. "When you skip meals, the body goes into starvation mode," says Aronne. "It not only holds on to fat, it primes the brain to seek out high-calorie foods to protect itself."

39) Purchase snack-size baggies.

If impulse control is a problem when you open a bag of snacks, try portioning out single-serving containers, suggests Bainbridge. That way when you reach for a snack, you won't overdo it or suffer a setback.

40) Take a long hard look at yourself. (This is something I really do need to do. Really.)

When Lawrence Cheskin sees patients in his clinic, he asks them to look at their lifestyle, their habits, and their history of weight loss. He encourages them to consider their happiness, relationship to food, stress, and patterns of eating. (Here are 8 helpful tips from nutritionists that you should know.) "It's important to understand what works for you," he says. "Weight loss is a very individual thing, and only you know exactly what's happened that caused success and failure in the past."

I've Thought This

Sounds About Right

Diet Tips 21 - 30

21) Read the menu before reservation time.

Platkin recommends keeping roughly 10 menus for nearby restaurants, and pick three or four healthy options from each menu. That way when you arrive, you won't browse and be drawn in by, say, the blooming onion.

 

22) Cut stress, sleep more. (Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Good one!)

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that people aiming to lose 10 pounds found the greatest success when they reduced stress and slept 6 to 8 hours a night. And a separate study found that lack of sleep did in fact lead to weight gain.

 

23) Keep candy at a distance of 6 feet. (Oh the candy machine is way more than 6 feet away, but I just paid a visit to it this morning because I was starving and didn't bring anything to eat.)

A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that workers ate much more chocolate when it was visible and within reach, as opposed to just 6 feet away. What's more, the workers underestimated how much candy (aka sugar) they ate when it was right next to them, but they overestimated how much they ate when they had to walk to the candy bowl. "Removing yourself from the vicinity of temptation will help tremendously," says Bainbridge.

 

24) Cook your own food.

Packaged foods are designed for a long shelf life, so they're highly processed, offer little nutrition, and are chock full of empty calories, says Aronne. Try making your own meals using fresh ingredients—you'll soon find easy, fast, and healthy recipes that far surpass any packaged pre-made meals you can buy.

 

25) Liquid calories are trouble.  (I think they may be talking about my Starbucks habit here....)

Twenty minutes after eating, you'll feel full. But sweet drinks and alcohol are loaded with calories, and they'll sail right past your hunger sensors. (This is what happens when you stop drinking alcohol.) Aronne recommends his patients avoid caloric drinks altogether. If water is too blah, try squeezing lemon or lime into seltzer.


26) Vet your pantry.  (But...I can't just throw it out, thereby wasting food...)

"We're creatures of habit, so we gravitate to the same places over and over," says Platkin. That holds true for restaurants, coffee shops, and the cupboard in your kitchen. If you keep cookies, chips, or candy in a place you frequent—like your pantry—you'll need to clean it out and restock it with healthier options. "It's too tough to change our habits completely. You can go to the same places, just change what's available there."

 

27) Step away from the juicer. (I don't own one. Yay me!)

Breakfast shouldn't be skipped (and replaced with juice) when you're trying to lose weight. "If you juice a bunch of fruits for breakfast or make a banana smoothie, you're really consuming a lot of carbs and sugar," says Aronne. "You experience a fructose surge that feels good but leaves you very hungry." Stick to a breakfast with protein and some fat, like eggs or yogurt.

 

28) Look for support.  (This is probably one of the hardest things since I don't have any friends that live in this area that I could do this with.)

In one study, 95% of participants completed a 4-month weight loss program—and 66% maintained the weight loss—when they dieted with a buddy. "It's crucial to have a network of people to encourage you and to listen when you're struggling," says Brainbridge.

 

29) Fill up before you face the doughnuts.

Eating something healthy prior to facing temptation—the break room cookies and doughnuts, the party with all the fatty appetizers—will help you resist. "If you plan ahead so you don't face temptation while you're hungry, you'll have a much easier time staying disciplined," says Platkin.

 

30) Combine proteins and carbs for snacks.

Bainbridge recommends healthy carbohydrates and proteins, like cheese and an apple or yogurt and nuts. The carbohydrate quickly tamps down ghrelin, the hunger hormone (here are 4 ways hormones effect weight loss), and the protein keeps ghrelin down, so you'll feel full until your next meal.

Diet Tips 11 -20

I had almost forgotten posting about these:

11) Tap technology for help.
If you find it cumbersome to write down everything you eat, simply snap a picture of your food with your smart phone, says Platkin. All of your food. Simply taking a second look at what you're about to put in your mouth can reduce how much you eat. For a diary, try an app like Calorific, Lose It!, My Food Diary, or MyNetDiary.

12) Take a walk after meals.

A study in Diabetes Care found that when seniors walked for just 15 minutes after each meal, they significantly lowered their blood sugar, which can help manage weight gain. (Burn calories and build muscle—all while boosting your mood—with our 21-Day Walk a Little, Lose a Lot Challenge!) While walking in the morning or the afternoon for 45 minutes certainly led to improved metabolic markers, the short post-meal stroll was significantly more effective at blocking fat storage.

13) Eat walnuts.

A 2015 study out of Yale suggests adding 2 ounces of walnuts to a daily diet for 6 months leads to less snacking and healthier choices overall. Even though walnuts are high in calories, they satisfy hunger and reduce cravings

14) Exercise in the AM.

Japanese researchers found that working out before breakfast triggered the body to burn fat all day. So, if you want to burn fat all day, work out before breakfast.

15) Lift weights.

Finnish researchers found that when elderly women lifted weights, they could manage blood sugar much better, reducing fat storage.

16) Work your entire body.

According to this study, doing a strength-training circuit of six exercises (arm curl, leg extension, seated row, leg curl, triceps extension, and leg press) three times a week for 12 weeks helped Spanish women shed belly fat.

17) Your treadmill needs you.

A Spanish study found that when postmenopausal women at risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes started walking on a treadmill at home three times a week for 4 months, they significantly reduced fat and lost an inch off their waists. (Here's an 8-week walking plan to get you burning fat and feeling great.)

 18) Working out is vital.

Studies show that regular exercise is crucial to keeping weight off once you have shed it, but it's also good for your self-esteem. "Physical movement makes you feel better and boosts your confidence," says Platkin. "Workouts increase the chances of reaching your weight loss goals and decrease the chances of slipping up."

 19) However, don't expect exercise to be the entire answer.

Working out is healthy for the body and the brain, plus it reduces stress—which we all know can spur eating. "But physical movement is better for keeping weight in control than it is for losing weight," says Cheskin. "In 60 seconds, you can eat what it would take 60 minutes at the gym to burn off." The takeaway: You can't out-train a bad diet.

 20) Feed your healthy gut bugs.

A New England Journal of Medicine study of 120,000 nurses over 35 years found that women who regularly consumed yogurt easily lost weight and didn't suffer the weight gain typical with aging. Why? The probiotics in live-culture yogurt help facilitate weight loss by providing nourishment to healthy gut bacteria. If you can't tolerate dairy, try fermented vegetables or a probiotic supplement.

Or Maybe Hours?

Go Figure...

So I weighed myself this morning and somehow lost 3.4 lbs. That's pretty good for not really trying that hard...then again I haven't had any ice cream either. Which is a good thing.

I guess I should stick to that, huh?

Way, Way Back...

And It's November...

Yep, another month gone by and we are almost to the end of the year. And less than 6 months till I'm 60.  Should I give this a go again? Yes I should.  And to start it off, I already drank 16oz of water this morning right after I came down stairs. And I brought steel-cut oatmeal with walnuts for breakfast. 

So let's see what I can do this month, shall we?

Ten Diet Tips

Here are 10 out of 50 diet tips I read recently:

1) Dive in.

Losing weight is a long, bumpy road. What works for one person can be a disaster for another. That's why we're giving you 50 ways to navigate this challenge. Ready to dive in? Take a deep breath, and jump!

 

2)  Understand why you want to lose weight.

Knowing why you want to lose weight will help guide you through those moments when you want to give up, says Heather Bainbridge, RD, nutrition care coordinator at Temple Health Bariatric at Temple University Hospital and Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia. And your goal is more likely to resonate if you include real-world benefits, like having more energy to play with your kids or pursue new activities. "Your why is the grounding force that will push you through tough times," she says.

 

3) Believe.

Confidence is one of the single biggest predictors that you will be able to change, says Charles Platkin, PhD, MPH, Distinguished Lecturer at Hunter College and City University of New York School of Public Health. "You really need to believe in your ability to organize and execute a behavioral modification," he says. "Weight loss is a tough road, so you need to rely on the confidence that you can attain what you want."

 

4) Set a real goal.

Platkin stresses the importance of planning and goal setting. "No matter what, it's something you need to take the time to write down," he says. In one study, people were 42% more likely to reach their goals when they wrote them down. Platkin recommends setting a long-term goal and outlining the steps you'll take to carry it out. Don't say, "I'm going to lose 25 pounds." Instead, pick a number you want to weigh, devise a thorough plan of attack, and figure out the best strategies for getting there. And then keep careful track of your progress.

 

 5) Break your goal into bite-size chunks.

Set plenty of intermediate goals: "The most important thing to remember is any weight loss is good," says Louis Aronne, MD, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill-Cornell Medical College and author of the forthcoming book The Change Your Biology Diet: The Proven Program for Lifelong Weight Loss. "Any weight loss will improve your cardiovascular function, reduce your risk for diabetes, and help your blood-pressure." (Try these 13 proven foods that help lower blood pressure.) If you aim to lose 80 pounds, celebrate every 10 that you manage to shed.

 

6) Channel your inner toddler.

"Children don't eat just because food is in front of them, nor do they eat because they're feeling stressed or bored," says Lawrence Cheskin, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "They'll play until they're hungry, and they won't eat if they're not hungry. Paying attention to physiological cues is something we should all try. Just ask yourself: Am I hungry right now, or am I eating because I'm stressed or for another reason that's not actually hunger?"

 

 

7) Dieting is for gainers: Eat in a way you can sustain for life.

The eating changes you make should be forever—not the next 3 months, says Platkin. Living on a juice diet, exercising 6 mornings a week before the crack of dawn, or eating only one meal a day may lead to weight loss, but you won't be able to sustain that kind of loss. (Lose up to 15 pounds WITHOUT dieting with Eat Clean to Get Lean, our 21-day clean-eating meal plan.) Platkin advises forming new patterns that make your eating and exercise habits automatic. "It shouldn't be a diet; it should be a way of life," he says. "You break a diet. You don't take a break from your life."

 

8) Pay attention.

When you're conscious of what you eat, you'll enjoy it more while eating less, says Cheskin. If you open a bag of chips before sitting on the couch, you'll barely notice eating the whole thing. Try to eat only when you can pay attention to every bite, savor the taste—and slow down. That's good for portion control and for digestion, says Cheskin.

 

9)Ask yourself, "Am I enjoying this?"

Food delivers a marginal return on the calorie, says Cheskin. Every additional bite gives you less return on the investment. "Eating more won't give you more pleasure, more energy, or more satiety," he says. But it will make you rounder.

 

10) Keep a food diary.

Log all the food you eat and you'll have the data you need and a platform to assess which habits need tweaks. Bainbridge suggests writing down what time you're eating, what you're eating, the size of the portion, and the calories listed on the package. One study found that keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss and is one of the best predictors of weight loss. "Recording our habits is eye-opening," Bainbridge says. "You can really look back and say, 'Did I need to eat this? Could I have only had half of that? What am I now ready to change?


Makes sense, right?  Now just to follow them...

October 30th

Almost the end of the month.

Why does food have to have calories?

Why can't I love exercise?

Why why why???

Strange Diets

I was perusing blogs on here and I read one where this guy decided to go on an egg and whipped cream diet. Yeah.

He eats eggs twice a day and several spoonfuls of whipped cream (I don't know if it was sweetened or not, he didn't say)  during the day, and that's it. He said he has lost 18 lbs on it so far. Um, ok...but it sure doesn't sound the healthiest and what happens when he starts eating regular food again?

Not a diet I think I would try.

Six Months

So, six months from today I will be 60. And I wanted to be much thinner by then. Have I even started? Ha! What do you think?

I truly don't know why.  I feel like my brain is just locked and won't let me get past it and so I keep eating. Or maybe that is just an excuse?  I just don't know.  I just know that 60 is looming in the horizon and is going to be here before I know it and I don't want to be like this then.  I know I can't get super-skinny, but 60 lbs would be nice and I do think doable, if I could just get that mind set.

It's sort of funny that it is partly the fault of being depressed, but then I'm partly depressed because how much I weigh and what I look like.  Double-edged sword there.  I wish I was one those depressed people that stop eating.  Actually, when I was a teenager, when Ed and I would have a fight and I was sad, I wouldn't eat. Boy oh boy that would be nice right about now. ***sigh***  And yeah I know that isn't healthy either.

Hmmm...thinking about it...60 pounds by 60. Huh. Kind of a motto I think.

Yeah....

....no....

A Brand New Day

Let it begin....

And We're Off

Went grocery shopping today, bought the things I planned on, and starting Monday, on it goes (because like they say, diets can never start any other day than a Monday, right?)

Formulating a Plan

Finally thought up a plan at least for short term. Now just to follow through.

I Wish...

I could stay this unhungry.

One More Month In A Year Of Months

Not making any promises today...the past week has been pretty bad and I just don't see it getting any better any time soon.

I guess one day at a time.

Weight Loss

But then, we already knew it wouldn't happen this month anyway.

Right Back Where I Started From

I weighed myself this morning. Enough said.

And The Month is Done...

...and nothing was accomplished.


September is another month (but with my trip and all, it will probably be useless as well.)

ANOTHER Wasted Month

Yeah yeah I know.

Nothing to see here. Just one more set of 31 days where I haven't done anything to help myself.  The funny (or not so funny, really) thing is, it is always on my mind.     So why then, do I not do something about it?

I know that is a rhetorical question, as I seem to always be asking this of myself.  I don't want to end up with diabetes or heart disease, etc, and in essence killing myself with these diseases, and you would think that with all the knowledge there is about these types of things that I would certainly put forth the effort of trying to lose weight so that they don't happen to me.  So why then do I not?


And I don't like being this heavy and wearing big clothes and having a double chin and trying to hide myself in pictures. So then why do I not try?


 I want to blame it on being depressed, which I do think is part of it, but it isn't all of it.  Part of it is no will power. Part of it is, okay probably most of it actually, is I just like to eat. With sweets being on the top of the list as we all know. So all that makes for losing weight a very difficult thing.  It is my fault though. No one else to blame but myself.  No one did this to me, no one forces anything on me, no one tells me to eat. I did this all to myself and I take responsibility for it. So then why do I not take the responsibility to lose?


I really don't know. I don't know why I do not have the mind set and the absolute want-to to do it.

But I sure wish I did.

Funny How That Works...

...or doesn't.

Been There

Because, you know you can't just throw it away...

Exactly What Happened

Yep.

I Wonder....

...if I didn't have a sweet tooth, would it be something else?

Monday Musing

I have fallen off the water wagon this weekend. But I am drinking again today. (Hmmm...that didn't sound quite right...but you know what I mean.)


I weighed 2 more ounces than I did last week but my scale is kind of acting wonky so I'm not really sure how much I weigh.


I really need to stop eating steak on weekends. We've really gotten into a bad habit there I think. (And never mind that freezer full of ice cream.)


I'm not exactly giving up, but I know until I come back from California I'm going to be eating a lot, especially on our trip. Still, I'm not going to go overboard now. Hopefully.


I wish dieting was as easy as eating.

In My Freezer...

Enough said.

Ummm....No......

Though I do like peanut butter...on white bread...with jelly...or honey...

Will I...

...EVER lose weight?

...ever stop craving sweets?

...ever start exercising?

...eat healthy?

Part of Me...

...just wants to give up.

Another Month, Again

Now we're into August.


Let's see what we can do with this month.


(By the way, I did buy Skinny Cow fudgesicles and Outshine Fruit bars. And I'm trying to stay away from the commissary now so I don't buy any B&Js.)

Another Wasted Month

Maybe August will be better.

(Though this past week I did drink 680 ounces of water. Or, 10.625 gallons of water.)

Now on to a new good habit.

Wednesday's Water Words

...I feel like I have drank enough water to float a boat. Or so it seems. I drank 120 ounces yesterday.

...Since I have been drinking so much water and told Hector, now he is determined to out-do me and drank over 150 ounces yesterday.

...I'm even drinking a lot of water at home.

...Not sure what I am going to do about water when I go on my trip with Janie next month.  I don't want to stop drinking water but on the other hand I don't want to stop every 5 miles to pee.

...When I got to work this morning I discovered I didn't have as much water left as I thought. I only have 16 ounces which I am not happy about. But I will buy some at lunch when I go to Starbucks with Jose.

...I actually think I even feel somewhat better since drinking all this water. My imagination or no?

...I sorta feel water-obsessed, which I suppose is better than food-obsessed. Is that a bad thing?

SO...Did All That Water Help?

After weighing myself this morning, and only having lost .8 pounds, I would say no. But, on the other hand, it wasn't like I truly truly made myself diet this past week so what would I expect.  And drinking water is good for you and I did do very well drinking what I was supposed to and then some. Even when I was at home over the weekend which is a biggie.


So this week let's see what happens. More water and less food hopefully.

Water, Water, Water

Well for a change I really stuck to drinking my 64 oz of water this weekend. Yay me!

So Much Food!

So I was thinking about this whole diet thing and how they say you should eat a variety of foods (healthy foods that is), but for me, as boring as it is, I would rather eat the same things that I know are healthy and low in calories or at least what I know what the calorie count is. 

When I look at different diets and food on Pinterest , I tend to just feel overwhelmed by it all and can't make up my mind to save my life. So it just seems easier to stick with what I know and like and be done with it instead of trying to venture out and discover new things.  It also means to make up menus and stick with them, which makes it easier to know what to eat and what calorie range I want to stay in.

Dieting is hard work; not just the not being able to eat whatever part, but the planning part too.  I know it may come easier to some than to others and I wish I had that ability, but I am a second-guesser at about everything. I'm like that in scrapbooking and writing, etc, and I'm like that here, because I'm like, but what if...

Oh well. The point is to just try and lose the weight in whatever best suits me. I just wish it wasn't so difficult.

(By the way, I have already drank 72 ounces of water and it is only 2:16pm. Yesterday I managed to drink a whopping (for me anyway) 88 ounces. It is getting easier...)

Whatever Wednesday

Dieting is hard. H-A-R-D! ! ! ! !

I hate dieting.

But I hate being like this.

I wish you could buy will power.

Yesterday I drank 72 ounces of water.

Today so far (at 3:10pm) I have drank 56 ounces...only 8 to go for the 64. But I will try for more.

Except the problem with all this water-drinking is I pee a lot. A LOT.

I weighed in this morning and lost a few ounces.

Gunny wants me to go to the gym at lunch tomorrow...I'm really going to try and remember to bring clothes for that. I can hardly wait. Not.

I miss being skinny.

If Only

So I was doing really well yesterday, drinking my 64+ ounces of water, eating healthy frittatas for lunch,, etc, and then I got home. To no electricity. Darn. And I was hungry. I had thought briefly about stopping by the commissary and picking up a roasted chicken and  having it with a salad, but it was raining and I decided to just go home.  To find no electricity.

With that, we decided to go eat out and we went to Not Your Average Joe's, which of course isn't diet-friendly...if you have no will-power like me.  Though, I didn't eat all that much...but I did have a couple of pieces of their bread. And a peach Sangria.  For dinner I had a side Caesar salad and their cheesesteak wontons, but I only ate two of those and not all 4.  When we got home we had power again and then I finished off a 1/2 pint of strawberry ice cream, which now leaves me with no sweets in the house.  That is a good thing as long as I can stay out of the freezer section of the store.

Anyway, the point of my title is, I weighed myself this morning and had lost about 4 ounces, but I was also wearing my nightgown. I decided to take it off and weigh again and all of a sudden I was down 3 lbs! If only!  But I know my nightie does not weigh anything near 3 lbs; more like 3 or 4 ounces. Ah well.

Today I'm still doing pretty good, I have all my water in already and still have hours to go to drink even more, and I am planning on getting chicken and having it with salad. I may buy Skinny Cow fudge bars because they are really good and one is a good size for only 100 or so calories I think. Better than my Ben-and-Jerry's ice cream diet for sure.

If only my B&Js only had 100 calories. ***sigh***

And....Again!

After weighing in this morning and really not liking the numbers that I saw, (well, I haven't liked them in a long time but even more so today for some reason), I decided I had really better get with the program and do something about it.   If I could do it when I was in California, I can do it here.


So here goes.

For The Life Of Me

I cannot understand why I am having such a hard time with even trying to lose weight.

I know I have talked about that on here before but it seriously perplexes me.  You would think that given health problems that can arise from being overweight, not liking the way I look, being able to buy cuter clothes, actually wanting to be in pictures, looking half-way decent in a bathing suit, all these just among others, would motivate me to do it. So then why doesn't it? 

And I know how to do it. I know how to make menus and grocery lists and eating healthy plans, and exercising schedules, etc, yet, I don't.  Really it isn't all that difficult.  But to actually sit down and do it, and then follow through with them, my head feels blocked and refuses to let it get through.

I look on Pinterest and see all these different ways to journal and plan and I pin them, hoping it will jar me into sensibility and getting on that bandwagon. Yet, I don't. 

For the life of me I just don't get it.

Maybe Not Dinner...

...but dessert...

Seriously??

Yeah...this half of the year so far isn't any better than the first half. What the heck is wrong with me that I can't make myself do this???!!!???

After All....

...you don't want to waste food, right?

Me To A Tee

The Year Is Half Over...

...let's see if I can do any better.

Could this Be Why?

A couple of nights ago we went to Not Your Average Joe's for dinner and this is what I had:

A peach sangria....mmmm.....

I am not usually a huge bread person, but that bread is soooo good! It has caramelized onions in it, and then served with olive oil that has fresh garlic and red pepper flakes in it. Oh man it is delicious!! We also had appetizers but I didn't take a picture of them, but it was a bacon tomato flatbread, and buffalo wing chicken tenders. They were really good also.
Dinner was chicken piccata:

It was pretty tasty but could have used some salt for sure.
Last but not least:

That strawberry shortcake was yummy! The biscuit part seemed more like a sugar cookie almost but quite as sweet, but played well against the strawberries and ice cream and whipped cream. 

As much as this all seems though, honestly I didn't eat it all.  I had a couple of pieces of the bread, part of the appetizers, only about 1/3 of my dinner, and maybe a 1/3 of dessert if that much. Hector got all the rest.  Still, I realize I probably should have just had a salad. Without the bread. But man oh man that bread....

And I wonder why I don't lose weight?

Wednesday Wackiness

I just read on another weight-related blog this question: "What motivates you to get up in the morning?" Ummm....I have to go to work to pay for the rent and food and bills, etc? Though the thought of my Starbucks iced-venti-quad-in-and-out-upside-down caramel macchiato motivates me to get to Quantico in the mornings.  But, I'm assuming I was supposed to have some other kind of answer, like, I love my job! Another day to get on the treadmill! I get to eat healthy!  No...those wouldn't be my answers.

I swear in some pictures I look like a freakin' blowfish.

They can send a man to the moon but they can't make something to really help a person lose weight as easily as it is to put it on. (Yes I know it is my fault...put down the freakin' fork!!)

I wish I didn't like sweets. No, wait, food. I wish I was one of those people who only eat because they have to. Doesn't sound like much fun, but they probably stay skinnier that way.

I wish I loved to exercise. There are a couple of people on my Facebook that are always posting all the runs they take, when they go to the gym, the miles-long bicycles rides they take....kinda makes you sick of reading it. So I don't. I scroll past.

I should stop watching cooking shows. Well at least Unique Sweets.

I haven't had any B&J's ice cream in 3 days (and I don't have any in the freezer either). (Though now that mentioned it, I want some. Dang!)

A broken jaw would be great right now (well, except for the pain).

Why oh why do I lack such will power????

Pretty Much

Maybe not cheese, but ice cream and cookies and steak and....

I wish I could love exercise like other people do.

I weighed in this morning....***shudders***

Food Shows and Dieting

I admit I watch a lot of the Food Network and The Cooking Channel. Which probably does not help the cause of losing weight. Especially shows like "Unique Sweets", where they travel around the country and find really great bakeries and candy shops, etc and then show all those goodies and describe them.  Yeah...not good for dieters because then I immediately want something sweet to eat while watching it.  Of course the obvious solution is to not watch them but usually there is nothing interesting to watch so....excuses, excuses.


Besides Unique Sweets though, I enjoy watching The Pioneer Woman (who I have 4 of her cookbooks), Valerie Bertinelli's show, Brunch With Bobby, The Kitchen, and now The Kitchen Sink. At least these shows aren't all about sweets, though they can make me hungry. They do have a couple of diet/healthy food shows, but what fun would that be?


At least I don't live by any of the places Unique Sweets  show.

And that isn't going to happen.

Life's Fluctuations

My weight has been yo-yoing a lot, of course of which is my fault.  In California I didn't go crazy eating but I felt more depressed there and ate a couple of B&Js ice cream. Since I've been home I have eaten quite a bit of it because some days I'm okay, others, not so much.  Not that ice cream fixes it, and like I've said before even though my stomach isn't hungry, my brain is like "Give me ice cream!". And then we have Hector, who, when he goes to the commissary, brings home 4 or 5 cartons of it, even after I've said not to. No, I don't have to eat it, but we already know about my major lack of will power.


My weight has gone up and down but I know if I don't do something soon it will just keep going up. I wish my will power would do the same so I would say no.